‘Tis the Season for Cookies, Cocktails and Canapés: The Cobbler Cocktail from Tasty Trix

Just in case you hadn’t noticed already, over the past few weeks we’ve been celebrating the three C’s of Christmas (cookies, cocktails and canapés) with collections of our best recipes for the festive season. After all, what would a Christmas party be without the bare necessities?

Now, we’re taking five with our favourite food bloggers from all over the world to discover their most delicious Christmas recipes and to get the scoop on what Christmas means to them.

Trix Middlekauff, of the food blog Tasty Trix travels the globe in search of both simple cuisine and the finest gastronomic dining. Then, in her hometown of Baltimore, USA she replicates and perfects those recipes and techniques to share with her readers.

Meet Trix

Trix, tell us about your signature Christmas dish.
It’s a retro seven-layer salad that my mum used to make during the holidays when I was a kid. It has 2 kinds of lettuce, cheddar cheese, peas, sweet red peppers, creamy dressing and crumbled bacon. It’s strangely addictive, quite colourful, and my husband requests it every single year!

If your blog Tasty Trix were a Food Network chef, who would it be?
I would like to think that my blog would be a cross between Nigella Lawson’s approachable style and Alton Brown’s appealingly nerdy preoccupation with how and why things work.

Which smells remind you of Christmas?
Chimney smoke and imitation pine. While we generally had a fake tree when I was growing up, my mum sprayed it with pine-scented spray and placed bowls of pine potpourri all over the house to create that ‘natural’ effect.

Interested in the culture and history behind food (she even ran a series on Medieval cookery), today Trix shares with us a festive 19^th Century cocktail which went on to become a cherished American dessert.

The recipe in her words

“The idea for this drink came about when a food blogging group I belong to tasked each member with creating an original spin on the cobbler. I did a bit of research and discovered that while a cobbler is most commonly a fruity dessert with a crumbly topping, an older, more arcane definition exists: An iced drink made with wine, sherry, sugar, and lemon.

“I played with this idea and came up with the Cobbler Cocktail. The pandan imparts a lovely nuttiness to the vodka, while the liqueur brings a subtly spicy, ever-so-slightly bitter note. Be careful – this is one dangerous cocktail!”

The Cobbler Cocktail: Vodka with Grapes Macerated in Benedictine Liqueur and Pandan Simple Syrup
(Makes one cocktail)

Ingredients:

85ml vodka
3 teaspoons pandan simple syrup (recipe to follow)
3 seedless red grapes, and one tablespoon of their macerating liquid (recipe to follow)

Method:

In a martini shaker filled with ice, shake the vodka, pandan simple syrup, and macerating liquid. Strain into a chilled martini glass into which 3 of the macerated grapes have been placed.

For the pandan simple syrup

Ingredients:

125ml water
100g sugar
1 pandan leaf, preferably fresh, but frozen will do in a pinch

Method:

In a small sauce pan, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the pandan leaf and allow to steep, covered, for about 30 minutes. Cool before using in a cocktail.

For the Macerated Grapes:

Handful seedless red grapes
Benedictine liqueur, enough to just cover the grapes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons of honey

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and allow to macerate at room temperature for several hours.

If you’re partial to a festive cocktail or three, why not explore our collection of the best Christmas cocktails to add to your repertoire.

What’s your favourite Christmas tipple to sip with family and friends?

By Sanjana Modha
Recipe and images courtesy of Tasty Trix