Christmas Drink Cabinet and the "Wine Cellar/Beer Cellar)

I have decided that this year I am going to try and afford a bottle of alcohol a month.  Why?  I am not an alcoholic but I like a drink every now and then.  Not often but just occasionally.  

However, come Christmas I have always been able to offer a selection of drinks to visitors if they have so wished. This is a custom that goes back many years.  This post may have a mixed review as drinking is certainly not encouraged these days and drinking and driving certainly is not.

However, if like us you are staying in at home over the Christmas period you can then please yourself.  We do not drink much in any event but at least we have the option of pleasing ourselves or not.  You can always put the money up as well without buying the alcohol now but I have found in practice that this does not work for me as I use alcohol in all sorts of different preserves throughout the year. 

I do not just use alcohol for drinking I also use it in cooking.  Brandy and whisky is used throughout the year on fruit cakes.  Rum is used in coffee on cold days and also in white sauce with the Christmas pudding. Grand Marnier or any orange liqueur with pancakes and with the fresh cranberry sauce to serve with the Turkey.  Whisky, Brandy and Rum and other alcohols can also be used to flavour dried fruits to serve as a flavoured sauce on top of homemade cinnamon ice cream and plain ice cream as can other liqueur type drinks. Crème de Menthe in home made Turkish Delight and Mint creams and also homemade mint and chocolate chip ice cream. I use Guinness in my Christmas pudding along with Rum but I have also used Cider and Rum. You can also use wine to soak fruits and cakes.

I also make a host of home made items for the pantry as well.  When Cherries are in season I make home made Cherry Brandy and I also make soaked cherries and bottled cherries.  I also make Rumptopf (mixed seasonal fruits in Rum).  I serve this as a Christmas pudding with a dollop of plain cream or flavoured cream and/or ice cream or as the base of a cherry trifle or with fluffy pancakes served with cream and ice cream.  Bottled plums in syrup can be turned into "Victorian Sugar Plums) or served in a pie or with custard.  There is a lot that you can do for a different and delightful pudding over the Christmas season.  What I object to is paying through the nose for base items or especially fancy puddings at over £13 a time for an item that can be made at home with a little time and patience and for which you can in most cases get a lot more for your money.  £13 goes a long way in my kitchen.

However all my home made creations start off with a spirit of some kind.  Either a bottle of vodka, gin, brandy or whisky or wine (either red, white or rose)in the case of Vin d'Orange.  Definitely gin for the home made Rhubarb Gin and either red or white wines for homemade mulled pears.  Now that is a proper winter pudding.

So there is a lot more use to alcohol than just drinking.

One of the things I hate though is that during the month of December the shops often hike up the prices. So you may add the odd bottle of this and that to the drinks cupboard but bearing in mind that often the money goes on food or on presents during December (especially if money is tight anyway) then it makes sense to buy in a little at a time when there are offers on.  That is what I do or try and do.  It also comes in handy when sourcing Christmas presents as well.  Not only that if there are any bargains on when it comes to shopping day you can take advantage of the same.

I like Cider and Perry, country wines and beers and also Crabbies Ginger Beer which is one of my favourites.

I have some wine kits in house that I intend to start off within the next week or so.  I am going to start early and also take advantage of the reduction of fruit at the veg shop such as apples and oranges to make wines too.  If I can build up a stock gradually it will mean that when I entertain I will not necessarily have to buy anything in.  I do not have a wine cellar or beer cellar but I do have two wine fridges one of which is intended to be a Charcuterie fridge (that is why I bought it) but have not really got there yet but that is in the pipeline too).  I want to get back to my roots.

However you can also make your own cordials and syrups to enhance drinks or just to serve plainly in lemonade or soda for a refreshing drink.  You can also save macerated fruits to serve in home made cocktails or indeed in the bottom of a trifle or mixed with melted chocolate to make your own fruit chocolate.  Think of mulled wine, cider, apple juice here.  Or indeed as is the current fashion add flavoured syrup to a mug of chocolate or coffee.  There is so much that you can do for yourself and a lot of the time there is no need to waste anything.  Just sometimes you have to think carefully about what or how you are going to do with what you are left over with.  In jelly making you can often turn the drained fruit into a chutney or indeed into a paste (such as Quince or Medlar paste) or indeed into fruit leather.  Or indeed into what is known as a "cheese".  Which is a fruit solid that was often served with cheese (and that is I believe why it is known as a cheese!).

I had Membrillo (Quince paste) with my Stinking Bishop cheese over Christmas. It was gorgeous.  I also tried an Almond and date solid paste (which is formed into logs) and then served in slices which was also very different and pleasant.

Therefore there is always something that you can do with the leftovers.  Traditional recipes for jelly and jam were keen on this aspect as food like today is expensive unless you can buy keenly on the bare essentials front.  If you have access to a grocer who will order you a box or two of something in as well it is worth the rewards.  They are getting the business but you do have to ask them if they are getting stuff in or if they can get it for you.

Therefore with a little planning you can put up some different goodies for the Christmas yet to come.  Use the wild larder as well as home made blackberry and apple jelly is well worth the making as is Elderberry wine.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x