Pitcher Drinks: Cool Cocktails for a Crowd
I know that for this week’s Happy Hour at Home, I recommended beer for your Superbowl parties but for some of you that won’t be the right suggestion. So here’s another idea. This book, Pitcher Drinks: Cool Cocktails for a Crowd, is perfect for entertaining. It gives you recipes for 150 drinks for everthing from classics to new favorites and in quantities for a crowd. You just mix them up ahead of time and then let your guests serve themselves.
The author, Sharon Tyler Herbst, is a prolific food and cocktail book author. It’s likely you’ve encountered her work before. In this book she provides information on all the basics, gadgets and ingredients but there are three things that I especially like about this book. First, sprinkled throughout the book are quotes and little jokes.
A grasshopper hops into a bar and the bartender says, “Hey, there’s a drink named after you.”
The grasshopper exclaims in surprise, ” You gotta be kiddin’ - there’s a drink named Ralph?”
Okay, that was silly but some of the quotes are great:
“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”
- Henny Youngmen
Secondly, there is a chapter titled, “Party Food Ideas for People Who Don’t Like to Cook”. I think there’s a need for this and the suggestions are interesting - something more than basic chips and dips.
Finally, each recipe also has several variations, often including a non-alcohol version.
Here’s a recipe from the book that I thought would make a great choice for Superbowl Sunday.
Brandied Apple Smash
5 cups Apple Juice
2 cups Calvados or other Apple Brandy
3/4 cup cinnamon schnapps
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup Tuaca
1 large apple cut into 10 wedges
Combine all ingredients except apple in a pitcher that holds at least 80 ounces; stir well. Can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. Fill 10 ounce wineglasses almost full with crushed ice. Add drink mixture and an apple wedge; serve with a straw.
