When it comes to cocktails, Fall is a great season for drinking them. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, apple—it’s all just so delicious!

In the spirit of the season, I present to you Pumpkin Punch w/ Cinnamon-Infused Rum, courtesy of Kelly Carámbula and Serious Eats.

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon infused rum:

1 750-mL bottle of dark rum, like Flor de Caña, Gosling’s Black Seal, or Myer’s Dark
3 cinnamon sticks

For the punch:

10 ounces pumpkin purée
10 ounces cinnamon-infused rum
10 ounces sweetened condensed milk (vegan? Just melt some vanilla soy ice cream—but not that Soy Delicious Coconut Milk stuff. The coconut flavor will overpower the delicacy of the pumpkin)
10 dashes Angostura bitters (seems a bit excessive, but keep in mind it’s for an entire punch bowl)
Freshly ground nutmeg (for real—fresh nutmeg is not that expensive, and you can totally tell the difference)
Ice block or cubes

To Make:

Infused rum: Combine the cinnamon sticks and rum (keeping the rum bottle) in a large ball jar (or any wide-mouthed jar.) Seal and place in a dark area for 3 days, gently shaking daily. Once the cinnamon flavor is bold enough, remove the cinnamon sticks and pour back into the liquor bottle.

In a large punch bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, rum, condensed milk and bitters. Gently stir until fully combined.

Sprinkle freshly-grated nutmeg over the entire punch bowl.

(Check out Kelly’s blog Eat. Make. Read. for more of her recipes!)

So Australia was surprisingly like the U.S. in a lot of ways. But every one of those similarities was just a little off for some reason. Here’s a list of ten things that were just weird:

1. _________ (insert iconic snack food here) “Classic”:

So I thought to myself in the airport newsstand at LAX “I bet Meredith misses American junk food. I’ll bring some Oreos® along!” Good thing, too, because in Australia, they don’t have Oreos®. The have Oreos® Classic.

The ingredients are different, the packaging is muted and faded compared to the bright, bold blue of our Oreos©, and the taste…well, let’s just say the closest comparison I can think of is along the lines of “stale Hydrox”. And this wasn’t just limited to the cookies—5 Chewing Gum® (the one with the Matrix-y commercials) just tastes WRONG over there.

2. The Royal w/ Cheese (AKA, the f#$king metric system):

They use the same road sign set-up that we do on their highways—kelly green field with white border and text, in the same font. But my ability to determine how soon we would arrive at a destination was thrown by the fact that all of the distances were in kilometers, as was the speedometer in our rental. This confusion extended to filling up at gas stations—sold by the liter, not the gallon, and rather than stating that regular unleaded was $1.45 per liter, it just said “145.8″ on the signs. So the cost of gas (and only gas) was expressed in hundreds of cents.

3. Alcohol Serving and Cost:

If you’re a cocktail and/or beer drinker and you’re in Australia, I hope you’re either loaded or OK with subsisting on wine. It’s easily the cheapest of their adult beverages. The average cost of cocktails in Melbourne is $18. Decent craft beers aren’t much less expensive, selling for between $8 and $12 a pint. Also, beers are served in one of three sizes: pots, pints, and jugs. Pints are like they are throughout the rest of the world (roughly 20 fluid oz.), but pots are half that size, and jugs are roughly equal to two pints (40 fluid oz.) Depending on the strength of the brew, you’ll want to adjust the size of your glass accordingly.

4. “Am I driving drunk, or just in Australia?”

They drive on the left side of the road, and the driver sits on the right side of the car. The toughest aspect of this? Remembering to use the lever on the right side of the steering column to signal turns and lane changes; the left side lever will (naturally) turn on your wipers. It’s very disorienting the first couple of days.

5. There are only white people in Australia.

Not really, but you’d certainly be forgiven for assuming that based on the television programming, especially the commercials. I think there may have been an islander in one of them, but that particular commercial was in black & white—almost as if they were trying to obscure the fact that there was a non-white actor involved. Now, our apartment had VERY basic channel offerings, but it was still noticeable enough that Meredith and I both commented on it.

6. Soccer is football. Football is GRIDIRON!

This was admittedly hilarious and awesome. They were actually airing commercials advertising open tryouts for refs, coaches AND players, and the clips of Australian “gridiron” they were showing throughout were so poorly-attended and sad-looking; you’d probably find more fans at a pee-wee football game for under-10′s here than the number that were watching the games in Australia.

7. They really love art:

Melbourne in particular was just COVERED in cool street art and graffiti, and that’s b/c it’s considered a valid form of artistic expression (as it should be). We walked by a couple of guys working on a mural in an alley off a main street at TWO IN THE AFTERNOON. The U.S. really needs to get on board with this.

8. Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere, but not a pie to eat:

Basically, every restaurant had a pumpkin-centric item on the menu, but barring one establishment that offered a pumpkin pie ice cream sundae, they don’t seem to use pumpkin for sweet applications. They’re missing out!

9. They have a really vibrant music scene that is surprisingly (and wonderfully) not U.S.-centric.

We heard a lot of great indie-rock and pop music on the radio that just hasn’t broken through stateside, and it was pretty revelatory to find an entire continent with a rich pop musical history that I’ve only as yet scratched the surface of.

10. Wi-Fi = Dial-Up:

Seriously, the most frustrating aspect of being in Australia is the painfully slow internet speed. Even wired “high-speed” connections weren’t much better, with most browser windows freezing if more than two tabs were opened at one time. Maybe Al Gore was telling the truth when he claimed he invented the thing.

Well, sort of. It’s hanging on by a thread in the mid-Atlantic, what with the hurricane-level showers we’ve been dealing with the last few weeks.

But I just got one year older today, I wore a hoodie for the first time in months, and Dogfish Head’s Punk’n Ale is finally in my tummy again. So it feels Fall-y. Decline-y. Dying-y.

But Karen at Tasty Trials offered up this last gasp of summery deliciousness recently—the Raspberry Limoncello cocktail:

To make:

Muddle lemon, basil, raspberries in a glass, until raspberries and lemon are well mashed. Fill glass with ice. Add limoncello, vodka and sugar (if using). Stir. Top with champagne.

Drink up! I doubt there will be a post tomorrow, as I’m leaving ass-early in the morning for Chicago to sling my wares at Renegade Handmade this weekend, so have a fun one, and if you’re gonna be in Chicago, swing by Wicker Park (Division St. side) to say hi!

(Photo & cocktail courtesy of Karen at Tasty Trials)

For those of you not on the East coast…be very, very thankful. Yesterday our temp topped out at around 96° F, and today we’re expecting it to hit triple-digits.

So of course what better way to cool down and take your mind off the heat than some refreshing cocktails? My wife and I met our good friends Adrienne & Tony for drinks and had some truly delicious concoctions, courtesy of our friend Anna at @bad_decisions. First up, the “Delicious Hibiscus” (N.B., this is not its official name. None of us can recall if it even has one, but this works for the purposes of blogging):

Vodka, champagne, and either creme de cassis or hibiscus syrup (can’t remember which!), garnished with a hibiscus blossom. Pretty to look at and pretty tasty in my tum-tum. Plus, the blossom is edible and very yummy—tastes like a thicker Fruit Roll-Up, or a sweeter version of fruit leather.

Next, Anna made us the “Sensation”, which is a lot like a mojito, but served in a martini glass and made with gin instead of rum:

Lime juice, fresh mint, maraschino liqueur, gin, and served in a sugar-rimmed glass (in lieu of simple syrup or muddling the sugar and mint in a tall glass like a traditional mojito.)

Anything in particular you guys are imbibing to keep cool as the weather heats up? Let me know in the comments section below!

First, apologies: as you may have noticed from the tumbleweeds rolling by, I haven’t been very diligent about posting lately. As you also may have noticed, this is because I was out of the country soaking up inspiration from Norway and Germany. Today marks the return to our regularly scheduled posts! Now, on to the booze…

Well, this is quite awesome:

A new iPhone app called The Bond Mixology, available on iTunes for the pretty affordable price of $1.99. So what’s so awesome about it? Well, you get a full list of every adult beverage enjoyed by Mr. Bond (and his bevy of beauties) categorized by film. It also tells you the time stamp in the film when each drink was consumed (including a scene synopsis), and then provides detailed recipes for each. Is it frivolous and indulgent (and therefore exceedingly American)? Absolutely. But that’s drinking for you! Besides, what better excuse is there to host a Bond-a-thon with your guy and/or girl friends than to pair it with a cocktail tasting? This app was tailor-made for party hosting!

(Shameless plug for the good folks at @bad_decisions in Fells Point, Baltimore; they make a delicious Vesper—if you’re ever in or near Charm City, check it out!)

Hey, did you know Tuesday was National Margarita Day? Me either. I always celebrate margarita day on May 5th, because a.) That’s when there are margarita specials at bars, and b.) The weather is more margarita-friendly. It actually had the nerve to snow here on Tuesday, after 72 degree weather on Friday (Damn you, Mid-Atlantic)! Nonetheless, this post on Babble caught my eye the other day because it combines two fun things: booze and fire. (You know how I enjoy booze + fire.)

If you want to wow your friends with these fun strawberry margaritas you’ll need:

1 cup ice
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
3 ounces tequila
2 ounces lime juice
1 ounce Triple Sec or Cointreau
1/2 ounce simple syrup.

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into glasses.

Next, cut a hole in the middle of a medium-sized strawberry, then cut a small slit on the bottom and place on a glass. Fill the hole you created with room temperature vodka. Repeat for each drink you plan to serve. Then light each berry with a grill torch lighter and serve to your ooh’ing and ahh’ing friends.

So as I mentioned on Tuesday, I spent last weekend up north visiting my cousin in Hoboken, NJ and eating my way through Manhattan. However, there is no better way to wash down gorging than with some booze—it’s important to involve as many vices as possible. Despite Soy & Sake being sold out of the Hitachino Nest listed on their menu, the rest of the visit was not a bust in the drink department. I had a delightful Julius Echter dunkel weizen at the West Bank Cafe, and some great wines at Pure and Dovetail. But if you’re ever in Manhattan near Chelsea on a Sunday evening and have an arm and a leg burning a hole in your pocket, check out Death & Co. It’s a nice-enough cocktail bar atmosphere-wise, but the cocktails are quite excellent.

I wanted to feature the one I had (three times), the Pumpkin Patois, but the menu on their website doesn’t have it listed; it may be a seasonal offering. I can tell you this much: pumpkin + rum usually = delicious. But it was just one of several yummy-sounding drinks to choose from, and I really appreciated the detailed descriptions of each one in the menu, including the ingredients. Sometimes I get duped by awesomely-named cocktails that suck. However, knowing what goes into everything available helps avoid that trap. For instance, it was good to know that the gin-centric Slap ‘n’ Pickle involved Krogstad Aquavit (Christer, if you’re reading this, I apologize—I still can’t get over how bad that stuff is.)

What about you guys? What are some of the worst cocktails you’ve ever had?

(Illustration by Tim Tomkinson, pulled from the Death & Co. menu)

File this under “meaty things I will never put in my mouth.” Jenny and Neil at the Communal Table blog are members of Kitchen Play, a site devoted to creating new recipes involving secret theme ingredients, a la Food Network hits Chopped and Iron Chef America. They were tasked with creating an adult beverage built around beef supplied by Kitchen Play sponsor Canadian Beef. The sad, terrifying end result of their experiment is below:

The Moogarita (makes 1 drink):

1 oz tequila
1 oz good quality beef stock (unsalted and as pure as possible)
½ oz ginger-lime simple syrup (see recipe below)
½ oz thinned tamarind paste*
Ice cubes

To thin tamarind paste, put about a tablespoon of it into a bowl and whisk in about a tablespoon of warm water, a little bit at a time until you get a smooth, thin, syrupy consistency. Set aside.

Put 3 or 4 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Add tequila, beef stock, ginger-lime simple syrup and tamarind. Shake well. Pour into a highball or margarita glass and garnish with jalapeno-lime beef jerky (see recipe at bottom) and a slice of fresh lime.

*Tamarind paste can be found at many specialty stores and ethnic grocery stores. If you can’t find it, you can substitute ½ oz of HP Sauce, which is similar in flavor with a bit more spice and bite to it.

Ginger-Lime Simple Syrup:

½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

Bring lime juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Add sugar and ginger, and lower heat. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves and ginger infuses syrup. Let cool.

You can strain the syrup to remove pieces of ginger, but we decided to keep them in to add more flavour to the drink.

Makes about 2/3 cup of syrup. Syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.

Jalapeno & Lime Beef Jerky

3/4 lb flank steak (or perhaps some baked marinated tofu if you prefer a less-carcass-y flavor)
1 jalapeno, half of seeds discarded, chopped
1/3 C fresh lime juice
1/2 C tequila
¼ C tamari soy sauce (or regular soy)
4 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Slice beef against the grain, into long, thin strips. (Tip: put your meat in the freezer about an hour before cutting it. It’ll be easier to slice.)

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, tequila, tamari soy, brown sugar, salt and pepper until the sugar dissolves. Stir in jalapeno.

Place beef strips in a glass baking dish (or other non-reactive receptacle) and pour marinade overtop. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours (overnight is best).

Preheat oven to 175 C. Remove marinated beef from the fridge, and place slices on paper towel. Remove any jalapeno seeds stuck to the beef if you want a milder beef jerky. Using more paper towel, pat the pieces dry to remove excess liquid.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Arrange beef slices flat on sheet without overlapping. For a more stylish-looking jerky, twist the slices of beef before placing them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in oven.

After 1.5 hours, remove the baking sheet and flip each piece of meat over. Put back in the oven for another hour.

After another hour, check to see how dry the beef is, flip slices again, and put back in the oven for an additional half an hour if needed. The goal is for the jerky to be as firm and dry as possible, without getting too brittle.

When sufficiently dried, remove jerky from oven and let cool. The beef will dry further as it cools so make sure not to overcook/over-dry in the oven.

I’m feeling a bit saucy today so I thought I’d tell you a little about some naughty cocktails. Here are 5 drinks that’ll make you do your best Michael Scott impression. “That’s what she said.”

Sex on the Beach
The ultimate chick drink with a naughty name, made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice. How it got it’s name is not entirely clear although it’s a relatively new drink. One story claims it was named after the William Kennedy Smith trial (ew).

Dirty Martini
An otherwise traditional, olive-garnished Martini that includes a certain amount of olive brine. I guess the brine is what makes it “dirty”. I was once at a bar with a guy who asked the bartender to make him something “dirty”. He got a dirty martini of course. This one had a cocktail onion in it. Mid-conversation the guy absent-mindedly plucked the onion from his glass and ate it. He thought it was a grape. If only I’d had a camera to capture the look on his face.

Redheaded Slut
Made of peach schnapps, Jagermeister and cranberry juice, this shooter is sweet.  The redheaded slut was purportedly invented by a bartender at Captain Tony’s Saloon (formerly Sloppy Joe’s) in Key West, Florida, which keeps a wall plaque to commemorate the event.

Orgasm
This naughty sounding drink has a few different variations. One of those forms is remembered by “being made on your B.A.C.K.”, or made with Bailey’s, Amaretto, cream, and Kahlúa, with each ingredient having a one part measure.

Skip and Go Naked
This is a party punch with a party of a name. To make it combine combine 6 12-oz. cans of cold beer, 1 pint Canadian whiskey and a 12-oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate in a punch bowl. Stir and serve.

What’s your favorite naughty cocktail? Can you order it with a straight face?

Did anyone else catch the amazing article on Slate last week about the US government’s poison-the-citizens initiative during prohibition? Apparently the US government was so angered by illegal booze consumption that officials ordered the poisoning of industrial alcohol. (Industrial alcohol was regularly stolen by bootleggers and resold as drinkable spirits.) The government believed this scare tactic would get people to give up the drink. Instead, the poisoning killed an estimated 10,000 people. Way to go, Uncle Sam. Any one else thankful to be living in a time where we can enjoy a cocktail without the government trying to kill us over it? I’ll toast to that.

And what shall we drink? How about a Poisoned Apple?

Just combine 1 oz rum with 1 oz Sour Apple Pucker. Top off with Sprite and serve over ice.