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Spiced Cranberry Margarita

The Story

Most cocktail drinkers enjoy a Margarita from time to time. This classic cocktail is a mixture of tequila, triple sec, and lime. One of the great “three ingredient cocktails” out there. We recommend Reposado Tequila versus Blanco in the majority of use cases. Also, you can ramp up your triple sec game with Cointreau (and branded triple sec). This recipe swaps out triple sec for Grand Marnier. If you take the plunge on the bottle, don’t worry, there are many ways to enjoy Grand Marnier, including drinking it on the rocks or even straight up in a chilled glass!

We hope you enjoy this Margarita riff that adds Cranberry Juice (unsweetened, as we add the sugar in the recipe), and a fun optional garnish that is well worth the effort!

Cheers!!

The Recipe

2 oz Reposado Tequila

½ oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Unsweetened Cranberry Juice

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Cinnamon Syrup

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake 10-15 seconds until chilled

Pour cocktail over ice into a lowball glass

Garnish: Cinnamon Stick/Orange slice

Alternate Garnish: BOOZY CRANBERRIES!!

Heat ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add fresh cranberries to cover the water in one layer. Heat until most of the cranberries have popped to pop. Let cool. Strain the syrup into a container and use in building the cocktail. Transfer cranberries to a container and add 2 oz Tequila and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Top your margarita with a spoonful of cranberries.

Source: google search for margarita riffs (original content lost…)

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Naughty Charles

The Story

During the holidays it can be fun to have a cocktail that is undeniably interesting. For such a need we present the Naughty Charles. This cocktail starts with a familiar base, with Bourbon and Cherry Heering (our own Wallace and Davis!). Leaning into the sweet side, creme de cacao is then added. You’ve got a pretty straight forward desert Old fashioned here, right?! But that’s when the dry vermouth shows up and throws it’s weight around. Top it off with orange bitters (popular in our house martini).

This drink offers up different flavors from the nose to the finish and every step along the way. If you decide to check it out, make sure to stick to the recipe and consider the OXO Jigger which offers up the rare 1/3oz line, used twice in this drink.

Happy Holidays! Cheers!!

The Recipe

1 ½ oz Bourbon

1/3 oz Cherry Heering

1/3 oz White Crème de Cacao

½ oz Dry Vermouth

2 dashes Orange bitters

The Build

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora

Garnish with a lemon twist

Source: Difford’s Guide

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Holiday Menu is Live!!

Check out the “Holiday 2024 Menu” in the menu bar to see what tasty treats we’ve whipped up for this season! Some oldies and newbies! But all ready to make your season holly jolly! Happy Holidays!

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Wallace & Davis O.F. (A Runaway Anchor Original)

The Story

Originally introduced Dec 23, 2023, this Runaway Original is back for a second holiday season. Kicking off our Menu for the year, enjoy our tasty riff on the old fashioned again!!

The Old Fashioned is a classic. An easy cocktail to make and enjoy at home, or to order from any bar in the world. We thought it would be fun to do a riff on the Old Fashioned for the holidays. This mixture evokes the taste of chocolate covered cherries, but the balance is crucial with this cocktail.

First thing: stick with Bourbon. We tried it with Rye and the spice will quickly overwhelm the delicate balance here (Scotch would also overpower it). Also, abide by the 0.5oz of cherry heering. If you put a full shot in this drink the only thing you’ll taste is cherry. Finally, THREE dashes of the bitters. The last thing you taste should be the chocolate. We hope you enjoy this Runaway Anchor Original Cocktail for the holidays this year (or anytime you’re in the mood for something a little sweet)!

If you’re wondering about the name. This classic cocktail needed a classic holiday movie to go along with it, so we went with White Christmas, naming the cocktail after the characters played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.

Happy Holidays!

The Recipe

2 oz Bourbon

½ oz Cherry Heering Liqueur

3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters

The Build

In a Mixing Glass, add all three ingredients

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain over a single ice cube if possible

Garnish with 2-3 Maraschino Cherries

Source: BC (Co-Founder of the Runaway Anchor Cocktail Bar)

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Psycho Killer

The Story

This tasty little cocktail was a feature of one of Anders Erickson’s “spooky cocktails” video series. We are always looking for ways to explore Campari without getting anywhere near a Negroni, and this one is a good option. To make it, you’ll need to infuse cacao nibs into Campari before mixing the cocktail. What you’ll end up with a mix of sweet and bitter that is pretty nice! We hope you enjoy this spooky looking cocktail!

Cheers!!

The Recipe

2 oz Irish Whiskey

¾ oz Cacao Nib Infused Campari (see recipe below)

½ oz White Creme de Cacao

¼ oz Absinthe

Cacao Nib Infused Campari

1 cup Campari

2 tablespoons Cacao Nibs

Mix together and infuse for 1-2 hours

Strain out nibs and store for up to 2 weeks

The Build

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora

Source: Ander Erickson Spooky Cocktail Series

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Banana Bread Old Fashioned

The Story

The Old Fashioned is a very flexible template to begin experimenting with flavor. The construction is “spirit, sugar, bitter”. Traditionally that means “whiskey, simple syrup, angostura bitters”. That’s what you’ll get if you order it from a bar, most of the time. But if you are a home bartender, you can have more fun with it!! Swap any element for another and you’ve got your own riff.

We first learned of the the Banana Bread Old Fashioned somewhere online, but we’ve tweaked and changed it, so the original source is lost. This is our take. Sticking with whiskey (you pick the type, just probably not scotch in this one). Then swap simple syrup for Creme de Cacao and Banana Liqueur. Ditch the banana part if you don’t like artificial fruit flavor, it’s still tasty! Then swap Angostura bitters with a combination of Chocolate and Walnut bitters. The Black Walnut is a more powerful flavor, so double up the chocolate to keep it under control.

We hope you enjoy this riff and that it inspires you to make your own variations!! Options are limitless!!

Cheers!!

The Recipe

2 oz Whiskey (Bourbon or American Whiskey)

½ oz White Creme de Cacao (1 oz if you like it sweeter)

1 oz Banana Liqueur

2 dashes Chocolate Bitters

1 dash Black Walnut Bitters

The Build

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain lowball over a large ice cube

Source: Runaway Anchor Original Cocktail

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The Wicked Word

The Story

This one is a little crazy. But if you do it right, you look like a cocktail wizard! The key to this “flaming cocktail” is to use Black Sambuca (for the color change element) and to not leave the alcohol aflame too long.

This is a cocktail with a heavy anise flavor, so black licorice fans should be pleased. If you are put off by the Aperol (as I was initially) you needn’t be worried. The combo of the sambuca and the lemon really tamp down the bitterness. I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve appreciated how a bitter spirit like Aperol can enhance an otherwise sweet and tart cocktail.

So be careful with your fire as you enjoy this Anders Erickson Original!!

And here is it in action!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1 oz Cognac

1 oz Aperol

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1 oz Black Sambuca (set aflame)

The Build

Add Cognac, Aperol, and Lemon Juice to a shaker

Add ice and shake for 20 seconds

Double strain into a coupe glass

Pour Sambuca into a large tulip style glass

Swirl the sambuca to coat the sides

CAREFULLY, light the liquid on fire with a long match or lighter

Swirl the flaming sambuca to keep lit (do not wait long at this step, or glass will get dangerously hot)

While still aflame, slowly pour the sambuca into the couple glass (turning the pink drink pitch black)

Give the tulip glass a brief shake to put out the flame.

NOTE OF CAUTION: whenever you work with flaming cocktails, have a fire extinguisher handy and don’t mix this after you’ve had a few. Drink responsibly!

Source: Anders Erickson Original Recipe

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Chambord Bramble

The Story

It is rare that we highlight “build in glass” cocktails. Part of the fun of home bartending is getting to use the tools! Mixing Glass, Boston Shaker, Lewis Bag and Mallet!! They are all fun, and make you feel like a pro. But sometimes it’s nice to just throw something together in the glass, which brings us to the Chambord Bramble.

Chambord is a raspberry liqueur that comes in a very distinct bottle. A quick search for most popular drinks made with it led us directly to the Bramble. This is a Gin cocktail, and generally calls for London Dry. But here at the Runaway Anchor, we tend to lean on the smoother gins of Plymouth and Old Tom, and that’s no different here. The Gin Bramble also uses a different liqueur, Creme de Muir which is not as sweet as Chambord. Use whatever gin you like best for this one though, no judgement!

As the days get colder, take one more sip of summer in a glass, and bonus, you won’t have much to clean up afterwards!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1 oz Gin (Old Tom, Plymouth)

1 oz Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

The Build

Fill a lowball glass with ice cubes

Add each ingredient in the order listed above to the glass

Top with extra ice if needed

Give it a swirl and start sippin’

Source: google search for chambord cocktails…