November 26, 2021
Y
ou’re full. I’m full. Yesterday was Thanksgiving, the fillingest holiday of the year here in the US, where many (like me!) overeat without a calorific care in the world. And even with that feasting, there still tends to be leftovers. Luckily, in the cranberry sauce case, cause then you can have the traditional post-Thanksgiving Gizmo, a Thanksgiving drink that’s been had around tables and fireplaces and back-porches for many a long year (originally created by a genius named Jeremy Holt). So, no matter your fullness level, start your shaking!
The Gizmo
Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce homemade cranberry sauce
1/2 ounce simple syrup (optional)
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin and cranberry sauce, and syrup if using. Shake exceptionally well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Drink up, Thanksgiving-style.
Tags: cocktail, Cocktail Recipes, cranberry sauce, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Jeremy Holt, simple syrup, Thanksgiving cocktail recipe, The Gizmo, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
November 23, 2018
Hey, guess what – yesterday was Thanksgiving! Wait, you knew that? Then perhaps what I’m about to be telling you is something you’re already aware of, as it’s as much as Thanksgiving tradition as turkey. That’s right, I’m talking about the post-Thanksgiving (either day of, or day after, that being today) Gizmo, which utilizes the leftover cranberry sauce. This one (you probably know this, too, as it’s part of the legend of Thanksgiving) comes from Jeremy Holt, from way back to the 1600s, or thereabouts.
The Gizmo
Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce homemade cranberry sauce
1/2 ounce simple syrup (optional)
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin and cranberry sauce, and syrup if using (I like the syrup, but I also like second helping of dessert). Shake exceptionally well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Drink up around bites of leftover stuffing.
Tags: cocktail recipe, cocktails, cranberry sauce, Friday Night Cocktail, Gin, Jeremy Holt, simple syrup, Thanksgiving drink, The Gizmo, What I’m Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Gin, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
June 26, 2015
Summer is now fully upon us – time to drink bubbly things. But, but, but, I feel like Scotch, and most people don’t think about Scotch and bubbly drinks together (except the Scotch and soda, which is indeed sometimes lovely in its simplicity). Which is a shame, when drinks like the Tartan Swizzle, a bubbly Scotch-y treat, are around! Don’t get stuck in your ruts, pals, especially in summer because those ruts can get sweaty, and sweaty ruts are the worst. The worst. Anywho, I picked up this recipe from my old pal Jeremy Holt, a fine man and a fine drinker. He’s introduced me to loads of swell drinks over the years, and this is certainly on the list, and also certainly a swell summer sipper. Try it, and test me out!
The Tartan Swizzle, using the recipe from Dark Spirits
Ice cubes
2 ounces Scotch (Jeremy suggests something like Dewar’s, J&B, Cutty Sark)
1-1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Crushed ice
Chilled club soda
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Scotch, lime juice, simple syrup, and bitters. Shake well.
2. Fill a Collins glass or the like three-quarters full with crushed ice. Stir the ice briefly to chill the glass, then strain the mixture from the shaker over the ice.
3. Fill the glass almost to the top with club soda. Stir a bit, to get a little frothiness.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Jeremy Holt, Scotch, The Tartan Swizzle, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: bitters, Cocktail Recipes, Dark Spirits, Recipes, Scotch, What I'm Drinking
November 22, 2013
It’s the holiday season y’all! Which means one fantastic thing: it’s time for another episode of The Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, with very special hunky holiday guest Jeremy Holt! Mr. Jeremy stops by to teach us how to make perhaps the finest Thanksgiving cocktail known, the Gizmo, which features Voyager gin, cranberry sauce, and simple syrup. If you want your Thanksgiving to be awesome, watch this now. Right now!
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail video, Cocktail Videos, cranberry sauce, Friday Night Cocktail, Gizmo cocktail, Jeremy Holt, Thanksgiving cocktails, Voyager gin, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail Videos, Gin, Good Spirits, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
November 15, 2013
Hello students of the cocktail, and welcome to another episode of the finest series on cocktails, drinking, and good times ever: The Cocktail to Cocktail Hour. In this episode, our favorite foreigner, Alastair Edwards, is back with another drinking problem, one I solve with the help of the Trilby Cocktail, a bit of an undiscovered treasure featuring Broker’s gin, Dolin dry vermouth, and crème Yvette.
PS: Special thanks to Natalie Fuller, Jeremy Holt, Beatrice Holt, Markie Butler – perhaps the finest actors this side of Stratford, and the wizardry of director Dr. Gonzo.
Tags: Alastair Edwards, Broker’s gin, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail video, Cocktail Videos, crème Yvette, Dolin dry vermouth, Friday Night Cocktail, Jeremy Holt, Mark Butler, Natalie Fuller, Trilby cocktail, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail to Cocktail Hour, Cocktail Videos, Gin, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, Liqueurs, Recipes, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
November 23, 2012
It’s the day after Thanksgiving – are you having your Gizmo yet? If so, why not? If you don’t know what it is, head on over to an earlier Spiked Punch post for your Gizmo recipe and story. Now, I have to go back to drinking my Gizmo.
November 23, 2011
Hey, I know this is a re-post (and now you do, too). But it’s so perfect for today, the day before Thanksgiving, and Jeremy Holt is still so darn tasteful and cool, that I thought posting it again would be all right. So, without further palavering:
It’s Thanksgiving week, which means I’m too busy stretching my stomach to post much (and to anyone who says, “you don’t post much on any week” I say “go soak your head”), but I did want to remind you to save a little cranberry sauce from the big feast so you can be sure to have your Gizmo on Friday. Or Thursday night. Cause you wouldn’t want to miss out.
Wait, what, you don’t know the Gizmo? Well, it’s a dandy way to utilize those leftovers, a cocktail created for this very purpose by bar-and-kitchen-and-drug boy genius Jeremy Holt, aka, the HuksyBoy. Here’s the lowdown:
Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces gin (Aviation is nice)
1 ounce homemade cranberry sauce
1/2 ounce simple syrup (optional)
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin and cranberry sauce, and syrup if using (if you’re not into the sweets, omit the syrup). Shake exceptionally well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a turkey leg. Or, for vegetarians, a hunk of stuffing on a toothpick.
A Note: Not sure about making homemade cranberry sauce? Try this (also courtesy HB): Add 1 bag cranberries, the juice and zest of 1 orange, and 1 cup sugar to a saucepan. Heat until required sauce texture is reached.
Now, you know why you need to save a little sauce. And why you should buy that Jeremy a drink next time you see him.
February 9, 2010
Okay, I know I tend to write about booze here (I mean, the blog is called “Spiked Punch”), but I figure my lovely readers would also like to know how to make the world better by picking up on the Double Take philosophy. Not sure what that means? Well, then you should check out the book I wrote with pal (and mastermind chef) Jeremy Holt, entitled Double Take: Feeding Vegetarians and Omnivores Together, One Fabulous Recipe, Two Finished Dishes. The book (as you might expect, but hey, just in case it’s not so clear) is designed to teach folks to make meals for both vegetarians and meat-eaters–at the same time. Instead of serving separate dishes for each side at the table, it brings people together. Instead of causing you, the cook, to tear out your hair wondering how to make different dishes for separate culinary needs, it helps you put together one meal that meets all tastes and bridges that once-divided table. To accomplish this worthy and delicious end, it has six chapters with recipes that (in almost every case) deliver a meat and veggie version by the end of the last instruction, and tells how to make the recipe all meat or all veggie, too. Here are the chapters, arranged in entertaining and cook-friendly fashion:
Sundry Snacks
A Brunch Bunch
Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches
Comfort Entrees
Entertaining Entrees
Satisfying Sides
There is also a jumping introduction that provides helpful hints for stocking your kitchen (what cookware, cutlery, gadgets, and small appliances you might think about buying), and then goes through Meat Alternatives 101 (both classic meat substitutes and newer models) in case you need a refresher. If that isn’t enough to get your mouth watering and to intrigue your culinary mind, the Double Take (which is, by the way, available in paperback and hardback for your shopping pleasure) also has a host of handy and heroic sidebars, covering an assortment of helpful hints and techniques, from Jeremy’s sauce basics (on page 7), recipes for sauces hollandaise and béchamel (on page 168), bacon bests (on page 195), and stock reducing (on page 88) to A.J.’s hints for draining tofu (on page 44) and baking tofu (on page 48), and much more. So, don’t hesitate–head on into the Double Take to avoid any wrasslin’ over the grill (like in the below photo) and to ensure that you make memorable moments around a table that’s brimming with delicious dishes for everyone. Cause that’s what it’s all about.
