Thought for Food

Our invitation to the Obamas’ state dinner seems to have gotten lost in the mail (sigh! I do rather think we’d make a grand duke and duchess to their glamorous king and queen), so we’re having a quiet noche a casa.

As you know, a quiet noche chez M&N is not complete without a round of de-luscious cocktails. I offer you tonight’s recipe, for it is quite possibly the most fabulous use of Thanksgiving leftovers you good pilgrims will taste….

The Duke and Duchess (for two)

3 ounces apple brandy (Laird’s will do)

3.5 ounces mulled apple cider

2 tbsp. cranberry sauce (or .5 ounce syrup drained from cranberry sauce)

Optional: Angostura bitters

Place cranberry sauce in a cocktail shaker or large tumbler and muddle for about 1 minute. Add brandy and cider and stir until thoroughly blended. (If using syrup, simply combine all ingredients at once. If you’re using apple cider that is not mulled, you may want to add two dashes of Angostura bitters at this point.) Place a piece of block ice* in two rocks glasses (or place two ice cubes, each, in the glasses). Strain the cocktail through a chinois (fine metal mesh) or similar (note that straining is not critical if you used syrup instead of sauce). Cheers!

* Block ice, being bigger and “harder” — less air bubbles — melts much more slowly than standard cubes, making it ideal for manly, stirred drinks like Manhattans and the Duke and Duchess. You can make your own using water, a 2-inch-deep metal pan (about 6” x 6”), and a freezer, as M. does (but I must again remind you that despite what you may have read in the Gray Lady, this is not a chore he performs “daily”). Once frozen, invert the tray and pop the ice block out, or partially immerse it in hot water and then pop it out. Using a very sharp chef’s knife and a healthy sense of caution, cut into chunks that are about the size of your glasses.