Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
Spicy Fruit Cake-tail |
“Traditional holiday cocktail recipes need a wake-up call,” says Jason Gronlund, executive corporate chef for TABASCO® Brand Products/McIlhenny Company. “Spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon are all standards in holiday dishes, but add a little TABASCO® in cocktails, and the flavor is brighter—it accentuates and emboldens the spices that are already there.”
To achieve that goal, Gronlund helped develop a line of spicy holiday drinks last year, all featuring TABASCO® sauce. Holiday cocktail menus included irreverent and fun drinks such as Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow, a concoction of Piña Colada mix, Bacardi Coco, Malibu rum, Alize Gold Passion liqueur, and a dash of TABASCO® Habanero sauce.
“Even if it’s only a dash, it goes a long way,” Gronlund says. “Our Habanero sauce is infused with mango and papaya, which really gives a special kick to cocktails; if you made it both with and without that dash, you would taste the difference.”
Another cocktail that wouldn’t be the same without TABASCO® is the Spicy Fruit Cake-Tail, made with blackberry brandy, Alize Wild Passion, Goldschlager, DeKuyper Buttershots liqueur, pomegranate-tangerine juice, that dash of Habanero sauce, and candied fruit pieces with orange zest for garnish.
“Basically, we are trying to get people to see that TABASCO® is not just for Bloody Marys anymore,” explains Gronlund. “It lends flavor and flare to these drinks, but it’s great for mixing up traditional holiday dishes as well. Instead of the oyster stuffing, why not do a Thanksgiving Louisiana-style crawfish stuffing with some chili powder, paprika, and TABASCO®? Or create a spicy Christmas turkey by injecting our Garlic Pepper sauce?”
Gronlund holds to the promise that no matter if you’re eating or drinking, TABASCO® sauce doesn’t need to be synonymous with smoke coming out of your ears; it’s simply a spice like the basil or oregano in your cabinet.
“If you’re cooking a meal with TABASCO®, it really doesn’t have to set your tongue on fire. It should be dinner…not a dare!”—ABA
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