Chef Casey 411

Christmas “Mule”tide Cheer

Ice
1 lime
12 leaves of mint
3 oz. dark rum preferably Gosling’s
Ginger Beer preferably Reed’s
2 tsp rum cranberries plus 1 T of the syrup
zest of orange

In a cocktail shaker, add1 tsp of rum cranberries plus 1 T of the cranberry syrup. Add mint and the juice of 1 lime. Muddle all ingredients. Add rum and ice. Shake the shaker no less than 15 times. Strain the ingredients in the shaker into a rocks glass with ice in it. Top the glass with Ginger Beer. Garnish with the remaining tsp of cranberry, fresh mint leaves and the orange zest.

Drunken Cranberries

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean, split
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 strip of orange zest
1 jar with seal tight lid

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add water, sugar, spices. Bring to a low boil and add cranberries. Boil for 1 minute just until the cranberries have popped. Remove from heat and allow mixture to sit for 2 minutes. Strain liquid from cranberries, reserve liquid. Remove all except cinnamon sticks. Add Cranberries to the jar with sticks and add orange peel. Pour in liquid carefully making sure the cranberries are covered completely. Seal and refrigerate for 4 hours or keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Cheer in a glass!