Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Fall Cocktail Recipe

November 17, 2018 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

It’s Fall, y’all! And, in the Fall I crave bourbon. For a recent low-key Fall party, I crafted a super simple, but delicious cocktail featuring Broken Top Bourbon, sparkling wine, and apple cider. I put it together on the bar so guests could make their own. However, you could also pre-prep and create a delicious punch! This cocktail would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table and would also be a tasty addition to the winter holiday season!

This post is in partnership with Cascade Street Distillery. I was provided a complimentary product. All opinions are my own. Thank you for reading and learning more about the companies that support this blog.

When I say that this cocktail is simple… I mean it. I love a well-crafted cocktail with gorgeous ingredients and garnishes, but I also really value simple (but quality) solutions to hosting events. There are a lot of things happening when you host, might as well make it easy on yourself if you have a great and easy solution! One way to really make this cocktail hit a home run with your guests is by picking really good ingredients. I picked a local hand-pressed apple cider and Oregon-produced, small-batch bourbon that has been aged in charred oak barrels and has notes of caramel and vanilla. Taking extra steps of garnishing your drinks with things like a cinnamon sugar rim, apple slices, or cinnamon sticks will also make this drink extra special.

Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Cocktail

Single Glass:

Combine 1.5 oz of Broken Top Bourbon (or your favorite bourbon), 2 oz of chilled apple cider, and 3 oz of chilled sparkling wine in a glass. Garnish with apple slices, cinnamon sticks, or a cinnamon sugar rim.

Punch: Makes 8 glasses

Note: When making this pitcher cocktail I recommend adding ice cubes made of apple cider rather than water so that the drink doesn’t dilute in flavor as the ice melts. Due to the addition of ice, there is a bit more bourbon than what you’d have in a single glass portioning.

Combine 2 cups of bourbon, 3 cups of ice, 2.5 cups of apple cider, and 1 bottle of sparkling wine in a punch bowl or pitcher. If you are creating a punch bowl then add in apple slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish.

What type of spirit do you prefer in the Fall? Do you have a favorite Fall cocktail? Share in the comment section below!

A Well Crafted Pantry

No Bake Dessert: Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake Parfaits

September 24, 2018 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Other than a few frozen treats in the freezer I try to not keep any desserts in our home. That way, if I want a dessert, I have to really want it enough to make it! A celebratory meal promoted the desire to make a sweet treat, but the heat made me really not want to bake a thing! Enter a couple of bags of delicious frozen Oregon blackberries, cream cheese, and some beautiful lemons to create this no-bake treat of lemon and blackberry cheesecake parfaits.

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake No-Bake Dessert | A Well Crafted Party

This post is in partnership with Oregon Berries. All opinions are my own. About Oregon Berries: The Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission focuses on promoting caneberries to multiple audiences, and supports Oregon berry farmers by fostering plant research and farming education initiatives. Find Oregon Berry brands on the Oregon Berries website!

While I can absolutely enjoy lemons anytime, and all the time, it isn’t the most Fall-like flavor. Now that the weather is getting cooler and Fall is firmly beginning to take hold, you may want to substitute the lemon for more fall-like flavors. Read on to learn how to make this no-bake blackberry parfait with lemon and a few different fun seasonal variations!

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait

The name parfait is from French meaning “perfect”– I can’t say that I don’t agree. This dish layers a mixture of delicious cream, jam, and curd to create a delightful chilled, no-bake dessert. Layer in some delicious sponge cake to make a tasty trifle! I’ve layered everything how it made sense to me, but the best part of a parfait is that you can switch it up as you desire! In efforts to make this dessert a very simple no-bake treat, I used a pre-made curd rather than making one. No curd available? Sub in a delicious jam!

Layers of this Lemon-Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait

Walnut and butter crust
Blackberry Cheesecake Whip
Lemon Curd (this is where you can substitute any of your favorite fruit curds or jams!)
Vanilla Cheesecake Whip
Whipped Cream
Blackberry Syrup
Frozen Blackberry

Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

I made six, four-once parfaits with this recipe. Below are all of the ingredients, but again, this is something you can really mix and match as your tastes dictate! There seem to be a LOT of steps with this dessert, but they are all really easy and all-in-all are totally worth it!

Walnut crust:

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Pulse walnuts, melted butter, and brown sugar in a food processor. Don’t have a food processor? Pulverize the walnuts with a mallet.

Need a nut-free crust? Substitute some ladyfingers or sponge cake.

Blackberry Syrup:

Ingredients:

1 package of frozen Oregon blackberries (I used the Stahlbush Island Farms Marion Blackberries which has 10 oz of blackberries) – reserve 6-10 berries for garnish
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup water

Directions:

Put water, sugar, and blackberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally so that the sugar doesn’t burn.
Cook down and simmer until the mixture thickens. (About 10 minutes.) Continue to stir.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve reserving the liquid. Let the syrup cool in the fridge while you complete the rest of the steps.

Keep reading for the real secret to this delicious dessert!

Cheesecake Whip:

This part is my favorite because you are basically taking one step and turning it into three different layers!

Ingredients:

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
2, 8 oz packs of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8th cup of blackberry syrup

Directions:

Make whipped cream: Whip the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer (or whisk) until peaks begin to form. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/8th cup of sugar and continue whipping until peaks are well formed. Don’t overwhip as you’ll get sweet butter instead of whipped cream. Set aside two cups of whipped cream.
Whip cream cheese: Whip up the cream cheese with a hand mixer or whisk until softened. Mix the cream cheese with the remaining whipped cream. Split the mixture into two bowls.
Vanilla Cheesecake Whip: Take one of the cream cheese/ whipped cream mixtures add the remaining 1/8th cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.
Blackberry Cheesecake Whip: Take the remaining cream cheese/whipped cream mixture and add in 1/8th cup of chilled blackberry syrup. Mix well. This mixture will be thinner than the previous mixture.
Chill: Place the whipped cream, vanilla cheesecake whip, and blackberry cheesecake whip in the fridge for 30 minutes before building your parfait.
Build: After the mixtures have chilled, build your parfaits. Layer in jam or pre-made curd to knock this dessert out of the park! Top the mixture with blackberry syrup and garnish with frozen blackberries.

Substitute a pear or apple jam for the lemon curd for a nice fall twist to this dessert!

A Well Crafted Party

Easy Rock and Roll 4th Birthday Party

July 16, 2018 No Comments A Well Crafted Party

For good or bad, in most cases, you might be able to call me a Pinterest mom*. However, on my oldest son’s fourth birthday I was very, very pregnant and just didn’t have the time or energy to do my normal shin-dig. I love birthdays and sincerely wanted to make it special for him without putting myself into pre-mature labor. The solution for me was to host our rock and roll party at a local pizza restaurant, have them do the food and beverages, and purchase all the decor/favors. I did go as far as making cupcakes (I had always made his cakes) and they certainly weren’t up to my normal standards, but the kids didn’t care!

*I tend to go all out for parties and create a lot of hand-crafted goodies to decorate with or send home with guests. It is something I enjoy greatly, but nothing I ever expect of others. Parties are simply about having fun with the people you choose to spend your time with, and there are no hard-fast rules on what makes a good party.

Easy Rock and Roll 4th Birthday Party

We decided on the Rock and Roll theme because we had planned on getting him a set of drums for his birthday. We lucked out that the pizza place that we chose to have the party at had an amazing back room that had such a great look to it, a large TV, and plenty of space for tables for activities and food. We did email invitations and simply asked guests to come dressed to Rock & Roll! Many guests dressed up and made the whole event more celebratory. SO EASY.

Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer in business, which is heartbreaking because it was truly wonderful. Read on to see details on decor and activities.

Easy Rock and Roll Birthday Party Activities

When I say easy, I mean EASY. I was swollen from head-to-toe with pregnancy. I just didn’t have it in me to do much more than my full-time job and, you know, make a human. Eating delicious pizza and salad was on the menu for everyone, and eating is an activity in itself, but I knew it wouldn’t last long with a room full of kiddos.

Rock and Roll Party Activity: Decorate Your Guitar

I purchased paper guitars (affiliate link) from Oriental Trading and added them to a table along with markers and Rock and Roll Stickers. The kids LOVED decorating the guitars. Some even made their guitars look pretty much exactly the same as real guitars! Seriously talented kiddos. So talented in fact that they nailed the next party activity!

Rock and Roll Party Activity: Photobooth & Karaoke

The rest of the party the kids had a great time singing songs that we projected up on the big screen and taking photos in the photo booth. I’m pretty sure a couple of kiddos did a full rendition of ABCs that blew the crowd away! We ordered inflatable guitars (affiliate link), inflatable mics (affiliate link), and a rock-and-roll backdrop (affiliate link). These items helped decorate the room, created an easy activity, and became party favors!

It was a wonderful party despite the fact that the only thing I made was these mishappen mini-cupcakes. My kiddo was thrilled and friends and family had a great time. I highly recommend a party where someone else does the dishes. 😉