Washington was quite a fan of egg nog and devised his own recipe that included rye whiskey, rum and sherry.

• If you’ve been missing nog since the holidays ended, try this egg nog recipe (plus the history of egg nog) and toast to George. If egg nog isn’t your thing, there are two other choices.
• First, there’s kirsch (kirschwasser/kirsch water), which is a cherry eau de vie. In keeping with the Washington’s Birthday cherry theme, try it or any cherry schnapps straight or in a cocktail.
• The other appropriate libation: a Margarita. Why? February 22 is also National Margarita Day! See the history of the Margarita plus Margarita recipes.
• For the kids: alcohol-free egg nog or delicious tart cherry juice!

Toast to Washington with egg nog: He loved
it! Photo courtesy Chefs.com.

Try it—you’ll like it! Photo courtesy HP Hood.

Baileys Coffee Creamers—“all the flavor of Baileys without the alcohol”—are now available on the East Coast (for the time being, anyway—everyone else will have to be patient).

The #1 liqueur in the world recently introduced the line of super-premium coffee creamer products following three years of development and consumer testing. We say: Great job!

The four flavors—which include both sugar and real cream for your coffee—include Caramel, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and The Original Irish Cream. They’re all good—addictively good. Our favorite is Original, which tastes “just like Baileys without the alcohol.” A shot of Caramel in your coffee could substitute for a rich dessert.

And they’re very affordable. Suggested retail price is $2.49 per 16-ounce container. French Vanilla and Hazelnut are available in quarts for $3.99. Look for them in the dairy section of your supermarket. The products are lactose-free (but do have 5g cholesterol per tablespoon) and have no caffeine. They are certified kosher OU-D.

The products are produced by HP Hood under license from R & A Bailey & Co. The website is BaileysCreamers.com—but there’s not much on it at this point. Hopefully, some of the recipes we picked up at the Coffee and Tea Festival in New York City will end up there soon.

It immediately joined the menu at restaurants of haute cuisine, where it was prepared tableside with great fanfare.

Pitted black cherries were flambéed with kirsch (which is cherry eau de vie, or unaged brandy) or regular brandy, then spooned into a stemmed silver dish of vanilla ice cream.

You don’t need to have a stemmed silver dish—that kind of pomp disappeared in the 1960s. And it’s no biggie to get the cherries (frozen), ice cream and spirits to make the dish—tonight or tomorrow to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. A recipe for one head of state is certainly appropriate for another!

• Here’s an easy recipe for Cherries Jubilee.

Cherries Jubilee. Photo courtesy RobertsDairy.com.

We’re one happy buckaroo with Cowboy
Candy. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky |
THE NIBBLE.

Bob Mischler, the “M,” retired from long-haul trucking to a settled life in Seguin, Texas, a short haul (36 miles) from San Antonio. He grows cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes, squash and watermelon, practicing sustainable agriculture (which uses non-chemical pesticides and other techniques that protect the environment).

The ex-Marine is a tough guy: He only put in electricity 18 months ago, and only in order to operate his commercial kitchen. And are we glad, since we love the rush of his Cowboy Candy.

• It’s a shoo-in for burgers, hot dogs, tacos and sandwiches, but it also gives a jovial jolt to just about anything.
• Add some to salads, eggs and vegetables (try beans).
• Use it as a soup garnish.
• Eat it straight from the jar.

The Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio has created Jalapeño Bubbly, a glass of Champagne garnished with a few pieces of Uncertain Farms Cowboy Candy. (Another creative idea: their Rio Grande Mimosa is Champagne with a round ice cube made of grapefruit juice—but you can use any theme-shaped ice cube tray—Christmas tree, heart, shamrock, etc.).

The only thing we don’t like is the name: Uncertain Farms. Uncertain if they’ll be here next year, opined one taster? Uncertain if the stuff tastes good, said another?

However, that’s exactly why Bob Mischler named the farm. “I was uncertain I would ever pay for it,” he said. “Farming is an uncertain business.”

Fear not, dear reader: Both items we tried were certainly worth sending for: UncertainFarms.com.

If you want the experience without the calories, look for a sugar-free cherry preserves. Chukar Cherries’ No Sugar Added Red Sour Cherry Preserve is so good, you can’t even tell that there’s no sugar added!

For zero calories, you can purchase a cherry-flavored tea blend; but if you can, try your hot tea Russian-style. If you have Irish coffee mugs or other glass-handled cups or mugs, use them to enjoy the visual effect.

Try a spoonful in your tea. Photo
courtesy Chukar.com.