Reflections

Holiday Fun in a Glass

Story and photography by Cheré Coen

Cool spirits and unique fall flavors can add a little sparkle and sweetness to the holidays.

On a visit to Frankfort, Kentucky, I acquired a fun “Apple Martini” cocktail recipe from Buffalo Trace bourbon distillery that mixed 2 parts bourbon, 1 part praline liqueur and 1 part Apple Pucker in an ice-chilled cocktail shaker. The result was the perfect Thanksgiving drink, a delicate cocktail tasting of fresh apples and just the right amount of sweetness with the sensation of a warm fireplace on a chilly fall day. I served it every year. This holiday, I tried something new after discovering Runamok maple cocktail syrups and bitters. The Vermontbased company produces a unique line of products that taste as good mixed with spirits as they do on pancakes and waffles. For instance, mix apple cider with a few tablespoons of Runamok Maple Mule Cocktail Syrup and warm in a small pot and you’ll end with the perfect non-alcoholic drink for a fall afternoon. It’s appropriately called “Warm Your Cockles.” For those who’d rather have a bite to their refreshments — and, in this case, a dose of entertainment — we recommend Runamok’s Shimmering Champagne Cocktail. The main attraction to this drink is the Runamok Sparkle Syrup, pure maple syrup that’s enhanced with food-safe pearlescent mica sourced from the United States. Shake the bottle and the maple deliciousness sparkles as if by magic — and it makes for a delightfully brilliant cocktail that’s perfect for the holidays as well as other special occasions, such as weddings and New Year’s celebrations. Want to have more fun? Spin the bottle’s holographic flavor medallion in different lights to check out its many colors.

Shimmering Champagne Cocktail 1 tablespoon Runamok Sparkle Syrup 4 to 6 ounces dry sparkling wine 2 dashes of Runamok’s Aromatic, Orange or Floral bitters Lemon twist (optional) Directions: Put a teaspoon of Sparkle Syrup in a champagne flute or wine glass. Add sparkling wine and bitters. Gently stir and serve with a twist. The sparkles will rise and flow throughout the glass, making a wonderful display. Note: Despite its name, the recipe calls for dry sparkling wine instead of champagne due to the heavy sweetness of the syrup.

On a recent trip to the liquor store, I was treated to a sampling of Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur, which marries distilled and aged brandy with American pecans — and we suspect those nuts hail from the Deep South, since that’s where the best pecans originate from! It’s a delicate spirit — albeit sweet — that makes for a nice after-dinner liqueur perfect for sipping.

For the holidays, however, you may want to finish meals with the Rivulet Kentucky Pie, a combination of Rivulet, Kentucky straight bourbon (we used Four Roses Small Batch) and Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur. A word of warning: it’s as sweet as a pecan pie, but the bourbon helps bite through the sugar. It will make the perfect accompaniment to a slice of pecan pie. Better yet, a bourbon pecan pie.

Rivulet Kentucky Pie 1 part Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur 1 part Kentucky straight bourbon 1 part Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur

Directions: Combine ingredients over ice in a rocks glass. Or combine ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker tin and shake, then strain and pour into a martini glass.

DeSoto Editor Cheré Coen loves the holidays and the spirits they bring. She’s always up for learning new cocktail recipes.

Tom Turkey:

The Perpetual Thanksgiving Guest

By Tom Adkinson

The list of possessions I would grab if my house catches on fire is short. I want my eyeglasses, my car keys, my passport, and Tom Turkey. I want my eyeglasses for obvious reasons, I want my car keys to make my life easier, I want my passport because it would be difficult to replace, and I want Tom Turkey because my family would expect me to save the one item that unites us all.

Tom Turkey has no intrinsic value. It’s a couple of pieces of flimsy cardboard and a wad of crepe paper that popped off a Hallmark production line sometime in the 1960s. Manipulated very carefully, it unfolds every Thanksgiving to create a Butterball-sized holiday decoration. It is positively regal after its body — preserved for yet another year like Flat Stanley — expands like an accordion to become the centerpiece of every Thanksgiving reunion photo. I’ve known Tom Turkey probably since grammar school and certainly since high school. That means Tom Turkey is at least 50 years old and most likely almost 60. He was a whimsical purchase those many years ago by my great aunt. Considering that Aunt Ruth was a high school English teacher in a tiny Kentucky town, Tom Turkey probably was an extravagant purchase. Aunt Ruth didn’t have money to spare. Over the years, I realized my father subsidized the Thanksgiving feast when a dozen people would encircle Aunt Ruth’s massive dining room table. Regardless of what Tom Turkey cost, Hallmark executives never expected that combination of cardboard and crepe paper to acquire such value. Tom Turkey became a touchstone through the decades for a family scattered at various times through Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, and Washington. Regardless of where the family had outposts, we all tried to make it to Aunt Ruth’s for Thanksgiving. Year after year, she would put out a spread (“The buffet is open for seconds, but remember we need turkey for sandwiches tomorrow”) and make sure Tom Turkey got a prominent spot in the after-dinner family photo. Most years, that photo was the only moment when everyone was assembled. Sometimes, one of us would have to leave immediately to get to an airport or drive hundreds of miles because of work obligations. One Thanksgiving, my brother flew from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Louisville, Kentucky, after work on Thanksgiving Day, arrived in time for dinner and the photo with Tom Turkey, and left before dawn to fly back south for his next shift. Thanksgiving dinner and Tom Turkey were that important. For the longest time, Tom Turkey lived with Aunt Ruth. When Aunt Ruth died, guardianship of Tom Turkey wasn’t specified in her will, but his well-being was a topic of discussion. My parents had Tom Turkey for a few years, and then my sister stepped in. Because I often was the organizer of the Thanksgiving dinner that no longer had a permanent home, Tom Turkey came to live at my house. I know exactly where he is in case of emergency.

Tom Adkinson is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers, and author of “100 Things to Do in Nashville Before You Die.”