It’s time to get cozy.
~~
The air has moved from crisp to chilly and will soon turn decidedly cold. Leaves have finally released their hold on the trees and, with a final gust of near-winter wind, have fallen to blanket the ground against the coming snow.
~~
Thanksgiving and its feast have passed, but the leftovers remain the season’s quiet pleasures. A warm wheat roll soaked in hot turkey gravy is the perfect thing to warm icy fingers after outdoor play.
~~
Everywhere there’s a bustle: shoppers surged through store doors on Black Friday eager for promised deals, and malls and shops buzz with holiday buying and planning.
~~
Deer move cautiously now, making midnight crossings along backroads and highways to avoid daylight and hunters. My husband, an avid hunter, spends mornings and evenings in our back field bundled head to toe in fleece camouflage, his chest and cap bright with blaze orange.
~~
The children are full of holiday energy—parties, gifts, friends, and food. They talk, plan, create, and play constantly, crafting heartfelt gifts to give to their closest friends.
~~
Amid the activity I find small pockets of quiet: a hush when everything falls away and I can watch a hawk circle silver clouds or see my husband returning through tall, dried weeds toward home.
When the timing is right—after evening hunting, while the kids work on gifts, dinner bubbling on the stove and the dogs napping—I throw a log on the fire, wrap a blanket around my shoulders, and join my husband on the porch with two small glasses of Yuletide Spiced Brandy Liqueur.
This gentle, lightly orange-and-spice flavored brandy warms you just enough to face the next wave of activity. Serve it at a festive gathering, offer it to close friends, or sip it alone in a quiet moment by the woodstove. Take one small sip and breathe.
~~
And remember—it’s Christmas time.
Pour this brown elixir into a pretty bottle and tie a ribbon—satin, velvet, or raffia—to create a memorable culinary gift for the food and drink lovers in your life.
Yuletide Spiced Brandy Liqueur
Adapted from the Christmas Spiced Brandy recipe in Classic Liqueurs by Cheryl Long and Heather Kibbey
Ingredients:
- The zest of half a tangerine (use only the colored peel, avoiding white pith)
- 4 broken cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole allspice berries
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 juniper berries
- About a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated (or 2 tablespoons dried ginger pieces)
- 2 black peppercorns
- 1 scraping of fresh grated nutmeg
- 2 cups brandy
- 1/2 cup raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)
- 1/2 cup water
Add the tangerine peel, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, juniper, grated ginger, peppercorns, and nutmeg to a clean, dry quart or half-gallon mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Pour the brandy over the spices and zest, then shake the jar and store it in a cool, dark place for 14 days. Shake the jar every other day to help the flavors infuse.
On day 14, combine the water and raw sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the syrup from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature, covered.
While the syrup cools, place a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth over a clean bowl. Shake the jar one last time and pour the infused brandy through the sieve into the bowl. Discard the spices or set them aside.
You can discard the spices or simmer them in a small saucepan of water over low heat to fill your kitchen with a lovely aroma.
Transfer the strained liqueur to a clean jar suitable for storage. When the sugar syrup has cooled, add it to the jar, secure the lid, and shake to combine. Return the jar to a cool, dark place for an additional seven days to mellow. The flavor continues to improve with age, but the liqueur is ready to serve after this resting period.