Ingredients

2 pears, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Prosecco

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add pears and cranberries and cook until soft; 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add to blender. Blend until smooth and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Pour a small amount of strained pear/cranberry mixture into champagne glasses and top with Prosecco.

Ingredients

3 ounces Kraken rum
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce orange juice
2-3 mint leaves
1 ounce orange peel black pepper syrup (recipe follows)
2 ounces homemade ginger ale
Sparkling wine
“Moroccan” Spiced Candied Kumquats (recipe follows)

Directions

Mix together the kraken, lemon juice, orange juice, mint leaves, ginger ale and syrup and pour into an old fashioned or short class. Fill the glass with extra ice if needed and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with the candied kumquats and a mint leaf.

Orange Peel Black Pepper Syrup

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
Peels of 1 orange
3-4 kumquats halved
1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off heat and let stand for 15 minutes, strain.

Moroccan Spiced Candied Kumquats

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1½ cups kumquats, halved
½ cup orange liquor
½ cup turbinado sugar
½ cup honey
¼ cup water
2 star anise
2 cloves
3 all spice berries
10 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to make sure sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes. Making sure to stir often while the liquid thickens and the kumquats shrivel up. Cook until most the liquid is cooked down. Take off heat and allow to cool, making sure to discard the anise, cloves, allspice, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean shell. Store in a glass jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Take out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients

2 ounces prune infused gin (recipe follows)
2 ounces hum liquor
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce cardamom ginger black pepper syrup (recipe follows)
Sparkling Wine
“Moroccan” Spiced Brown Sugar (recipe follows)
Gin Infused Prunes

Directions

In a shaker filled with ice, place the gin, hum liquor, lemon juice, and syrup and shake vigorously. Strain into an old fashioned martini style glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a gin infused prune rubbed with Moroccan Spiced Brown Sugar on a toothpick.

Prune Infused Gin

Ingredients

1 liter of gin
12 prunes, halved

Directions

Place the prunes and the gin in a large mason or glass jar. Allow to infuse for about 3-4 days in a cool dark place. Remove the prunes and reserve for cocktail.

Cardamom Black Pepper Syrup

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
5 cardamom pods, crushed (whole pod)

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off heat and let stand for 15 minutes, strain.

“Moroccan” Spiced Brown Sugar

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Rad El Hanout (traditional recipe follows)
½ cup turbinado sugar
¼ cup brown sugar

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Ras El Hanout (Traditional)

Makes approx 10 ounces

Ingredients

1 nutmeg ball, crushed
1 cinnamon stick, crushed
½ tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablepsoon white peppercorns
1 tablepsoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon rose bud petals, dried
1 tablespoon lavender buds, dried
½ teaspoon anise seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon allspice berries
6 green cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon saffron
1 tablespoon turmeric, ground
1 tablespoon mace, ground
1 teaspoon red chili peppers, crushed
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablepsoon ginger, ground
1 tablespoon dried galangal root pieces (optional)
1 tablespoon dried orris root pieces (optional)

Directions

In a ziplock bag or plastic, crush the nutmeg and cinnamon sticks with a mallet, hammering and pounding until small chunks are formed. Take all of the seeds and non powder items and grind in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, until pulverized. You may have to do this in batches if your grinder is small. Place the ground items in a medium mixing bowl. Take the remainig powdered items as well as the root pieces and mix into the ground items until totally mixed. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark and dry place, will keep for about 4-5 months.

Ingredients

3 ounces bourbon
½ ounce lemon juice
1 ounce cinnamon stick black pepper syrup (recipe follows)
1 ounce sweet cinnamon vinegar (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon fig compote (recipe follows)

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an old fashioned martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Cinnamon Black Pepper Syrup

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
2 cinnamon sticks, smashed

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off heat and let stand for 15 minutes, strain.

Sweet Cinnamon Vinegar

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cinnamon stick, smashed
½ cup dark brown sugar

Directions

Place the apple cider vinegar and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a rolling low boil and let reduce by half. Add the brown sugar and stir well. Bring to a boil again and then again reduce heat but this time to a slow simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture is thick. Take off heat and let stand to cool for 5-10 minutes and then strain. Store in the refrigerator for up to five weeks.

Fig Compote

Makes 2 cups compote

Ingredients

1 pound fresh black figs, ripe & sweet, de-stemmed & chopped
1 cup simple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine (optional)

Directions

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often for about 1 hour. Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Ingredients

3 ounces gin
½ ounce mint infused dry vermouth (recipe follows)
½ ounce preserved lemon liquid (recipe follows)
2-3 drops harissa (recipe follows)
Preserved lemon garnish
Mint leaf garnish

Directions

In a glass filled with ice place the gin and the vermouth and stir. Add the lemon preserved liquid and strain into a martini glass. Place one preserved lemon segment and a mint leaf in for garnish and drop 2-3 drops harissa in the center.

Quick Preserved Lemons

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

10 lemons, scrubbed of any wax or residue
3 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup lemon juice

Directions

Slice lemons, including peel, removing as many seeds as possible. Put the lemons and their juice in a bowl, and sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Toss well, and transfer to a jar. Let the mixture sit for at least 3 hours at room temperature, shaking the jar periodically. It can be served at that point or refrigerated for up to a week.

Ger-Nis Harissa

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

8 dried guajillo chilies, stems removed, broken
5 dried red chilies, stems removed, broken
1 dired chili de arbol
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
4 garlic cloves
1 bell pepper, roasted & peeled
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (optional)

Directions

Place the dried chilies in a medium bowl and cover with the boiling water, let stand for about 15 minutes, allowing the chilies to soften. Grind the toasted seeds until a powder is formed. Transfer the softened chilies, the spices, the garlic, the red pepper, the lemon zest and juice, the salt and the olive oil into a food processor and process until smooth. At this stage add the fresh mint leaves and process until all the mint is chopped and incorporated. Season with salt to taste. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Mint Infused Vermouth

Ingredients

1 bottle dry vermouth
20 fresh mint leaves, torn in half

Directions

In a mason jar or large jar combine the vermouth and the mint and allow to infuse, turning upside down periodically, for 2 days. Strain.

Ingredients

1 ounce Spicy Bourbon Fig Honey (recipe follows)
Sparkling wine
Black Peppercorn Garnish

Directions

In a champagne glass place 1 ounce of the syrup and fill with sparkling wine. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg dust and a dried fig.

Spicy Bourbon Figs Honey

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

½ cup bourbon
½ cup dried figs, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup simple syrup
1 cup honey

Directions

In a mason jar or other container, combine bourbon, dried figs, cinnamon stick and black peppercorns and allow to infuse for about 1 week. After the concoction has infused combine all remaining ingredients as well as the infusion in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Cool and strain.

Ingredients

1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce fennel seed syrup (recipe follows)
Cava
Cinnamon dusting

Directions

Place one ounce of the orange juice and one ounce of the fennel seed syrup in a champagne glass and fill with cava. Garnish with a dusting of freshly grated cinnamon.

Fennel Seed Syrup

Makes 2 cups of syrup

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar
1½ cups water
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Cool and strain.

Ingredients

Pomegranate Black Pepper Molasses (recipe follows)
Sparkling wine
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Directions

Pour one ounce of pomegranate black pepper molasses in a champagne glass and fill with champagne. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds.

Pomegranate Black Pepper Molasses

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

5 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce by half or about 45 minutes. Allow to cool and strain.

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup dried cherries, chopped
¼ cup dried blueberries, chopped
Sparkling wine

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add cranberries, apples, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Let simmer gently for about 5 times. Cool, blend and strain. Place 1-2 ounces in a champagne class and add some bubbly!

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup frozen cranberries, chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped fine

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add cranberries, apples, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Let simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Cool, blend and strain. Place 1-2 ounces in a champagne glass and add some bubbly!