December 28, 2013 at 8:27 am
· Filed under Christmas, Halloween & Fall, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving & Fall
Hot raspberry cider. Photo courtesy Driscoll’s Berries. Here’s the recipe. |
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A few months ago we created a feature on party food bars:
Breakfast & Brunch Bar
Drinks & Snacks Food Bar
Desserts Food Bar
Lunch & Dinner Food Bar
Our drinks bars included the different ways to serve Bloody Marys, lemonade and iced tea. Around Thanksgiving, we realized we had left out another “essential,” and created an Apple Cider Bar.
We liked it so much for Thanksgiving that we did it again for Christmas and we’re planning it for next Halloween as well. So today’s tip is: Don’t wait until then: Set up an apple cider bar for New Year’s Eve.
Serve the cider cold and hot, so people can customize their drinks. Heat the cider on the stove with a ball of mulling spices, then serve it in a pitcher. If you have a hot plate or other device to keep the cider warm, so much the better.
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APPLE CIDER BAR INGREDIENTS
Juices & Mixers
Apple cider
Hard cider
Pomegranate juice
Club soda
Ginger ale/diet ginger ale
Spirits
Bourbon
Gin
Rum and/or spiced rum
Whiskey
Vodka
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Sweet Toppings
Ice cream: cinnamon ice cream, rum raisin or vanilla ice cream
Sorbet: apple sorbet, cranberry sorbet
Whipped cream (try these recipes for Bourbon Whipped Cream an Five Spice Whipped Cream)
Garnishes
Apple or pear slices, berries, red seedless grapes
Cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise
Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
Honey
Orange and lemon wheels and curls
Plus
Butter pats*
Glasses and mugs
Ice cubes
Napkins
Spoons & stirring sticks, jiggers for alcohol
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Add your favorite spices. Photo courtesy Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
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Related Snacks
Cake & Pie: apple bars, apple pie, ginger bars (recipe), pound cake, spiced bundt
Cheese & Fruit Plate: cheddar and washed rind cheeses with apples, pears and grapes, prosciutto
Cookies & Donuts: butter cookies, cider- or cinnamon-sugar donuts, gingersnaps, oatmeal raisin cookies, shortbread
Light Fare: chicken/turkey/ham sandwiches, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, quiche
More: flavored tortilla chips†, granola bars, spiced nuts (recipe)
*To float atop hot cider.
†We like Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips in Kettle, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato; Laurel Hill tortilla chips in Pumpkin Seed; or Way Better Snacks tortilla chips in Zesty Sweet Potato.
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