This cocktail is named after its creator and today’s guest. It uses some of her favorite ingredients and also happens to have a lovely flavor profile for the winter season.

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Herro! I’m Haley from…no associated blog. I’m currently a PhD Candidate in Richmond, VA but doing a blog post is new to me!! I’ve been friends with Erin (The Spiffy Cookie?) for almost 7 years now. It’s been a blast hearing about all her food and drink ideas over the years and since I’ve been getting into mixology, she thought it would be fun if I did a featured drink every now and then. Who would say no?!

Seeing as this is the first cocktail I’m sharing semi-professionally, I wanted to use signature “Haley” ingredients. All of my friends that have been going through this cocktail hobby with me would immediately recognize this drink as mine. It also doesn’t hurt that these ingredients are great for a fall/winter cocktail.

For the spirit I went with Paul Masson Brandy VSOP. I have never thought much of Brandy before but since trying it this year and playing with it, I can say it is truly lovely to drink. My spirit of choice for many, many, years has been bourbon. While I didn’t use bourbon here, a tamer, sweeter bourbon could substitute for the Brandy pretty well. 

I don’t know what happened this year but dear god ROSEMARY. I get teased up and down, but I am in love with Rosemary simple syrup and I don’t care who knows it. It’s super easy to make, just boil a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar and water, pull off heat and toss in some rosemary sprigs. Steep until cooled and strain into a bottle or jar for refrigerated keeping.

And lastly, Drambuie. For those of you who follow The Spiffy Cookie, I convinced her to buy and use it in her Malarkey Cocktail. MUWAHAHAHHA. If you don’t know about it, let me change your life. Drambuie is a Scotch whiskey liqueur infused with heather honey, herbs, and spices. It smells great, it tastes great, it looks great…get yourself some.

As this drink is quintessential me, I named it as an homage to a childhood nickname, Hale-Bopp. Hale-Bopp was discovered in 1995 and is considered one of the brightest comets. It was also observed by the naked eye in 1997 for record-holding length of 18 months!! And lastly, watch out for cats in the making of this drink.

Four years ago: Homemade Colombian Patacones

Six years ago: Easy Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake

Seven years ago: White Hot Chocolate Pods

Nine years ago: Cheddar Chili Cornbread Pasta Bake

HALE-BOPP COCKTAIL

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Yield: 1 serving Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Brandy
• 1 oz. Drambuie
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. rosemary simple syrup
• 1 dash orange bitters

Directions

1. Chill coupe glass while preparing.
2. Combine all in shaker and fill 3/4 with ice. Shake for ~30sec.
3. Strain into chilled coupe glass.
4. Garnish with lemon peel and/or rosemary if you’re feeling fancy.

It’s holiday cocktail season! And I’m kicking it off with a cocktail made with locally made ROOT 23 simple syrup. I’ve sampled their products at the Farmer’s Market and was excited to finally create something. Specifically with the pear rosemary simple syrup which sounds like something I could drink straight, as is. But my friend Haley and I got together for a cocktail brainstorming session last weekend like old times and came up with this delicious little sparkler made with brandy and a little sparkling water. This might become my new fall staple.

We tried this cocktail two ways, one with orange bitters and one with lemon juice. After conferring, we decided that the orange bitters were best, giving the cocktail a nice round, full bodied flavor perfect for the season. However if you want something a little lighter and sharper, use the lemon juice. Fascinating how a tiny drop of either of those makes such a difference! (And yes those amazing flutes are referencing Star Wars, gifted to Bob and I from his sister as engagement presents and could not wait to use them.)

ROOT 23 also makes Blueberry Mint, Cherry Almond, Cucumber Habanero, Grapefruit Basil, Maple Cinnamon, Sea Salt Caramel, and Vanilla Ginger simple syrups. I am thinking about making a boozy cider using the maple cinnamon. While they are from Columbus, OH you can find their products in several states in central, east, and south USA. Check to see if it’s sold near you or buy online HERE.

One year ago: Slow Cooker Bolognese with Meatballs

Two years ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Gingerbread Tart

Three years ago: Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with Speculoos Icing

Four years ago: DOVE® Christmas Chocolate Drops

Five years ago: Penne with Trapanese Pesto

Six years ago: Butter Pecan with Brandy Ice Cream

PEAR ROSEMARY SPARKLER

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 oz. white brandy

1 oz. ROOT 23 Pear Rosemary Simple Syrup, chilled

Couple drops of orange bitters (or lemon juice)

Sparkling water, chilled

Directions:

1. In a flute, stir together the brandy and simple syrup.
2. Add 1 or 2 drops of bitters and top with sparkling water. Serve immediately.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original, with the help of Haley.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary ROOT 23 products from Inspire PR Group. All thoughts and opinions remain me own.

This quick one skillet chicken with mustard cream sauce is deliciously hard to resist. Serve it with your favorite sides for a weeknight meal.

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How many of you woke up to piles of snow yesterday? According to the internet, my hometown Rochester (where I am currently for the holidays) got 9 inches. But when my dad went outside he thought we actually accumulated a foot in our location. And the best part is, this is a town that knows how to deal with snow. Whether it’s 9 inches of 12 it’s a piece of cake. But regardless, it was definitely a great day to cozy up.

For the many of you who will be partaking in resolutions of healthier eating in 2013, make this chicken NOW or be prepared to cheat a little on that resolution. Not only is there heavy cream in the mustard sauce, but brandy as well. To make it even better, it’s all made in one skillet in under 30 minutes. It’s pretty much impossible to resist. As such, I like to serve this with a side of roasted vegetables and maybe mashed cauliflower.

One year ago: Cranberry and Orange Granola

Two years ago: Chicken Scallopine with Sage and Fontina Cheese

CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

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Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 MInutes 15 MInutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup brandy (or white wine if preferred)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have four smaller, thinner chicken cutlets. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets on both sides until nice and golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep on a plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute, stirring to make sure it won’t burn. Next pour in the brandy (or wine if using) being careful if cooking over an open flame. Let simmer until reduced by half.
4. Add mustards and whisk to combine, then whisk in the cream. Stir in chicken broth, adding more if the sauce seems too thick. Taste sauce and adjust whatever you think it needs. Add chicken breasts back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another few minutes, shaking the pan if needed to move things around.
5. Serve chicken with a green salad or vegetables, spooning the sauce over the top and sprinkling with fresh thyme (if using).

Source: Halved from Tasty Kitchen.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Post updated 12/29/2022, photo above is the original.

Thanks to Ulysses Press, I received a copy of the cookbook, Ice Cream Happy Hour. Inside you will find ice cream flavors inspired by your favorite cocktails. My first order to the bartender was for this recipe because it sounded a bit fall-y to me. The candied pecans were the stars of this ice cream, while the brandy had the role of side-kick. Gets your spoons ready!

BUTTER PECAN WITH BRANDY ICE CREAM

Makes about 1-1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1 packet (1 Tbsp) gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup cold (refrigerated) brandy

2 cups candied pecans (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Mix the milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  While the milk mixture is heating, split the vanilla bean down the center lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Whisk seeds into the milk mixture, then add the empty pod to the pan. Continue heating until the mixture is steamy and makes a slight sizzling noise when you move the pan.
2. Once the milk mixture is scalding, remove pan from the heat and cover it. After about 15 minutes, remove the vanilla bean pod.
3. Reheat the milk mixture back up to scalding. While the milk mixture heats to scalding, whisk together the egg yolks with the brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Gently stream about one-third of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan and stir continuously on low heat until thickened (the custard should thicken rather quickly because of the cornstarch). Make sure you scrape the bottom evenly while you continuously stir. The custard custard is thick enough when you can draw a line on the back of a spoon with your finger and the line retains its shape.
5. Strain the custard, cover with plastic wrap so that it’s directly touching the entire surface of the custard and none of it is exposed to air (this prevents a skin from developing), and chill the custard in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
6. When the custard is cold and you are ready to churn the ice cream, dissolve the gelatin in the cold water in a small saucepan. Allow to sit until the gelatin appears to have absorbed as much water as it can, about 2 minutes. Gently warm over low heat and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved into the liquid, about 3 minutes.
7. Pour the gelatin into a medium bowl and whisk in the cold brandy until combined. Stream the alcohol and gelatin mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the custard and whisk until thoroughly blended.
8. Pour the cold custard immediately into the ice cream maker and churn as directed by your ice cream maker.
9. Scoop about one-third of the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and sprinkle about one-third of the candied pecans on top. Repeat layers twice more with the remaining ice cream and pecans, then gently fold it all together. Be sure to work quickly – if the ice cream melts too much, it will just get icy once it’s in the freezer. Freeze for at least two hours before servings.

CANDIED PECANS

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups pecan halves

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Once the pecans are toasted, roll them in the butter and sprinkle with salt.
3. Put the sugar in a large saucepan. Add just enough water to the sugar until it is the texture of wet sand (you might not use all the water). Cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
4. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, continue cooking until is is soft-cracked, about 15 minutes. At this point the sugar should be colorless but viscous, and the bubbles should be on the small side. You can also use a candy thermometer; the temperature should be between 270 and 290.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the toasted pecans. Tilt the pan at an angle and rapidly stir the pecans to aerate and evenly coat them with the sugar syrup.
6. Once the pecans are evenly coated, return the pan to the stove over low heat and periodically stir the pecans until the look like they’re coated with crunchy caramel and white sugar, about 5 minutes.
7. Cool the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once they’re completely cool, chop them.

Source: Ice Cream Happy Hour

DON’T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY!

In case you haven’t added this recipe book to your online cart and checked out already, I thought you’s also like to know that I am giving away a brand new copy of this cookbook to one wonderfully lucky reader! First you must answer the question, “What is your favorite cocktail?” (non-alcoholic options are acceptable). And then there are 3 more ways you can enter! See below: