Get it before it disappears from the shelves.
Photo courtesy Angry Orchard Cider
Company.

This may well be your last weekend to pick up seasonal summer hard ciders, before producers replace them with fall blends.

We received a shipment of Angry Orchard Elderflower Hard Cider, and have been saving it to serve this weekend.

Elderflower is a flower that in homeopathy as well as in cooking. The white berries are used to flavor jam and other cooked fruit; the tiny white flower blossoms are distilled into liqueur (elderflower cordial was enjoyed in ancient Rome), which in turn can be added to recipes.

We love the flavor of elderflower, which reminds us of lychee. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur is a favorite that we like to serve to guests, especially mixed with sparkling wine.

Now, for the first time, elderflower been added to cider, by Angry Orchard.
 
*ABV means alcohol by volume.

The finished product is pale yellow and 5% ABV*. Open the bottle and an apple aroma wafts up, along with elderflower floral.

Light and refreshing, the flavors of crisp apple marry with the elderflower to produce semi-dry sweetness with a bit of tartness. The cider pairs nicely with smoked salmon, braised pork and a fresh berry dessert.

You can also mix it into cocktails. Here are two from Hayley Jensen, a mixologist at Taproom No. 307 in New York City,

 
†Bittersweet apples are not edible, but do very nicely when fermented into cider. Culinary apples are the varieties we eat.

This drink is versatile: You can kick it up a notch with two ounces of any white liquor: cachaça, gin, rum, tequila or vodka.

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. POUR both over ice into a pint glass. Stir and serve.
 
RECIPE: ANGRY ELDERBERRY MOJITO

Ingredients For 1 Drink

1. MUDDLE berries and mint in a pint glass. Fill glass with ice. Add rum and cider.

2. POUR into mixing cup and stir. Pour back into pint glass and garnish with strawberry and mint leaves.

Here’s something special for Labor Day weekend: Turn grilled fruit into tropical fruit skewers. Thanks to Melissas.com, purveyors of premium produce, for the recipe.

We’ve also got dessert shots to go with the fruit: delicious coconut- or banana-flavored rum from Blue Chair Bay.

RECIPE: GRILLED TROPICAL FRUIT SKEWERS

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the brown sugar, orange juice and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add the cubes of mango, papaya and bananas, tossing gently to coat thoroughly.

2. THREAD the fruit onto skewers alternating the fruits.

3. GRILL over a medium hot barbeque or hibachi for approximately 4-5 minutes per side. You can also use a grill pan or broiler. Be sure to watch closely so the fruit does not burn.

4. REMOVE to a serving plate and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

The first flavored vodka, that inspired scores of other flavors, was Absolut Peppar, in 1986. Absolut Citron followed in 1988, and then the floodgates opened as Stolichnaya and other brands created their own versions. Absolut has launched 17 different flavors†; and newer brands like Pinnacle, Three Olives and Van Gogh focus only on flavored vodkas.

Flavored tequilas arrived more quietly—first chile and coffee flavors and now, vodka-style, they’re branching out to fruit (we’re fond of El Jimador’s new Mango Mango and Mexican Lime).

While the distillers of these flavored spirits provide plenty of cocktail recipes and expect bloggers and mixologists to develop many more, the plain truth is that they are delicious as shots.

So today’s tip is: Enjoy flavored shots as you relax over the weekend (in moderation, of course).

This weekend, we’ll be serving two tropical flavors from Blue Chair Bay, a brand created by singer Kenny Chesney. The line has four expressions: Banana Rum, Coconut Rum, Coconut Spiced Rum and White Rum (plain).

 
*The Levy brothers, pharmacists in Kingston, Jamaica, created the original recipe for aged spiced rum in the 1940s. The brand was purchased by Seagram’s (now Diageo) and marketed as Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum. The spices include cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The original Levy recipe also included medicinal herbs.

†Absolut flavors, in order of launch: Peppar, Citron, Kurant, Mandrin, Vanilia, Raspberri, Apeach, Ruby Red, Pears, Mango, Berry Açaí, Wild Tea, Orient Apple, Grapevine, Cherrykran, Hibiskus and Cilantro. Note that flavored vodkas have been home-infused in Russia and elsewhere for centuries; but Absolut was the first flavored vodka sold commercially in the U.S.

IF YOU REALLY WANT A COCKTAIL…

Blue Chair Bay enlisted the help of selected bloggers to create recipes, which they sent to us along with a sample of the rum.

This ice cream cocktail, from The Blond Cook, can substitute for dessert:

RECIPE: SPICED BANANA CREAM COCKTAIL, A DESSERT
COCKTAIL

Ingredients For 4 Drinks

 
Preparation

1. PLACE all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

2. GARNISH and serve with a straw.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE BANANA COCONUT COLADA

Ingredients For 2 Drinks

 
Preparation

1. PLACE all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour and serve. For dessert, serve with chocolate cookies.
 
 
Here’s something very creamy from ANightOwlBlog.com. Note that while it’s called a Martini, there’s nothing Martini about it (serving something in a Martini glass does not a Martini make).

RECIPE: COCONUT CREAM MARTINI

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the rum, half and half and vanilla over ice in a shaker; shake to blend.

2. DIP the rim of the Martini glass in honey and then in coconut flakes for garnish. Add rum blend and serve.
 
You can find more delicious recipes at BlueChairBayRum.com.