Author: Rachael Manna

Everyone’s heard of the gift that keeps on giving…to you. But what about the gift that keeps on giving to others? The Reverend’s Universal Spirit Gift Set contains everything you’ll need to create your own cordials, bitters, or infused spirits, all of which make the perfect gifts for any sensible booze-loving loved one. You can even give the Gift Set…consider it the gift of Creativity Itself! 

(If you must keep it for yourself, we can’t fault you. As Oscar Wilde once said, “to love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance…”)

Enjoy these Holiday recipes. And remember, the possibilities are endless.

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The Reverend’s Remedy

A wellness solution and cold preventative. When you start to feel unwell, take 1 tsp of The Reverend’s Remedy to ward off winter ailments.

2 tbsp elderberries

2 tbsp dried mullien

2 tbsp yarrow

2 tbsp echinacea

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 sprigs fresh sage

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cover herbs in equal parts of RUS and water. Make sure all ingredients are submerged in liquid. Store in a cool, dark location for 4 weeks, shaking it lightly every day. Strain infusion with a coffee filter until all impurities and solids are removed. Funnel infusion into a small glass dropper bottle.

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Persimmon Cordial

A sweet unique cordial to enjoy persimmons all year long. Sip with rum and ginger beer, or add it to fizzy water for a refreshing fruit soda.

3 ripened persimmons

1 whole cinnamon stick

1/2 c The Reverend’s Universal Spirit

1  c filtered water

1 c maple syrup

Skin and dice persimmons. Combine persimmons, RUS, and cinnamon into a 1 quart mason jar. Make sure all ingredients are submerged in liquid. Store in a cool, dark location for 1 week, shaking it lightly every day. After 1 week has passed, filter out all the solid ingredients with a fine mesh strainer. In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup and 1 c of water to make a maple simple syrup. Allow syrup to cool and slowly whisk the maple simple syrup and persimmon infusion together. Funnel the cordial into a glass bottle and refrigerate to store.

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Overnight Spiced Vodka

A quick and easy vodka infusion perfect for holiday parties or as a thoughtful homemade gift.

10 oz The Reverend’s Universal Spirit

10 oz filtered water

4 oz simple syrup

6 satsumas

1 tsp cloves

4 cardamom pods

1 vanilla bean

Remove all zests from satsumas and dice into cubes. Combine zest, vanilla bean, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and RUS in a large, sealable jar. Allow mixture to steep in a cool, dark place for 24 hours. Filter mixture with a cheese cloth and again with a coffee filter to make sure that all impurities and solids have been removed. Funnel vodka into a glass bottle with water and sweeten with syrup.

We joined forces with Dale Bragdon of Highland House to create a couple of unique recipes to bring to the table this Thanksgiving. After an evening of cranberry foraging and apple picking, we found the perfect booze to bounty ratios for these traditional Thanksgiving staples.

Enjoy a drizzle of Art in the Age Chicory Root in Dale’s signature baked apples or a boozy twist on a classic side dish with Beet Root Cranberry Relish.

Chicory Baked Apples

4 oz Chicory Root

4 cored apples

1/2 c brown sugar

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

fresh lemon zest

Heat oven at 375º. While your oven heats clean & core each apple. Combine cinnamon, sugar, & butter in a bowl. Fill each apple with the mixture. Add 3/4 cups of water to the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange apples upright and bake for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender. Plate each apple and drizzle with 1 oz of Chicory Root. Garnish with fresh lemon zest.

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Beet Root Cranberry Relish

2 oz Art in the Age Beet Root

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 c natural sugar

1 c water

1 full orange, sliced

In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in water. Stir in cranberries and orange pieces. Cook for about 10 minutes, until cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and allow sauce to thicken as it cools. Remove orange pieces. Stir in 2 oz of Beet Root and serve.

One usually associates Halloween imbibing with strange potions, potent grogs, and the eyes of newts. No so here at the Good Reverend’s! This bright punch will enliven any ghoulish get together, reducing all vibes to the essential. Why wear a costume when you can drink one?

Enjoy the Reverend’s Revenge!

1 cup RUS

2 cups orange juice

1 cup pomegranate juice

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice

1 cup seltzer

30 dashes cardamom bitters

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl. Stir well. Garnish with fresh orange slices and pomegranate seeds. Serve up in a chilled cocktail glass.

Deep in the middle of summer, you’ll find honeybees hard at work pollinating wild cranberry plants, transforming their beautiful white flowers into small green berries. As autumn rolls in, these berries mature into plump red cranberries, vibrant in both color and flavor.

With cranberries sprouting wildly in New England, we grabbed our rakes and sought out the perfect ingredient to bring balance to our Beet Root vodka.

Only 15 minutes outside of town is a cranberry bog where we hand picked the very cranberries that go straight into our spirits. Here’s a look at our plentiful forage.

Von Humboldt’s Natur Wasser is crafted from our house-made neutral grain spirit, infused with tamarind, lemon zest and golden brown sugar. Inspired by author Andrea Wulf’s newly-released book, The Invention of Nature, this complex cordial is an ode to Alexander Von Humboldt’s travels through South America. During his travels, Von Humboldt discovered that the locals made a ‘lemonade’ from the Tamarind fruit, which turned unsavory water into a refreshing libation.

Enjoy the fruits of Alexander Von Humboldt’s labor with a Tamarind Margarita.

1.5 oz Von Humboldt’s Natur Wasser Tamarind Cordial
1.5 oz silver tequila
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Rim the edge of a glass with kosher salt. Combine Von Humboldt’s Natur Wasser Tamarind Cordial, tequila, lime, and orange juice in a tumbler with ice. Shake vigorously & strain into a glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Only 500 bottles of Humboldt’s were distilled and only few remain at Tamworth Distilling and limited locations in New York State. Grab a bottle of this rare, unique spirit and share the story of Alexander Von Humboldt with every cocktail.

 

For purchases at the distillery:

Spirit – $45 | The Invention of Nature – $30 | Spirit & The Invention of Nature – $65

For online purchases click: here

Autumn has arrived, and like Robert Frost’s poem there’s two paths to take in the autumnal woods. Pumpkin “spice”, a mostly artificial blend of flavors whose tradition is barely fifty years old…or our Sweet Potato Vodka, based on a farm-to-bottle history of resourcefulness as old as America itself.

Personally, we prefer the latter. Which is why we’ve just released our second batch of Art in the Age Sweet Potato Vodka, a rich spirit infused with freshly cured New Hampshire sweet potatoes. The strong flavor of sweet potato is balanced by the natural vanilla and smokey bourbon flavors of toasted white oak, while allspice and maple syrup lend additional sweetness and herbal spice.

Ease into the season with a Second Helpings cocktail that will have you reaching for a third.

Second Helpings

1 1/2 oz AITA Sweet Potato

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Nutmeg