Jose Cuervo Cinge (Cinnamon Tequila)

jose cuervo cinged carmel aple cocktail

Jose Cuervo Cinge is a new cinnamon-infused tequila that retails for about $18. As you may know, Cuervo is the top-selling tequila brand in the world, and since vodka and whiskey have embraced the flavored liquor trend, it’s no surprise to see tequila flavors, too.

Cinge is sweet and spicy, though mostly spicy, vaguely reminding me of a Fireball candy. Because Cuervo isn’t a 100% agave brand, the mugginess of tequila is eclipsed by the cinnamon burn, and your lips will be left sticky and sweet. Cinge has a unique flavor that makes for some fun cocktail recipes, and since tequila mixes well with apple, here’s a recipe for you to try:

Firey Cinged Apple (by Greg Mays)

  • 2 oz Jose Curevo Cinge
  • 2 oz apple juice
  • 1 oz caramel liqueur (I used Lovoka)
  • stir and serve on the rocks

Honey Paddy Cocktail

honey paddy cocktail

The Paddy is a classic cocktail which is a bit like a Manhattan with Irish whiskey. Since I have a bunch of honey whiskies to work with because of the Bees vs. Trees series, I decided to put it to use and substitute Bushmills Irish Honey in the place of the usual Irish whiskey in a paddy. It’s a great cocktail:

Honey Paddy Cocktail

  • 1 1/4 oz honey Irish whiskey
  • 1 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
  • 1 dash bitters
  • stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Home Bartender Christmas Gifts 2013

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Last year, I offered you a few Christmas gift ideas for home bartenders. I have some more ideas this year and you get the chance to win a great home bartending gift set, valued at $60 (see below for details)! Here are the gifts, pictured left to right above:

Ice molds. Tovolo offers the Colossal Cube and the Sphere ice molds. Each set comes with 2 molds. They’re a cool gift for a whiskey lover as they cool your drink without too much watering-down. Colossal Cube molds are available from Amazon here for $15, and the Spheres for $10 here.

Citrus Squeezer. I joked about this recently on Instagram: for us home bartenders, our squeezers will wear out, so make sure you get a good one. This is a high-quality squeezer by Dalla Piazza that will cover all your squeezing needs: limes, lemons, or oranges, and it’s available from Amazon here for $22.

Muddler. Epicurean has this awesome “wood fiber” muddler that dishwasher safe and really sexy. Muddlers are either wood (so not dishwasher safe), or something much less elegant like aluminum. This is a great mix of style and functionality that’s available direct from Epicurean for $25 here.

Bar Set*. This is a 7-piece set by Swissmar that includes a full-size shaker, strainer, bar knife,  jigger, stirrer, bottle opener – all in a nice stand. It’s a perfect collection of necessities to start you home bar, available for $60 from Amazon here or win a set from Simple Cocktails (see below)!

Bar Knives. This is a 2-knife set by Joseph Joseph – 1 straight edge, 1 serrated – that magnetically sticks together to protect the blades and your fingers. I think it’s actually designed as a cheese knife set, but it’s also perfect for a traveling bartender. The set retails for about $12 at local cooking shop, from Amazon here, or or direct from Joseph Joseph here.

Measuring Jug. Also by Joseph Joseph, this jug measures any fluid from 1 oz to 1 liter, with a cool double-reservoir design. Much like the knife set, this is a good gift for both foodies and home bartenders. This runs about $15 at your local cooking shop, from Amazon here, or direct from the company here.

Zester. This zester by Kitchen IQ has a removable reservoir on the back to catch and measure your citrus zest (which you’ll see occasionally in a cocktail recipe). It’s $15 at your local cooking shop, or get it from Amazon here.

*For a chance to win your own Swissmar cocktail set, pictured above, shipped direct to you from the manufacturer, post a comment below listing your favorite Christmastime cocktail. 1 entry per person, U.S. residents only. I’ll draw a name randomly on December 16th. Good luck!

Mark Twain Cocktail

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“Livy my darling, I want you to be sure and remember to have, in the bathroom, when I arrive, a bottle of Scotch whisky, a lemon, some crushed sugar, and a bottle of Angostura bitters. Ever since I have been in London I have taken in a wine glass what is called a cock-tail (made with those ingredients) before breakfast, before dinner, & just before going to bed.”

Mark Twain’s birthday is November 30th, and this year would have been his 178th. There may be no better way to celebrate his legacy than with his favorite cocktail – a real old-school treat which he describes above in a 1874 letter to his wife.

Mark Twain Cocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz of scotch
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • crush the sugar with a muddler in a cocktail shaker
  • add ice, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

T.N.T.

tnt cocktail

I was browsing Mr. Boston’s Cocktail book recently, and discovered a cocktail I’d never heard of. This drink ends up a cool, bright yellow because of the mixture of the two ingredients. This is a potent drink – it clocks in at a meager 2 oz – and it’s a great excuse to use you old-timey cocktail coupes:

TNT Cocktail

  • 1 oz absinthe
  • 1 oz whiskey
  • stir with ice and strain into a small, chilled cocktail glass

Fall Cocktails + Bitters on The Morning Brew (Video)

Here’s the video clip from May 14th of my live segment on The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens in Albuquerque. Remember you can find the recipes that I made on the show (Mapple Punch and Scotch/Soda/Cranberry) here.

Recipes from the Morning Brew 11/20/13

morning brew logo Here are the simple fall cocktail recipes I shared live on The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens in Albuquerque.

Mapple Punch

  • 1 oz maple whiskey
  • 2 oz unfiltered apple cider
  • stir and serve over ice in an old fashioned glass
  • want to make it a full-blown punch? mix 1 bottle of whiskey with 2 bottles of cider!

scotch soda cranberry

Scotch, Soda, and Cranberry

  • 1 1/2 oz scotch
  • 1 oz club soda
  • 2 dashes of Cranberry bitters

Find out more about Greg here, or sign up to get a free recipe book with easy shopping lists. Follow Simple Cocktails on TwitterFacebook, Instagram, and RSS, too!

Tequonic Cocktail

tequonic cocktail

Tonic water isn’t just a handy mixer with gin (though that’s the most common). You can substitute any base liquor for gin and see how it works with tonic water. This cocktail is a fun variation on a margarita, as the tonic water takes the place of the sweet triple sec. Enjoy!

Tequonic

  • in an old fashioned glass filled with ice, add:
  • 2 oz tequila
  • juice and shell of 1/2 a lime
  • top with tonic water

White Lion Cocktail

white lion cocktail

I promise this cocktail’s name precedes the amazing hair metal band of the 1980s and 90s. But every time I make it, I still think of them anyways.

White Lion Cocktail

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tsp powdered sugar
  • 2 dashes bitters
  • 1/2 tsp grenadine
  • 1 1/2 oz white rum
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Orange Blossom Special

orange blossom special cocktail

“Look a-yonder comin’
Comin’ down that railroad track
Hey, look a-yonder comin’
Comin’ down that railroad track
It’s the Orange Blossom Special
Bringin’ my baby back…” ~ Johnny Cash, Orange Blossom Special

Gin and orange juice make a great flavor combination, and I’ve begun to regularly prefer gin over vodka in my Screwdrivers. A while back, I had a spicy gin that made a particularly great combination with orange: Seattle’s Big Gin. Here’s an awesome, simple, tasty gin-and-orange cocktail you can try at home:

Orange Blossom Special

  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 tsp powdered sugar
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with a tiny orange wheel (I used a Cutie)