So, while the rest of the country is celebrating the changing leaves and begining to layer their clothing and, dare I say, breaking out their damned sweaters (!!!), I’m over here trying to stay hydrated so I don’t die of fucking heat exhaustion! OK? Enough with the heat already! I know that LA isn’t known for cold winters, but can you throw a bitch a bone? I wanna layer too! What about my boots??? It’s boots and leggings season, yo! Alright, I’m done (kinda). I know El Nino is gonna hit like a ton of bricks and I’m gonna be beggin’ for mercy.

As you can imagine, it’s been hard to get into the groove of fall with all this sweating. However, I know it’s time for a fall beverage. So, here’s the first of many TGIF’s that will have fall/winter/holiday flavors. I hope you will enjoy drinking them as much as I enjoy coming up with them. Out of everything I make, I believe the cocktail genre is my fav. The rockstar says I’m gifted at cocktails. Hey, he married me… he must be smart!

The flavors in this are classic. Cranberries set the stage for the base and the hint or orange pops this baby up a notch! Brown sugar and bourbon are a no brainer so, how could I lose?

You will need the following:

• 3 1oz. shots Bourbon, I used Maker’s Mark (my fav!)
• 1/8 cup (heaping) cranberries. Roasted on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes, stirring once half way through. They will burst and become squishy. This will really develop the flavor.
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• Club soda

Directions:

1. In a muddling glass, add cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest and bourbon. Mash the hell out of this mixture with your muddling tool. If you don’t have one, the handle of a wooden spoon or the blunt end of a butter knife will do.
2. Strain the bourbon cranberry mixture and divide evenly over ice in two glasses. Top off with club soda and a twist of orange peel.

You can make this in larger batches ahead of time to save you the trouble of interrupting your enjoyment by tending bar all night. I usually make my drink recipes in batches of two because that’s how I practice. One for me, one for the rockstar… or whomever is lucky enough to be here on drink inventing day 😉

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Swearing Mom out.