Hayride

Whether you're in apple country or not, this drink really hits the spot after some outdoor fun or a cold autumn evening. No, this is NOT for the kids!! Send them to bed or something first!

(So
tell
me,
hon-
estly,
this
is an
iPhone
pic...
can
you
put
up
with
it 'til
I can
get a
new
camera?
How
about
if I
prom-
ise to post plenty of yummy recipes during Vegan Mofo this month?)
Here's my recipe for this amazing drink...

Hayride
1 cup warm apple cider
1/2 oz. cranberry juice (NOT juice cocktail!! I buy the R.W.Knudsen Just Cranberry at Trader Joe's for this)
1/2 oz. Goldschlagger
1 oz. vodka

Stir. Enjoy responsibly.
My husband drinks what I refer to as "girl drinks", and I'm the half Russian vodka expert. But he will drink this happily and calls it dangerous because he can hardly taste the alcohol. Really, this is so yummy. But you can always cut the amount of vodka in half if you are so inclined.
I garnished this with a striped apple slice. If you're going to serve these to guests and need to prep the apples ahead of time, make sure to bathe them in lemon water for a few minutes to prevent them from browning.

You can also dust them with
a little cinnamon if you'd like.
(Goldschlagger is a cinnamon
liqueur with flecks of gold in
it, imparting a lovely warm
cinnamon taste to the drink.)

Don't worry if you don't have
any fancy drink-making
paraphernalia, you could just
nuke a mug of cider and stir
in the rest of the ingredients.
I love this handy "mini measure" cup that's the size of a shot glass. Perfect for measuring and mixing small amounts, especially liquids. You can buy these at most kitchen stores.

But is this liquor vegan, you ask? Well yes, and I know because there's an app for that! I love the "Is Your Liquor Vegan?" app for my phone...along with two similar apps for beer and wine. Add the "Mixology" app and you have everything you need for vegan happy hour. Right?

Now of course I had to make
one of these for lunch in order
to get good light for the picture,
so I had some local roasted
butternut squash, parsnips,
sweet potatoes & leeks with
thyme to accompany it, along
with a local apple from Autumn
Hills Orchard and some
peanut butter.

Now that's a proper Vegan Mofo
kickoff!