I'll be honest, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Christmas ranks Number One; with all the color and sparkle and good cheer. Halloween with its dark, scary and more sinister presence has always sort of unnerved me. When my children were small I was the type that made them costumes of felt fashioned to look like strawberries and watermelon and over the years we also had unicorns and Betsy Ross and a long list of handmade outfits but never a witch or a goblin or anything scary.
I was sure that my move two years ago would see me finally hang up the Halloween flag and hunker down in a quiet, dark house so I wouldn't be bothered. And then the kids on this block happened and I adore them all and there is no way in this world that I can't be present for their big night. And to top it off? I even have a witch costume...how I've grown huh? A couple of years ago I was invited to a costume party so I made a black cape and bought a Professor McGonagell witch hat and I've sat on the front porch bench and welcomed a bazillion kiddos with that getup. And loved it too. Of course now that I have a place to sit and wait for the kids I admit, I might avail myself of an adult beverage; I'll even have sippy cups for the parents to have a taste if they want. Wow...I've gone from wuss to bad influence haven't I?
One cocktail I've always associated with after dinner sipping has been a Black Russian, typically made with half and half, coffee liqueur and vodka. It's also the first cocktail I ever made for both of my girls once they were old enough to join me. It's cool, sweet and like a mini coffee drink but with a little kick from vodka. I wondered how it might be with a bit of a stronger kick. Not unlike my journey from removing jalapenos in dishes served at local restaurants to asking for double, I've found that I often enjoy cocktails with some extra oomph too and I thought in this case that this tequila could provide it. Oh. My. So perfect. Not that I haven't experimented with other warm tequila drinks but I wanted something simple...I seriously will have little tiny cups and a Thermos filled with this elixir waiting for any friend who would like a tipple as they traipse door to door with their kiddos. Just enough for a sip; you know to warm them on the long journey home. Across the street.
I'm working with Hornitos® on a series of posts to showcase some of their more unique products. This cocktail required that I include the Hornitos® Black Barrel Tequila. The uniqueness of this tequila is that it starts with a premium aged Añejo tequila and then ages it two more times with traditional whiskey methods to deliver a superior tequila with complex whiskey notes. It is first moved into deep charred barrels for 4 months, where it starts to first pick up whiskey notes and then for the third aging the liquid is transferred to toasted oak barrels for 2 additional months to instill a smooth whiskey finish. The result is a dark amber color and oak taste from the heavily charred barrel with additional sweetness from the toasted oak barrel. Visually this tequila could be mistaken for an American whiskey, however the nose is unmistakably tequila. While the oak notes in the nose are fairly strong, they don't completely obliterate the core tequila aromas and for this cocktail I added a bit of vanilla simple syrup as a compliment to the vanilla in the nose.
In preparation for Halloween, I had my neighbor Amy over to share this cocktail with me. Amy was also my model for this event and I was lucky that her day rate was simply the cocktail in the photo. I can do that! Funny, I actually anticipated some hesitation from her at the notion of using tequila in a cocktail with cream and coffee liqueur but she was delighted and LOVED the idea and we both sipped away and had a great time. With our witch hats on no less!
Take a leap of faith and trust me on this one...I'm betting that once you try it, vodka will take a backseat and Hornitos® Black Barrel will help this be your new after dinner favorite too!