deck the holiday sangria

This is a great drink to pre-mix before a holiday get together. You can make it up to a day in advance, but if you need to make it the same day let it chill for at least 4 hours prior to serving.

• simple syrup (made with 1 cup sugar & 1 cup water cooked until completely dissolved & slightly reduced)
• orange peel from 1 orange
• juice from 1 orange 
• 2 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1) Make simple syrup. 2) Add remaing ingredients above. 3) Bring to a slight boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. 4) Remove the orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. 5) Add a bottle of red wine (fruity Pinot Noir or Merlot). 6) Mix thoroughly and add to a pitcher with chopped pears and apples and whole blackberries. 7) Cover to chill (minimum 4 hours, up to 1 day prior). Cheers!

quite literally on the rocks

Why use Whiskey Stones instead of ice? Well, because Whiskey Stones are the perfect compliment to high quality whiskey. They keep it at the perfect sipping temperature, about 50 degrees, whereas ice cubes melt and change the consistency.

A handful of regular ice will take a drink to just under 40 degrees, and to deep freeze a drink quickly, there is nothing better. However, some drinks you neither want to dilute nor deep freeze. Temperatures in the high 30s are far too cold for good whiskey. Reason being that the wood oils in the whiskey, which have leeched into the liquid from the carefully selected cask it was aged in and which carry all the flavor, tend to congeal and “close down” the flavor of the drink itself when the temperature goes below 50 degrees. Stones are designed to “take the edge off without diluting or closing down the flavor.”

Specifically, 3 stone cubes in a glass containing 2-3 oz. will take the liquid temp from mid-70s to the 50s. We tried them with other types of drinks as well and thought they did a great job of keeping the drink chilled without diluting the flavor or consistency.

Cheers!

hello homemade limoncello

We here at lybations love to roll our sleeves up and make our own tasty liqueurs and infusions. Today we're going to instruct you on how to make Limoncello, a liqueur rich in history.

The story goes that in the late 19th century, Vincenza Canale, an innkeeper on the Isle of Capri was serving her homemade lemon liqueur to guests as a "digestivo" - an after dinner digestive aid. Word spread, requests were made for bottles and the family began to bottle the "limoncello". Today the descendants of Signora Canale run one of the leading Limoncello companies, Limoncello di Capri.

There you have it, if yours doesn't come out as planned you can always pick up a bottle from the experts.

• 10 Organic Lemons with the thickest skin you can find
• 1  750ml Bottle with highest proof high grade Vodka
• 2 - 4 Cups of regular Table Sugar
• 5 Cups of Water
• Microplane Grater
• Sterile Cheesecloth Bag (optional)
• Large Screen Strainer
• Stack of Fluted Paper Coffee Filters OR
• 1 Flat Bottom Permanent Coffee Filter
• 2 Infusing Mason Jars or Bottles with Tight Lids
• Serving Bottle

Now follow these 4 easy steps.

Zest all your lemons with the microplane grater. Don't zest to the point of seeing the white rind! If you zest into the rind your Limoncello will be bitter.

Drop the lemon zest and 2 cups of sugar into your infusion jar and tighten the lid for a good seal. *If you opted for using a cheesecloth bag use it at this point.

Store in a cool dry pantry for a minimum of ten days and up to a 2 month for maturation. Remember the longer the distillation the richer the lemon flavor. At the 10 day mark check for sweetness, if you need more, add another cup of sugar and let it rest another 20 to 30 days. Also, shake the bottle once a day - at least in the first ten days.

Lastly, you're now ready to strain your finished limoncello with a strainer and or filter into your serving bottle and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Hopefully you've learned some Italian by now and can use a celebratory word or two to describe your limoncello creation. Cheers!

Chalk it up to great taste

Bringing a cheese to a gathering this week?  Remember to bring a serving platter and knife. It's also a good idea to have a plan for labeling your cheese. Savvy guests will want to know the details on what they are enjoying!

Here are a few tips:

• A slate platter looks stunning and can be written on with chalk.
• Parchment or butcher paper works great under cheese, use your best penmanship!
• White porcelain cheese markers are readily available and can be used again and again.
• Paper place cards make seasonal & stylish markers for cheese.
• If it's a pretty label cut it from the packaging and tuck it under the cheese.

Article written by contributing editor Vickie McCorkendale

Matchy-matchy

Cocktails and cuisine have always gone hand in hand. But lately these pairings have become much more popular in restaurants and the broader foody community. Matchmaking can be a fun way to liven up your menu at your next holiday dinner party or get-together, plus it's a good idea to serve food whenever you serve alcohol. And while there's nothing like experimentation, our tips below are a good start.

Match the mixer
The prevailing flavor in most cocktails comes from the mixers, not the spirits. Keep this in mind when you're pairing. Make sure the mixers in the cocktail pair well with key ingredients in the food. For instance, the lemon essence in a margarita goes well with fresh seafood, like oysters.

High-alcohol cocktails
Drinks like Martinis, Margaritas and Cosmopolitans are best paired with foods that can soften the taste of alcohol. These foods include smoked fish or fried foods. Cheeses also soften the alcohol in spirits like cognac or scotch.

Start with dessert
If you're a rookie on the pairing playfield, you may want to start by serving cocktails with dessert. Coffee-based cocktails like Mexican Coffee and Bushmills Irish Coffee go particularly well with desserts-the acidic flavor in the coffee complements the sweet taste of sugar in desserts.

Complicated recipe, easy cocktail
If you're making a dish with complicated flavors, serve a cocktail that's simple and distinct. For example an herb-crusted rack of lamb, with its multiple seasonings and flavors, deserves a straightforward cocktail like a Manhattan.

Think of Cocktails as condiments
Try not to think of beverages as complements to a meal, but as condiments like salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. As with wine, consider the contrasting or similar components of both food and cocktail. The soft flavor of fish, for instance, can be enhanced by the zest in a citrus cocktail-like a Beachcomber or Sangria. Cocktails can also curtail flavors in foods. If you're dish turned out too spicy, you can temper it with a sweet cocktail.

Texture
The consistency of a cocktail also plays into your pairing decisions. Thicker cocktails made with liqueurs generally don't go well with red meat or rich sauces. Frozen cocktails can overwhelm the palate, while carbonated cocktails pair well with full-flavored foods.

TIP: Looking for inspiration? Think about typical, everyday food pairings like cookies and milk.