Photos: Chad Chisholm, Custom Creations
With a full, decorated glass in hand it seems easy to make a proclamation on what’s worth celebrating during the holidays. A perfect festive-fête beverage menu is a thing of beauty. This one, created by Centennial’s culinary consulting agency Food and Drink Resources, could be the lineup to beat.
FALL-GIVING’S PIMM’S CUP
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon
fresh ginger, chopped and peeled
¾ ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Pimm’s
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
Large ice cubes
1 can local lager
1 pink grapefruit slice
5 frozen cranberries
METHOD
Combine ginger and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and muddle the ginger. Add Pimm’s, lemon juice and ice and shake for 1 minute. Add ice, grapefruit slice and cranberries to a chilled Collins glass and strain cocktail into glass.
Pairs best with appetizers, but especially fresh fruit and aged cheese.
ABOUT THAT LAGER
“Anything lower than 5 percent A.B.V. will keep the beer from overpowering the Pimm’s. Breckenridge Brewery’s BreckLager, Lone Tree Brewing Co.’s Mexican Lager (though it is 5.3 percent A.B.V.) and Upslope Brewing Company’s Craft Lager are all neutral.”
“This time of year usually centers around food. No one wants to be too full, so we focused on making each drink light and refreshing,” says Scott Randolph, chef and co-founder of Food and Drink Resources. “The amount of alcohol is also balanced: Some drinks are spirit-forward and others are light in alcohol or have none at all.”
WINTER “MOJITO”
INGREDIENTS
1 sprig of rosemary per drink, warmed over a flame
¾ ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Cruzan black strap rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Large ice cubes
Soda water
Fresh rosemary sprig and lime wheel for garnish
FOR A MOCKTAIL
Replace the rum and soda water with Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew ginger beer.
METHOD
COCKTAIL: Place fire-warmed rosemary sprig, simple syrup, rum, lime juice and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 1 minute to infuse rosemary. Strain into chilled glass filled with ice and fill to the top with soda water. Garnish with lime wheel and fresh rosemary sprig.
MOCKTAIL: Place fire-warmed rosemary sprig, simple syrup, lime juice and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for 1 minute to infuse rosemary. Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice and fill to the top with ginger beer.
Pairs best with a roasted leg of lamb with mustard notes.
FOOD AND DRINK RESOURCES
Co-founders Randolph and Richard Keys and team develop recipes, investigate trends and more for restaurants and retail food and beverage companies, including Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Vitamix, Kashi and more.
PECKING ORDER
“Our rule of thumb is to start an evening with drier, less sweet drinks; use more robust, heavier beverages with the main or entrée course; and then go a little sweeter at the end of the night,” Randolph says. “What’s great about these drinks is that you can use them for multiple parts of a party or meal.”