Cherry Bounce Party

What are you doing on December 1st?

Give up?

You are going to to the Old Fashioned's 6h annual Cherry Bouncy party at 6pm.

Named after a classic Wisconsin drink of choice, The Old Fashioned not only does Wisconsin, they do the crap out of it, and they do it well.  Until I ate their ring balogne and Mac N' Cheese, I just thought my family was poor and my mom was an eclectic cook. Who knew it's a Wisconsin staple food?

Speaking of all things Wisconsin, Door County has to be one of the most beautiful parts of the state. Hold out your left hand and stare at the back of your hand. Wisconsin is shaped like a hand and Door County is the thumb. And our thumb grows more delicious cherries than your, um, errr, there's really nowhere to go with that analogy, is there?

Anyways, the Old Fashioned purchased a boatload of tart Door County cherries and they've been soaking in booze and sugar for months now and they are ready to get you tipsy.

So stop on over when the Old Fashioned cracks their cherry bounce.

They've doubled the size of their bar with new construction, so make sure you get their on the 1st or you could miss out on their special cherry bounce!

I will be out of town volunteering with high school kids (yup, someone calls me a role model) so please, leave a little for me!

Supply is limited because of the diminished tart cherry crop this year, so you may want to get there early!

Cheers,

Craig

P.S. I just tasted mine last weekend. It was absolutely delicious. It tasted not only delicious, but dangerous!

Everclear is dangerous

It's the day after Thanksgiving and I've learned one very important lesson about myself. Is it:

A) I've got a lot to be thankful for.
B) Giving back to neighbors in need is important
C) I can talk people out of alcohol wherever I go

If you answered C, you win a million dollars and a pony. I mean, after all, I already knew A & B, but damn, does talking people out of alcohol come in handy when you are:

A) Celebrating
B) Having fun
C) Thirsty

Wach out parade goers, I've got a Mic
and I'm not afraid to use it!

Okay, if you guess them all, let's double today's jackpot!

Yesterday's Jacksonport Thanksgiving Day Parade was awesome. "The Little Parade That Could," did... again... for the 16th year in a row. What started as an eclectic parade of townspeople with 7 observers is now an eclectic parade of townspeople (and strangely a lot of folks from Chicago) with hundreds if not more than 1,000 observers. And damn are they generous. Check out pics of the parade and follow us on facebook!

In 7 years, I've been promoted all the way from balloon handler to parade starter and this year, I served as the emcee. Yup, someone gave me a mic. And I used it to announce the "floats" as they went by, raised money for a 14-year-old with a brain tumor and I even talked someone in the audience (read: my best friend) into buying me a gin & tonic!

Yup, yesterday's parade was legendary.

But it gets better.

Every year my adoptive family orders Thanksgiving Dinner from a wonderful little diner in town. The food is delicious and there's so much less stress than cooking yourself. I know, you love your mother/grandmother/own cooking so much. But trust me, this is totally the way to go. Especially if you've got it all figured out like we do.

Each year, because of the parade, we are always the last family to pick up our dinner. And they ALWAYS have pie left over. That's right, each year we end up with free pie. Except this year. We showed up 30 minutes before closing, which made the workers happy. And we were still the last family. Do we get a prize, my best friend asked.

Answer: not unless you want some apple pie drink.

Craig: Only if there's booze in it.

Answer: Of course there is!

Yeah, so that happened... And then I learned apple pie with everclear is a dangerous little treat.

Yes, this is my post-Thanksgiving PSA: Everclear is dangerous!

So, a great big drunken and sleepy tryptophan cheers to you,

Craig

Happy Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving can beat up your Thanksgiving.

No seriously, after the Week of Craig, this is about as good as it gets for me.

Yesterday, I took the day off and traveled to Jacksonport in Door County, Wisconsin to visit my best friend and her parents. For starters, Door County is beautiful, even in this dead season between fall and winter.

Their home is exactly the opposite of mine. For starters, it's beautiful; hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, fancy appliances, a four-season porch with a fireplace in it. I could go on and on. This place is like my own personal bed and breakfast. Exactly the respite a guy needs after all that crime fighting.

And let's not forget the people! My best friend has been there for me through thick and thin. And trust me, my life can get pretty thick and thin! And her parents have been like my second family for over a decade now. In fact, I just call them Mom & Dad.

And this year, we added someone to our tradition. My best friend went out and got herself a boyfriend. He's pretty cool. Shhhh, don't tell him I said that yet. I'm trying to make the new guy sweat a little!

Don't think it could get any better? For about 15 years, "Mom" has been running the only Thanksgiving Day parade in all of Wisconsin. Who needs to watch the Macy's Day Parade on TV when you could go participate in the exact opposite?

My first year, I was a balloon handler. Yup, I walked in the parade and held a turkey balloon on a tiny stick. I've since been promoted to parade starter. Over the years, there've been horses, hoards of dog walkers, old fire trucks, lots and lots of townspeople and even a camel. Each year, it's fun to guess whether the 3-block "Little Parade That Could" will have more people in it or watching.

The best part? Totally reinstalls your faith in humanity. Each year, the parade adopts a family in need. Door County might be beautiful, but it's not immune to personal struggles. In the past, they've adopted families who've lost their jobs, kids with cancer, etc. Each year it's someone new. Each year, they make a difference. And each year, I drive up here and play some sort of role in this fundraiser that helps a struggling family during the holidays. It's fun, and it's the right thing to do.

Are you crying yet? Cuz this year, it all got better. Mom retired from her role as parade organizer and passed the baton (quite literally. She's not only the parade organizer, but also leads the parade by twirling a baton). What's that mean for us? We can crack into my cherry bounce a day early! And thus we did!

So, if the story about helping families in need didn't make you cry, this is totally gonna do the trick; we concocted some new drinks last night. I want to thank Mom & Dad's fully stocked science lab (read: liquor cabinet). I think there's going to be more concocting happening tonight, so as soon I've got some solid drink ideas for you, I'll report back tomorrow.

In the meantime, eat turkey, sit back with your favorite infusion and watch football (or the Macy's Day Parade).

Happy Thanksgiving and, as always, cheers!

Craig

P.S. If you are ever in Door County, drop by J. Jeffrey Taylor's fine jewelry shop, ask for Mom & Dad (the owners) and tell them that Craig sent you. You'll be glad you did!

I'm back

It's been two months since I've posted. But that doesn't mean it's been two months since I've touched a drop of alcohol, or kalcohol as my nephew puts it.

Side note: isn't it cute to hear little kids who can't enunciate?

Double side note: damn, that four year old can really drink. No wonder he's got a lid on his sippy cup. I need to try that! (this is totally a joke. don't go calling social services. everyone knows I'd feed little kids booze and that's exactly why they don't ever put me in charge of them!)

Anyways, two more months of super hero shit. We caught most of the bad guys and reelected the President of our, errr, um... crime fighting team.

Two months of fighting crime and not blogging doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I've got six different infusions that will all make a good base for a Bloody Mary to try out. I also have an entire pantry of candy to infuse. If this morning's binge on gummy bears is any indicator, I'd better get to infusing before there's no candy left.

Wanna follow along? Go get some candy corn. C'mon, Halloween might be over, but that just makes the Halloween candy even cheaper.

Also, go get yourself a box of candy canes and some hot chocolate. Oh, you'll be glad you did!

Stay tuned for some really cool infusions!

Cheers,

Craig

The Fishing Trip

For newbies to my blog, be aware, my blog is like mixing a drink; it's part Craig and part concoction. Hence, Craig's Concoctions.  So, I should tell you why you haven't heard any vodka-tastic words of wisdom from me lately.

It can be summed up in two words: Fishing Trip. Even with a home Badger football game this weekend and a buddy coming into town, it's going to be tough for this weekend to beat last weekend.

Each year, the guys in my family embark on our own version of a mecca-like journey to Wisconsin's Northwoods (no, it's not nort'-uh-ate for you purists - I'm looking at you, babe - but it's pretty close). The journey is known as The Fishing Trip.

It's not just any fishing trip, it's The Fishing Trip. I get so excited about this, that this brief video pretty well articulates how I blow town once a year...

It's a fun trip. While the amount of fishing has diminished significantly over the trip's 42-year history, there's still just as much fun had. I think men and women should be able to gather on occasion as a gender under certain circumstances. I'm not a big believer in men-only or women-only activities to the exclusion of others in your workplace or personal lives. But every now and again, I do believe it's nice to get a bunch of guys together to play cribbage, golf and rip off some legendary farts.

I'm sure women like to gather every now and again for a good old fashioned pillow fight... in their underwear... while watching scary movies... in their underwear. What?!?!?! I don't know what it is you ladies do when you're together. Whatever it is, you have to promise me you'll never EVER ruin this image for me!

Anyways, everyone usually cruises up north with their favorite beer, a cigar or five and kicks back and relaxes. This year, I brought a 2011 batch of cherry bounce and it went over very well. I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my cousin and her hubby, who've been infusing machines. Not only have they completed at least three or four infusions from my blog that I'm aware of, but they even made the trip to Door County to pick their very own tart cherries for their cherry bounce. I'm a firm believer that if you pick them yourself, they infuse better. Certainly this is complete nonsense, but hey, it enhances the fun!

So that explains my hiatus.

But fear not I'm back and infusing more than ever. Case in point; Wednesday night a couple pals came over and we made six different infusions. Yes, you read that right. That's more infusions than I've done in the entirety of this blog. We were busy little infusion machines ourselves. The best part is that every single one of the six infusions will make a delicious base for the same cocktail... and one of them has bacon in it. So, I'll have plenty of content and plenty of fun over the next few weeks!

Want a clue?

What is the one drink that everyone makes differently, but has in common vodka, tomato juice, a blend of spices and is called a Bloody Mary?

Give up?

It's a Bloody Mary!

Until next time, cheers,

Craig

Cherry Bounce

Who knew I had something in common with Martha Washington?


Cherry Bounce dates back to George Washington, who regularly enjoyed sipping on one of his favorite tasty drinks. In fact, the earliest recipe I was able to track dates back to Martha Washington's diary. She did it a bit different, but it's good to see she was a brandy purist (my second favorite to the blend of 5 different boozes above). Apparently Martha's recipe was written on then-General George Washington's stationary and was titled "To Make Excellent Cherry Bounce."

Here's Martha Washington's Cherry Bounce Recipe:

“Extract the Juice of 20 pounds of well ripend Morrella Cherrys Add to this 10 quarts of Old French brandy and sweeten it with White Sugar to your taste—To 5 Gallons of this mixture add one ounce of Spice Such as Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmegs of each an Equal quantity Slightly bruis’d and a pint and half of Cherry kernels that have been gently broken in a mortar—After the liquor has fermented let it Stand Close-Stoped for a month or Six weeks—then bottle it remembering to put a lump of Loaf Sugar into each bottle.”

I'm not sure what loaf sugar is, but Martha has given me an idea. Good thing I only made half my cherry bounce and I have plenty left to make. I'm certainly going to have to try adding cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to my recipe. I may even consider adding some fresh vanilla beans. 

Preemptive apology

For those of you who follow my blog, I need to take a moment to acknowledge I've violated one life's maxims a good pal once taught me: under promise, over perform. I got too excited about the cherry bounce. I never should have subjected it to now four blog entries. It may be my fave, but I shouldn't have hyped it up so much. So let me just say this. I think you'll like it. It's good. Sorta. Kinda. Okay, it's slightly tasty if you like the perfect mixture of tart cherries mixed with sweet sugar and five different kinds of booze. Yeah, it's (under promise) alright. I mean, if you like that sorta thing.

Cherry Bounce, 2012

This is where I stop rambling about the bestest of the bestest most tastiest drink you'll ever infuse yourself and just let 'er rip as they say in Wisconsin. I give you.... Cherry Bounce.

Preparation Time: About 20-60 minutes (depending on how much you make)

Infusion period: 3 months (Yup, you read that right, months. Don't worry, it's worth it!)

Materials you’ll need: (Makes 4 quart-sized canning jars worth of goodness)

• 8 cups of tart cherries (leave the pits in)
• 4 One quart-sized wide mouthed canning jars (if you don't have wide-mouthed, you'll probably need to add a funnel to this list of things you need)
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of Rum (I've used spiced and white rum. it's your call) 
• 1 cup Irish Whiskey
• 1 1/2 cup Vodka
• 1 1/2 cup Brandy
• 3/4 cup Lambrusco (It's a crappy red wine. You can find it in the crappy red wine section of your local liquor store)
• 1 strainer 
• 1 bowl large enough to hold 8 cups of cleaned cherries
• paper towels (just trust me on this one. you will likely spill.



Perfect blend of 5 different
types of booze.

• A large jug to mix the above booze in 

Recipe:

• Pour 1 cup of sugar into each canning jar (use strainer if you have small mouthed jars).
• Add 2 cups of rinsed cherries to each canning jar
• In a separate container mix all your booze together, then pour into canning jars evenly. This should fill each jar relatively close to the top.

Servings:

Yields approximately 12 ounces of cherry bounce and 2 cups of drunken cherries.

How to make this tasty drink:

1. Rinse your cherries in a strainer.

2. Pour cherries into a clean bowl.

3. Line up your canning jars and add one cup of sugar to each jar.

Step 3 woks best while enjoying
a Summer Berry Splash!

4. Then add two cups of cherries to each canning jar.

Sugar + cherries = almost done!

5. In a separate container, mix all the above booze together.

I made a double batch

6. Spread your booze evening into all four canning jars. This should fill each jar pretty close to the top. As the booze makes its way down into the sugar, your concoction will bubble. Don't panic, this is supposed to happen. It's just science. Enjoy it!

I think the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

7. Put your lid on and make sure it's tight.

Step 11 is the hardest part!

8. Turn upside down and shake until your sugar is mixed up. The sugar will then settle back into the bottom of the jar pretty quickly.
9. Shake up your jars every day or two until you can no longer see sugar settling at the bottom of your jar.
10. Store in a cool dark place.
11. Wait several months. The general rule on this is if you make it during cherry season (July-ish), it's ready to taste at Thanksgiving and keeps getting better an makes for a delicious New Years Eve beverage!

How to drink your tasty drink:

Much like most infusions, you can serve this vodka infusion many ways. You can drink 3 or 4 ounces warm, chilled or over ice. You can also shake it up martini style. Feel free to mix this with any white soda/seltzer as well. I personally enjoy it in my favorite vanilla cola. Perhaps even lemonade?

Important alterations:
Wanna keep it simple? Sure thing! Just add your sugar and cherries to your jar and fill the rest of the jar up with your favorite booze. I've seen whiskey, vodka, rum and (my fave) brandy.

Want some fun mixed drinks?

Try your concoction in an old-fashioned. You can even use your cherries in the old fashioned! Oh, I almost forgot the cherries. Top them in an ice cream desert, bake them in a pie (pitted) or smuggle them into a sporting event that doesn't sell booze, etc. Be adventurous. And don't forget to come back and post a comment to tell me how it went!

This & that

The thing I love about Cherry Bounce is that there's so many ways to make it. Please, leave a comment here and tell me what you've tried! 

Too lazy to make your own but live in the Madison, Wisconsin area? Sign up for the email list of a local restaurant named after one of my favorite drinks The Old Fashioned and be amongst the first to be notified when they crack their Cherry Bounce (usually early December).

Well, this is it. The kinda sorta almost best drink you'll ever taste. Enjoy your cherry bounce, or stop on over for some of mine.

Cheers,

Craig

Honor our workers this Labor Day

Labor Day is right around the corner, and it's got me thinking about my dad.

This Labor Day weekend, I'm toasting to the man who helped me get a job as a union paper mill worker, which helped me pay for college. He taught me the value and honor of a hard day's work.   

My dad is a patriot who fought for this country and even gave an organ for it. He and my mom raised four great kids who couldn't be any more different, yet couldn't be more similar. From my dad, I learned how to be loyal to a fault, and for that, I'm grateful.

And more and more, I feel like I'm turning into my father. You know, all those things that either made you smile or slightly annoyed you in high school. Here's my checklist:

1. I fall asleep on the couch a lot watching the Milwaukee Brewer's games but wake up just in time to yell at the TV and question the manager's decision to pull the pitcher one pitch too late.
2. I've noticed the volume on my TV slowly increasing with age.
3. I turn off lights incessantly in rooms I'm not in because I'll be damned if I'm paying the electric company those extra few pennies! 
4. I watch NFL football games more to yell at the refs than to watch my favorite team.
5. Don't you dare leave my front door open when the air conditioning is on. I'm not paying to cool the entire neighborhood!
6. I'm an over planner and over packer. Travel with me and you'll have enough food to live for a week in case of a car accident and you'll definitely die wearing clean underwear. 
7. I frequently say all those things my dad says, like "Waste not, want not." 

Yup, I'm becoming my dad.

And I couldn't be happier for it.

As I embark on this boozalicious journey, I'm glad that every time I go home, I can bring a little taste of my infusions to taste with my pappy. So get ready, daddy-o, this weekend I've got several for you to taste!

Next time you taste one of my infusions, raise a glass and toast to the man who taught me how to throw a curve ball.

Even though I can't convince you to sign-up for my blog because you're afraid of signing up for things on the internet (just one of the many things I love about you), cheers to you, dad!

Craig

Quitter

Yup, I'm a quitter. 

Fighting crime is a pretty stressful job. So, when I'm done with the crime, I also quit caffeine. That's right. Goodbye Redbull. Adios Diet Coke. Peace out to 5-Hour Energy Drink. 

But sadly, I had to also recently say goodbye to one of my life's greatest loves. 

My girlfriend? Nope, she stays!

I had to quit Chai Tea. I'll miss that blend of cinnamon, pepper, ginger and cloves. Mmmmm. 

This is it; the new non-crime fighting Craig. Time to get healthy. 

I even went for a run the other day. Of course, I felt like a three-pack-a-day smoker and had to stop frequently, but I finished. Oh, you should have seen it! I laced up with my circa 1970 Converse All-Stars, socks pulled up to my knees with really trendy red and blue stripes at the top and ran all the way around my parking lot. 

Okay, seriously, I ran further than that and looked much more trendy while booking my buns. 

While I ponder my next few infusions (don't forget, blackberry and cherry bounce are in the hopper), I've made some serious life decisions in the last few days. In order to get healthy (while not cutting flavored infusions out of my diet), I had to make some other sacrifices. 

So, this new caffeine-free diet is for you, readers. 

Until I quit quitting, cheers!

Craig

Legendary

Okay, okay, okay, I know... I promised you blackberry infused vodka. And I'm a man of my word. I'll reveal that in the next few days.

But I'm just so excited about something totally awesome that I had to share it with you. It's going to be so legendary, that I couldn't quite say it like Barney Stinson does. So, I figured I'd let him explain how awesome it is going to be!

Oh yes, the lactose intolerant joke is my favorite. Mostly because I am.

Okay, I'm so excited that I'm starting to get off track here. Back to the awesomeness. Last Wednesday, a friend and I turned six quarts of cherries into what most assuredly is going to be the most uber awesomest bestest most delicious and tasty infusion in the history of infusions. Oh yes, that's right blog fans now numbering ten, the cherry bounce is here.

I'm so excited (can you tell?) that I can't wait to write it up. It was well worth it to go to the farmer's market on the other side of town, arrive at 6:30am and spend $5 per quart for tart cherries straight out of Door County, Wisconsin.

Mostly, this infusion is going to be LEGEN (wait for it) DARY because the tart cherry crop was almost completely decimated this year. It took a small miracle to get the darn things all the way down to Madison's west side farmer's market. Most farmers just held pick-your-own specials because there weren't enough cherries to hire people to pick them, pack them and ship them. Thus, upon arrival, the tart cherries didn't last long at the farmer's market.

That's right, this party animal (not really) went to bed at 10pm on a Friday night for the first time in six years (not really) to get up at the ass crack of dawn (really) to get fresh tart Door County cherries. And then... I had to promptly freeze them because I was too busy helping my boss win that great crime fighting promotion.

Well, after great patience from a certain someone who occasionally shares a home with me (a home with no space in the freezer) I finally pulled half my stash out and turned them into yummy goodness.  A special thanks also goes to my friend and partner in crime, who came over Wednesday night and helped me clean my freezer (and about a dozen Mason jars and six quarts of cherries).

The cherry bounce project photographed well, and smelled delicious during the concocting process. Oh, and I had to clean my kitchen (for the most part) before the project started, so it was a great excuse to get my life together.

Q: What's more fun than concocting with Craig?
A: Drinking while concocting with Craig!

Yup, my pal and I started off with a glass of Summer Berry Vodka Splash (drinks like a sangria, but tastier).

Then, I cracked a jar of my 2011 Door County Cherry Bounce. First, there's the rich cherry smell. Then, there's the deep red cherry color as it sits in your brandy snifter. Then, there's smell as you bring your glass up to your lips followed by the mixture of sweet and tart as it hits your lips, then your tongue. As it goes down your throat, cherry bounce leaves just the perfect after taste.

Sound boozalicious (and a little dirty)? It was (and it wasn't)! Don't worry, my friend only lives a half a block away. She made it home safely.

You see, cherry bounce is the concoction to beat all other concoctions. Don't believe me? Just try it. I dare you. And I'm making it now, early in the life of this blog. Why wouldn't I save the best for last? Simple. It's cherry season (and I think my girlfriend might like the freezer back).

So, to the ten most dedicated followers, whether you get this emailed to you or you subscribe via Blogger, I promise you that in the coming days, I will not only reveal blackberry vodka, but cherry bounce.

Q: You know what else would be legendary?
A: If you'd help me promote my blog by encouraging friends, neighbors and that one weird guy you pass by on the street every day to sign up via Blogger or to have the blog emailed to them.

A legen (wait for it) dary cheers to you,

Craig

P.S. Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 marks the day most of you will get this blog emailed to you. It also marks the day that my wonderful girlfriend will run the Duluth Triathlon, which she keeps referring to as a half Iron Man (trust me, it's not named after me. if it were, it'd be the vodka man). Yup, my baby will be swimming, biking and running more than 70 miles on Sunday. Her hard work will once again make her more productive by noon than I'll be all day. And I couldn't be more proud. Good luck baby! She truly is legen (wait for it while she finishes her swim... and then her bike... and then her run) dary!

Global Concoctions

In addition to having eight dedicated followers, I'd like to announce my blog has now gone international.

What? That's great, you say? You betchya!

According to Blogger's map, someone in Canada has now viewed my blog. I'm going to pretend for one moment that my Canuck pal Christa wasn't the one who graced me with a click and instead, imagine that total strangers in Canada are catching the infusion craze. Can you believe it?!?!?! There are Canadians with Mason Jars out there making marshmallow vodka!

Maybe not, but a guy can dream.

Stay tuned. I'm about to crack my blackberry vodka open and I'm pretty excited about it!

Cheers,

Craig

Summer Berry Vodka Infusion

With the exception of the marshmallow infused vodka, I’ve had a very berry time infusing things for you. But I had “berry” high hopes for this one. What, too cheesy? Never! Not this lactose intolerant guy! Hey-Oh!

Like all good concoctours (i just made that word up), I took a sip before publishing this blog. Holy cats man, this infusion takes the cake. Perhaps one of the best fruit infusions I've done yet. I'm not even joking. You'll have to try it to see what I mean. So, where did I find this delicious recipe, you ask?

A drink so nice, I tried it twice!

A couple years ago, I went big. I wanted my own infusion jar for big projects. So, I went online and nabbed a great jar from the good people at www.infused-vodka.com. And wouldn’t you know it, the thing came with a recipe book. Now, I don’t just infuse out of this book, but it’s been very handy on occasion. If waiting for my blog posts to come out is wearing on your patience and you’re not much for Googling creative recipes, get your own copy of their infusion recipe book here.

Oh, and when making this infusion, be careful. Berries will stain!

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes

Infusion period: 5 days

Materials you’ll need:

·      1 pint of fresh raspberries

·      1 pint of fresh blackberries

·      One quart-sized canning jar

·      375ML of vodka (or more if you like)

·      wire strainer or a coffee filter (not pictured)

·      funnel (not pictured)

Recipe:

·      1 pint fresh raspberries

·      1 pint fresh blackberries

·      375 ML vodka (or just fill your jar all the way up, like me)

Servings:

Approximately 17 ounces.

How to make this tasty drink:

1.     Wash your fresh berries, removing any bad berries.

Strawberry cutting board
not included.

2.     Pour in 375 ML of vodka. If your canning jar has a measurement on the side like mine, use it to measure your vodka. (Quick note: Someone once asked me if you had to add the vodka first and my answer is simple; nope! You can do this in whatever order you want. After you are done, you are going to shake the dickens out of it anyways. I supposed, however, adding the vodka at the end would speed up the process a tad. I’m just lazy and don’t like to dirty multiple measuring cups.)

3.     Add your berries to your canning jar.

4.     Seal your jar (duh)

5.     Don’t forget to add your “ready” date.

6.     Shake it up.

7.     Store in a cool dry place.

8.     Shake well every day, or even a couple times a day if you’d like. The key to this tasty drink is the juices.

9.     Optional: strain from your canning jar into another container with a coffee filter or cheesecloth if your guests are squeamish about the berry bits.

How to drink your tasty drink:

Much like most infusions, you can serve this vodka infusion many ways.

My taste test included drinking this warm, like the manly man I am. But, for you pansies out there (aka, me for all future tastings), you may want to consider chilling before serving or serving over ice.

This vodka was so flavorful that it may be nice to drink chilled in a martini glass straight up, but I'd imagine it would taste great with soda water, tonic water or a white soda.

What I learned after doing this for the very first time:

The finished product!

I tried something new this time. I sipped a partial shot of this drink with someone else so I could get their reaction from it. And what better a person than your intern? Talk about intern hazing. "Hey, come over here and drink this" isn't exactly something you can say to an intern who you don't know very well. That's why I was lucky this particular intern has been interning for me in various capacities for the past two years; a total partner in crime. Don't worry, she's over 21 and I only gave her a half a shot (friends don't let interns drive drunk).

Her reaction was the same as mine. First and foremost, this was the best smelling infusion yet. The color is a bit dark due to the blackberries, but the smell could draw an entire room full of people in. And  this infusion tastes just as flavorful as it smells! Wow. While she shot her portion, I sipped it and savored it. You know, swishing it around in my mouth a little bit like you see those wine tasters on TV do. I had no idea what I was doing, but I do know for sure that I had just made something magical. Trust me, don't shoot this, savor it. 

Want some fun mixed drinks?

Summer Berry Vodka Splash:
Add 1 oz. of Cointreau, 5 oz. cranberry juice and 1 oz. of your Summer Berry infusion in a tall glass of ice. Garnish with a lime.

Recipe Alterations:

As I’ve already admitted, this recipe calls for 375ML of vodka but I almost never stick to that. I filled my infusion jar all the way up. Hey, I'm of modest means and want to stretch my booze a bit further.

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Back at it

When I first created this blog, my personal goal was to publish a new infusion about ever week or so. I'm not sure I ever really promised you this lofty goal, but I promised myself. And predictably, I have failed you (me).

Too busy to blog? Yes.
Too busy to drink? Nope.

So what gives?

I feel like I owe you an apology. And by you, I mean all 7 of you who are signed up to receive my blog posts via email and the one guy who "subscribed" to this blog via Blogger. So here goes...

I was robbed. Someone broke right into my house, and stole my laptop, my Mason Jars and my glass flasks. It was tragic. The police thought it odd that someone would steal five jars of moonshine and a few bottles of cheap Brandy, so they blew me off.  

Don't believe me? 

Okay, that's not true. 

Not in the least. 

The truth is, work got in the way. 

When using a martini shaker, I've always
found it important to add my own fun!
Note, this isn't my house.
Way too classy for me.

Now, I know what you are thinking, "Craig, what job could you possibly have that could get in the way of booze?" I could tell you, but when I started this blog, I vowed to leave work out of it (sort of...with the exception of this post...). So let's just say this. For the past several years, I've been working for a secret society of ordinary humans who do extraordinary things. No I don't wear tights and a cape (this part is true), so get your mind out of the gutter. I actually wear this really strong yet light weight weaponized metal suit with rockets under my feet that allows me to fly (or jeans and a button down shirt). I have a boss that I've never met (read: see regularly) who sends me and my friends around the world (read: surrounding counties) to defeat the bad guys (read: this part is actually kinda true). My boss was recently up for a pretty big promotion in the crime fighting industry and I spent a lot of time helping him out. I'm proud to announce, mission accomplished!

Don't worry, I might have been too busy to blog, but I haven't been too busy to share my infusions. I recently attended a fun party where my buddy's wife and I got a bit tipsy off marshmallow vodka. It was delicious!  

Now, with the professional excitement out of the way, I can finally get back to you, the most dedicated eight people I've ever met.

So strap on your seat belt, because this infusion world is about to take off! I have a friend who's promised to try bacon infused bourbon and guest blog about it right here. Others have suggested I try some really fun stuff in the future. It's all coming. 

In the meantime, if you've got something that you want me to post, just leave me a comment. I'll try anything once... well, almost anything!

Cheers,

Craig

Raspberry Vodka Infusion

As my Man (blog) Overboard post alluded to, I went a little bonkers at my local Farmer’s Market near the end of June. The result was lots and lots of berries. If you are lucky enough to live in a part of the world that didn’t have a diminished berry crop this year, go hog wild. Otherwise, I’m afraid you might be stuck buying from your local grocery store.

If you are skipping your workout to make this infusion, don’t feel too bad about yourself. Why? Did you know raspberries are really good for you? It’s among the plant foods with the healthiest contents (I think). They are a rich source of vitamin C, manganese and are rich in antioxidants. Take that, oxidants!

So there you have it, skip your workout for the betterment of all your friends’ inebriation, um… er…. I mean health.

So, without further ado, I give you… raspberry vodka.

Easy to make, easy to drink!

Preparation Time: About 10 minutes   

Infusion period: 4-7 days

Materials you’ll need:

·      1 pint of fresh raspberries

·      One quart-sized canning jar

·      375ML of vodka (or more if you like)

·      wire strainer or a coffee filter (not pictured)

·      funnel (not pictured)

Recipe:

·      1 pint fresh raspberries

·      375 ML vodka (or more)

Servings:

Approximately 14 drinkable ounces if you fill your entire 1 quart Mason Jar after adding your 1 pint of fresh raspberries.

How to make this tasty drink:

1.     Wash your fresh raspberries, removing any bad berries.

2.     If your canning jar has a measurement on the side like mine, use it to measure your vodka.

3.     Add your berries to your canning jar.

4.     Seal your jar (duh)

Voila!

5.     Don’t forget to add your “ready” date. 

6.     Shake it up.

7.     Store in a cool dry place.

8.     Shake well every day, or even a couple times a day if you’d like. The key to this tasty drink is the juice.

9.     Optional: strain from your canning jar into another container with a coffee filter or cheesecloth if your guests are squeamish about the berry bits.

How to drink your tasty drink:

Much like most infusions, you can serve raspberry vodka many ways. At room temp, cooled in your freezer, over ice or in a martini.

What I learned after doing this for the very first time:

A good scientist always tests their experiments. I’m pretty excited about how the raspberry turned out. Straight up, this drink is pretty dynamic. At first, you taste vodka, with the strong flavor of raspberries chasing quickly behind it. I think the beverage would make for a very interesting mixed drink with soda water, tonic water or a white soda like sprite or 7-Up.

Almost ready to enjoy.

Also, someone asked me if the beverage would get more flavor if you muddle your berries. Muddling the berries will give your drink an unappetizing look, so you’ll have to strain the dickens out of it before serving to guests.

Finally, in the interest of science, I tasted the raspberries. Much like most of my infusions thus far, they tasted very boozalicious and lacked all the flavor of a fresh raspberry. This doesn't surprise me, as much of the berry flavor has been pulled into the vodka. Still, not bad!   

Want some fun mixed drinks?

Raspberry Lemon Drop:

Mix 1 oz. lemon juice, 1 oz. of your raspberry vodka infusion and 1 tsp. sugar in a martini shaker with ice. Shake your little heart out and pour it into a shot glass. I’m told it tastes great when you rim the shot glass with sugar.

Finished product. Yum!

Here’s another to try:

Raspberry Martini

3 oz. Raspberry Vodka, 1 oz. Triple Sec, 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice & 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Mix the above with ice in a martini shaker cup, pour and enjoy!

Recipe Alterations:

I’m interested to hear your feedback. Please, let me know what you think!

Jackpot!

Do you ever play old-school slot machines? You know, the ones with the lever you pull rather than the button you push to make the magic happen. Exciting! 

Mmmmm. Tart Cherries!

Well, I'm beginning to understand why there was only one fruit in the game.

Strawberries? Nope!

Pineapple? Nope!

Apples? Nope!

Of course, you've already guessed, it's cherries. Why? Simple. Because the search for the cherry is one of the most invigorating hunts in the world. Think about it. Flushing birds out and shooting them out of the sky? Meh. Being really quiet in a small stand up in a tree all day long waiting for one deer to come along so that you can kill Bambi? Whatevs. Letting dogs loose to run around the woods trying to scare a bear up into a tree and then shooting the bear? Lame. 

Now, hunting for tart cherries during a season in which the weather nearly decimated the entire crop, that's pretty exhilarating. Now try hunting for cherries a full 2.5 hours south of Door County, Wisconsin. Yes, Door County isn't just the place where my best friend's parents own the best little jewelry store in the world, it's also the home of tart cherries. Last week, I was told by 10am that the entire tart cherry crop had been sold out for that week. At another Farmer's Market, I was told there simply wouldn't be any tart cherries this year. Sad.

Special thanks to:Door County Fruit Markets
6421 Hwy 42
Egg Harbor, WI  54209
920-743-7434

This morning, I went back to the stand that ran out early and followed the woman's advice: "Son, if you want to make your cherry bounce this year, you have to get here early next week."

So last night, I didn't go out with friends. I didn't drink, save for a glass of wine with my dinner. (What? It's been a long week. Stop judging me!) I just went to bed early. My alarm woke me up so early I was still yawning on the way to the Farmer's Market. But it was all worth it. 

Here's my $60 haul!

Peaking out over the rising sun (not really) with slow build up music playing on my iPod (not really), there it was... the cherry stand. And when the woman told me that I got there early enough to buy tart Door County cherries, I shrieked like a 13-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert (on the inside. no really, i swear, I didn't shriek in public. Well, okay. Maybe just a little bit...).

I know it's been since my birthday since my last post, but hold onto your britches. I've got raspberry and a summer berry mix in the hopper and I'm about to dazzle you with cherry bounce (my all time favorite). So, stay tuned to your email if you are a subscriber. And if you're not? Hey, there's no better time to subscribe than the present. 

In the meantime, go grab some tart cherries or go visit my surrogate parents' store and hit an orchard to pick your own. Stay tuned,  I'll talk you through how to turn your tart cherries into deliciousness very soon!

Cheers,

Craig

A birthday let down

Today's my birthday.

Yup. The BIG ... oh, I'm going to keep you guessing. I look a lot younger than I really am, and while that completely sucked in high school, it's paying big dividends now!

It's been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to give you a birthday update. I've been serving infusions randomly to friends. Last week, I served an entire 16 oz. flask of strawberry vodka in mini shots to my softball team and our wonderful (three) fans. It went over pretty well, although I am sure some of them would have preferred an iced cold Miller after playing in 100 degree heat.

I've also been serving the marshmallow, as I made a lot of it. The best feedback I've gotten is that it tastes just like marshmallows. I guess that means I did it right!

Since today is my birthday, I should get anything I want, right? WRONG. First thing this morning, my lady and I hit the Farmer's Market and the nice man behind the cherry table totally ruined my birthday when he broke the bad news to me; he isn't sure the tart Door County, Wisconsin cherries are going to make their way down to Madison this year because the crop was decimated due to the extreme heat and then refreezing we got this Spring.

Instead, I bough sweet cherries and removed the pits and made some sweet cherry bounce this morning.

No time to type it up. I gotta run and pick up my lady from the gym. Yup, I infuse while she works out. It's a great relationship!

So, now I've got sweet cherry bounce and raspberry vodka in the hopper. I'll pick one and post the recipe after my birthday is over.

Until then, cheers!

Craig

Happy Canada Day!

While, the kids of South Park might be busy blaming Canada, I spent yesterday celebrating Canada Day one day early.

Did I buy little red and white flags to celebrate the birth of Canada?

Canada Day is July 1,  so drink up!

Nope.

Did I rush out to the emergency room and demand universal health care?

Nope.

Did I sing "Oh Canada" at the top of my lungs in a busy street?

Wrong again.

Give up? I got a little tipsy off some red (strawberry) and white (marshmallow) infused vodka. Thanks Canada for giving me the excuse to party like it's 1867!

Cheers,

Craig

Marshmallow Infused Vodka

The campfire is roaring. Staring into the fire's burning depths, you are mesmerized while being filled with the smell of campfire smoke. There's nothing that would go better with your campfire than a nice toasted marshmallow, right? Well, think again, because once you've tried marshmallow infused vodka, you may be singing a different tune. If my parents would have fed me marshmallow infused vodka when I was eight-years-old instead of marshmallows, I may have started this blog a lot sooner than a couple weeks ago!

After doing pineapple followed by strawberry, I thought I'd try something you can't buy at your local Farmer's Market!

If you like vanilla, you'll love marshmallow vodka!

Preparation Time: About 10-20 minutes

Infusion period: 1-5 days

Materials you’ll need: 

• Approximately one bag of great big puffy marshmallows
• One canning jar (narrow mouth works best)
• Vodka
• Knife
• Wire strainer or a coffee filter (not pictured)
• Funnel (not pictured)

Recipe:

·    Fill canning jar with Marshmallows. Fill jar full of vodka.

Servings:
The longer you let this infuse, the more your marshmallows infuse. If you let a full mason jar infuse for about a week, it will yield about 16 ounces of gooey goodness!

How to make this tasty drink:

• Cut your marshmallows in half or thirds (I did thirds). This exposes more of the inner gooey parts, expediting the infusion process. The hard outer shell is slower to break down in the vodka, so let's give those marshmallows a bit of a helping hand. This is why I don't use those tiny marshmallows. Finally, I avoided the colorful marshmallows because all the colors would just blend together making for a not so eye appealing concoction.
• Drop your marshmallow bits into your canning jar. Fill that jar to the tippy-top.
• Pour in your favorite vodka. Be careful. At first, the marshmallows will recede. Don't be fooled. This only happens for a brief second and then they will puff up and spill out of your jar. This is why I suggested a skinny jar rather than the wide mouth. I used both. With a little hand-eye coordination, you can get by just fine. Just pour fast and get your lid on your jar ASAP! (see picture above)
• Shake it up a bit
• Store in a cool dry place
• Shake whenever the mood hits you to shake the living crap out of something. 
• The marshmallows won't completely dissolve in your jar. That's okay, this is normal. In making mine, I checked it after a day and just let it sit for the rest of the week. It did continue to dissolve each day after I shook the jar. But there was still some marshmallow sludge floating at the top of my jar. 
• Just skim off the puffy sludge.
• Pour from your jar into your storage container. I'm a big fan of glass flasks. Your end product should be a white(ish) color yummy concoction. Perfect for the white in your red, white and blue 4th of July (or Week of Craig) vodka tasting party!



It doesn't look pretty...
But it tastes delicious!

• Optional: You may wish to strain it for even more purity through a wire strainer. It's a bit too thick for a coffee filter. And let's be honest, I'm lactose intolerant. I don't own a cheesecloth, so I can't even comment on if that would work. Speaking of cheese cloths, why do you need a special cloth to eat cheese? The whole concept puzzles me.

How to drink your tasty drink:

There's great debate amongst those I've talked to about how to drink your marshmallow vodka. While most vodka infusions taste great chilled either over ice or straight out of your refrigerator/freezer, I took my first sip straight out of my mason jar at room temperature and it was delicious. Of course, if you like the flavor of vanilla, you're going to love marshmallow vodka! I've also been told that you can use marshmallow vodka to replace any vanilla vodka in mixed drinks. Yum!

A really eye appealing option for your red, white and blue party is to add ice and marshmallow vodka to a martini shaker and serve in a martini glass with a Marciano cherry in the middle. The cherry will sink to the bottom and voila, you've got yourself a red and white beverage. Or, if you've been exported to Canada like my pal, Christa, this would be the perfect compliment for Canada Day.

I give you yumminess,
now drink it!!!

What I learned after doing this for the very first time:

I didn't expect my marshmallows to puff out as quickly as they did. So be ready for that once you begin filling your jar with vodka. This was a fairly simple recipe, so there shouldn't be too many problems for you. I tried it by filling one jar all the way up with marshmallows and another jar just part way. It didn't appear to matter much, but the full marshmallow jar seemed to infuse faster. 

Also, some people prefer to only infuse their marshmallows one day and then use some sort of a press to expedite the infusion process. I just let my infusion do it's thing with the help of a shake here and there and almost all the marshmallows dissolved on their own. Patience is a virtue and I'm a virtuous SoB when it comes to infusions. So, don't run out and buy a coffee press unless you really like coffee!

Clean up alert: if you let your wire strainer sit overnight, it will become hard to clean. Get that gooeyness gone ASAP before it becomes hard! 


Finally, if you wait a bit to serve, you'll find you need to shake your concoction, as it may have begun to settle a bit.

Want some fun mixed drinks?

Because marshmallows are just one part vanilla mixed with one part goop, you should be able to substitute your concoction for any vanilla vodka recipe. The good people at Drink Mixer have 91 vanilla vodka recipes you could substitute your marshmallow vodka with. 

But let's be honest, what you really want is a S'more martini, right? I know I do. The Martini Diva has a complex recipe for you. Or, you could try this one from Delish.com that you could just sub your concoction with.

I'm totally vamping here, but I'm going to make my own marshmallow vodka recipe. That's right, I'm calling my shot, and it's going to be delicious!  I give you, Craig's S'more Martini:

1. Rim your glass with  your marshmallow gooiness left at the top of your flask. 
2. Sprinkle crushed up graham crackers over your gooiness.
3. Add 1 ounce of chocolate. (I plan to try for appearance purposes only to line my martini glass with chocolate syrup swirls. I know, not high class...) perhaps I'll put a little in the martini shaker cup to make sure the chocolate flavor gets mixed in there too.
4. Add 3-4 ounces of marshmallow infused vodka (shaken in martini shaker). 

After trying Craig's S'more Martini, I'm committed to make this better. One tip, use the chocolate topping to make fun designs in  your martini glass, but don't use it as your chocolate in your martini. Ummm... it didn't taste that good. I'm going Godiva next time. Try it and tell me if it's any good. I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

Recipe Alterations:

There's really not much you can do with this recipe. Except drink it. yummy!

Cheers,

Craig