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.

If you enjoy this blog (and if you like creative booze), please consider signing up on the right side of this blog to follow by email.