Everyday With Rachel Ray

Even Rachel Ray agrees with us that Crispin Cider pairs perfectly with food.

Crispin Cider Cocktails

LAZY BARTENDER

The Doubletree
Ingredients: Crispin Brut, Hendrick's Gin, Lime garnish, ice, rocks glass

Preparation: Into a rocks glass with ice, combine 1 part Hendrick's

and 2 parts Crispin Brut. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.
---
The Swedish Orchard
4-5 ice cubes
1 shot Aquavit, preferably O.P.
4 shots Crispin Original Hard Apple Cider
5-7 fresh Lingonberries for garnish
---
Crispaker
Smooth drink with plenty of kick but refreshing after taste.

Highball with Ice
1.5 shot Makers Mark
Fill rest with Crispin
Garnish with Lime
--
Stone Fence
2 oz Mt. Gay Silver Eclipse Rum
4 oz Crispin Original cider

Build over ice in a double rocks glass. Enjoy.
The Stone Fence harkens back to Colonial America, with hard cider being one of the few alcoholic drinks made in the colonies and either New England or Caribbean rum available as well. While this drinks has roots that go back to the earliest days of America, I think this drink fits perfectly with a modern outdoor barbecue. One of my favorite drinks.
---
Linger Longer
ingredients:
crispin brut
2 Tbs. *lingonberry juice concentrate
lime slices
apple slices

method:
Put ice in a low ball glass. Pour crispin brut over ice. Float lime
slice on top, add apple slice on side. Pour lingonberry concentrate
over top.

Cheers.

*lingonberry juice concentrate available at Ike

CREATIVE MIXOLOGY

Refreshing Apple Pie
Start by rimming a highball. Use a slice of orange and then dip the
rim in an equal mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Next begin building the drink by adding Two Tablespoons each of
Freshly Squeezed
Orange Juice and Disaronno.

Lastly add ice and fill with Crispin Light.
---

Lemon Crisp
12 oz frozen lemonade
2 Crispin Original
6 oz Vodka
12 oz Lemon Lime soda
ice

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and stir until mixed
thoroughly. Add ice to chill.

Dust Martini Glass rim with salt and shred one mint leaf and
place into Martini glass. Pour chilled Lemon Crip mixture
into the Martini glass and serve.

Makes 10 servings
---
Crispin Cherry Spray
1 shot cherry liqueur
2 shots Crispin brut
2 shots Ocean Spray White Cranberry Peach
splash of Rose's Lime
shake lightly
pour over ice and serve with maraschino cherry and slice of lime
---

Smokn’ Kentucky Apple
1.5 ounces bourbon
.25 ounces maple syrup
.25 ounces mezcal
4 ounces Crispin Brut Cider.

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a Boston shaker with ice. Shake
and pour into a long glass. Add Crispin Brut Cider to finish.

Ask Alpana on USA Today

Crispin Cider Dinner at Frankie's, Chicago

CRISPIN CIDER DINNER MENU
Executive Chef Gaetano Caladrini presents -
November 24th 2009

Chef Caladrini was born in Lesio Italy and has studied in 5 different countries. He has used his extensive knowledge to create a regional Italian food adventure at Frankie's.
Tickets are $68.00 incl. tax
$8.00 donated to The Morning Star Mission.
Reservations : 708 2266996






First Course: Complemented by Crispin Light
King Crab Legs over a Fressee salad with asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes.

Second Course: Complemented by Crispin Original
Stuffed Branzino with scallops, baby spinach and a Crispin
Cider Vinaigrette.

Third Course: Complemented by Crispin Brut
Colorado Rack of Lamb with a rosemary sauce, chantarelle
mushrooms and marble potatoes.

Fourth Course: Complemented by Crispin Honey Crisp
Zabaglione Cream – Honey Crisp poached peach with fresh
Passion fruit.

Empire Builder Cocktail
Winner of the Heavy Table Fall Contest.
Ingredients:
2 oz Crispin Original
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Starbucks Coffee Liquor (*)
Dash of simple syrup

(*) Starbucks works here because its a liquor that's about the coffee first.
Something like Kahlua is too sticky-sweet and ruins the effect.

Notes from the creator:
Okay, at first glance, you'd think this would not work at all, but its actually the best of many Crispin-based drinks I've concocted.
Its completely unintuitive, but the Starbucks actually enhances and highlights the subtle
apple essence of Crispin Original. Crispin Original has such a subtle flavor (closer to
champagne than the typical brewed hard cider); its all too easy to obliterate it -- trust me, this works.
Scott Wentzka

Happy Halloween

Enjoy a Halloween cocktail from our Crispin Cider Fall Competition.


The Scary Good:
Hot Cinnamon Crispin: 4 parts Original Crispin to 1 part Hot 100 Cinnamon
Schnapps and serve over ice.

Submitted by: Andrew Brown

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

• 1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced
• Good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup Crispin Hard Apple Cider Orginal (slightly sweet)
  
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Crispin Sophisticate recipe

1 oz Rittenhouse rye whiskey
1 oz Lairds Applejack® brandy
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse®
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
3 oz Original Crispin hard cider

In a pint glass combine all the ingredients, except the Crispin Cider, add ice and stir vigorously for 30 seconds and strain into a double rocks glass, leaving space for the Crispin Cider.

Top with 3 oz Crispin Hard Cider

Garnish with an orange twist.

St Crispin's Day 24th October 2009

Come and join us for a night of frighteningly good dance toons from Trailer Trash. Scary hour priced Crispin & devilish drinks and cocktails.
Prizes for the best dressed man, woman & couple (wear blue & orange)
Prizes for the best rendition of the St. Crispin Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V.
Guests are encouraged to donate warm winter shoes for the needy (no dress shoes please)
All proceeds will go to Second Harvest Hartland.

List of locations in WI carrying Crispin Cider

Liquor stores and supermarkets:

ARBEE'S LIQUOR STORES, 4606 DOUGLAS AVE. RACINE, WI

BEANS & BARLEY, 1901 E. NORTH AVENUE, MILWAUKEE, WI beansandbarley.com

BREWS WINE AND SPIRITS, 1256 CAPTIAL DR, PEWAUKEE, WI

CHILL ZONE LIQUOR, 801 PARK AVE, BEAVER DAM, WI

CONSUMER BEVERAGE, 5313 S. 108TH ST., HALES CORNERS, WI consumerbeverageoutlet.com‎

COST PLUS - GREENFIELD, 5300 S. 76TH, GREENDALE, WI

CUT RATE LIQUOR, 1516 EASTERN AVE., PLYMOUTH, WI

FESTIVAL FOODS, 1125 E. JOHNSON ST., FOND DU LAC, WI festfoods.com

G. GROPPI FOOD MARKET, 1441 E. RUSSEL AVE., MILWAUKEE, WI ggroppifoodmarket.com

GARDEN WINERY & SPIRITS, 1010 W LAYTON E+F, MILWAUKEE, WI

GRAFTON LIQUOR STORE, 1310 12TH AVENUE, GRAFTON, WI

CUT RATE LIQUOR, 2019 S. BUSINESS DRIVE, SHEBOYGAN, WI

JENIFER STREET MARKET, 2038 JENIFER STREET, MADISON, WI

STOUGHTON SPIRITS, 965 N. PAGE ST., STOUGHTON, WI bottledpleasure.com‎

R N R LIQUOR & CONVENIENCE, 8333 W. MORGAN AVENUE, MILWAUKEE, WI

RAY'S BUTCHER SHOPPE, 4640 W. LOOMIS RD., GREENFIELD, WI

RILEY'S WINES OF THE WORLD, 402 W. GORHAM, MADISON, WI rileyswinesoftheworld.com‎

SENDIK'S - GREENFIELD, 7901 W LAYTON, GREENFIELD, WI sendiksmarket.com

SENDIK'S - OAKLAND, 4027 N. OAKLAND AVENUE, SHOREWOOD, WI sendiksoakland.com

SENDIK'S - RAWSON, 5200 W. RAWSON AVE, FRANKLIN, WI sendiksmarket.com

SEIGEL LIQUOR, 2632 S. KK, MILWAUKEE, WI

STEVE'S LIQUOR, 6227 MCKEE RD STE A, FITCHBURG, WI stevesknows.com

STEVE'S LIQUOR & MORE, 8302 MINERAL POINT ROAD, MADISON, WI stevesliquorstores.com

STEVE'S LIQUOR, 3618 UNIVERSITY AVENUE, MADISON, WI stevesliquorstores.com

TIMER'S BEVERAGE CENTER, 3800 NORTHWESTERN AVENUE, RACINE, WI

CHARLIE'S DISCOUNT TOBACCO, 3604 E. COLLEGE AVE., CUDAHY, WI

WHOLE FOODS, 2305 N. PROSPECT BLDG 2, MILWAUKEE, WI wholefoodsmarket.com‎

The Locavore's Delight

Honey Crisp Cider

Launch of Honey Crisp at the Gastrognome Event

The Happy Gnome Gastropub in Saint Paul hosted the launch of Honey Crisp Cider on the 21st of July 2009, with a six course cider dinner, featuring Crispin Cider super-premium cocktails, food pairings and Crispin Cider inspired recipes.
The sold out dinner donated a portion from each ticket to Second Harvest Heartland food bank.

Brit's Pub, Minneapolis, one of our favorite spots

Minneapolis Indulge Beer Event Photo's

Crispin Cider Poached Pears with Ginger and Walnut Mascarpone
1 Cup water
1 cup Original Crispin Cider
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 Large firm, unblemished pears
Fresh Lemon juice
Ground cinnamon
Mix water, cider and sugar in a large frying pan and heat up slowly, stirring now
and then to dissolve sugar, and when you’re not stirring, prepare pears. Peel,
halve and core them, then place them in the bubbling syrup, rounded sides up.
They should fit the pan snugly. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently
for about 30 minutes or until soft but still perfectly shaped; test with a sharp
skewer. If done, use a slotted spoon to arrange the pears, rounded sides up, in
a shallow serving dish. Taste the syrup in the pan, and if it is too sweet, add a
dash of lemon juice. Increase the heat and boil, uncovered, until very bubbly
and syrupy – a matter of minutes. Pour over the pears, dust lightly with
cinnamon, cool, cover and refrigerate.
Ginger and Walnut Mascarpone
125g Mascarpone
A few drops of vanilla essence
1 Tbsp sifted icing sugar
1 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp chopped walnuts
2 –3 finely chopped preserved ginger
Using an electric hand-held whisk, whisk the mascarpone, vanilla, icing sugar
and milk. This takes longer to get the results than whipping cream, but it does
whip up a lighter mascarpone with increased volume. Fold in walnuts and
ginger and refrigerate. Serve 1 – 2 pear halves per diner with a dollop of
mascarpone at the side

Urban Orchard

Twin Cities Urban Apple Orchards Planned By
Crispin™ Natural Hard Cider
Taking a bite out of urban blight

With public funding of environmental improvement projects in an extended drought, Crispin Natural Hard Cider and a coalition of Twin Cities politicians, urban planners and environmental activists have partnered to plant urban apple orchards in the cities’ most blighted areas.

“We’re providing the seed money,” said Joe Heron, founder of Crispin Natural Hard Cider, “but the saplings come from the University of Minnesota’s Urban Agriculture Department, developer of the HenneCrisp Apple. Several hundred young trees are actually ready to be planted.”

A big apple for the Minneapple

A softball-sized, bitter-sharp mutation of the famed Minnesota Honeycrisp apple, the new HenneCrisp apple is too tart for everyday eating, but perfect for hard apple cider, explains lead scientist Baron Rubin. “Moreover the tree is aggressively hardy enough to thrive in an urban environment. Plus it grows very quickly and yields full, long-lasting blossoms.”

After viewing a presentation by Crispin and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities public servants and representatives became early converts to the idea, said Heron.

“They loved the shot of Block E almost entirely obscured by a cloud of pink apple blossoms.”

Twin Cities business figures have expressed similar enthusiasm. “This urban beautification project is so important to me that I will be planting HenneCrisp saplings on the roof of my store,” said Jim Surdyk, owner of Surdyk’s liquor store. “I can see giving Crispin customers a free sapling with every purchase of the new hard cider – Crispin Urban Scrumpy -for their roofs, too.”

Joining the chorus, Phil Roberts, founder of Parasole Restaurant Holdings, has signed on to hand out free HenneCrisp seed packs on Earth Day to those customers exhibiting true urban street cred, said Heron.

A vision blossoms

Among other blighted sites slated for development in Phase I: Hennepin Avenue from 14th Street to the Mississippi River; the surface parking lot in front of the Minneapolis Downtown Public Library ; the Sears parking lot in the shadow of the state Capitol; and the IDS Center’s Crystal Court.

“Of course, every project needs a showcase site,” added Heron, “and ours is the rooftop of the Minneapolis Central Library, which has been given over to a HenneCrisp apple orchard. It was supposed to have a planetarium, but obviously that’s just starry-eyed thinking with deficits like ours. Trading a ceiling full of lights for a constellation of apples is a fair trade, however.”

Overcoming Challenges – Financial and Botanical

Heron estimates start-up costs for the venture to range from $2.3 to $2.7 million. “Most of that I anticipate coming from the substantial contribution from the federal stimulus package, as the urban apple orchards present a significant opportunity in the form of green jobs and education programs.

“A network of benches will be installed on which seniors will be stationed – I’m tempted to say ‘planted’ – to guard the trees from poachers and urinating animals. As for picking the apples and transforming them into Crispin Natural Hard Cider, we are contacting enthusiastic partners in various school systems. How fortunate will children be to learn the fermentation sciences while exercising their inherent tree-climbing skills?”

The larger challenge in bringing about the Urban Apple Orchards was not financial, but botanical, explained Heron. “How do you develop the perfect apple for hard cider in an environment choked with bus fumes and clogged with infrastructure? It took a while, but the U of M’s Urban Agricultural Department, colloquially known as the “pip-hop department” came through – with the HenneCrisp apple tree.”

An apple tree with attitude

Explains dendrologist Baron Ruben: “The roots are fast-growing, thick and almost barbed like grappling hooks. Technically, they could classify the tree as an invasive species since the roots choke practically anything they come into contact with; it’s amazing to see – but the tree’s aggressive nature is belied by its beauty and fecundity.”

Heron also points to genetic variations of the HenneCrisp that have already been created by the University of Minnesota. “It’s amazing. Tweak a gene and you have a tree with the most gorgeous flowers – imagine Carmen Miranda-like blossoms outside the Saloon or the Gay 90s. Another snip in a chromosome string and you have tall, slender, almost anorexic looking trees, perfect for Edina. All those sites will be developed once we get a signature from Gov. Pawlenty.”

Phase II slated for 2011

“Think about Apple Valley,” says Heron. “Wouldn’t it be nice if it actually were an apple-y valley? People call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Who likes that stretch of ugliness opposite Kenwood on the north side of Hwy 394, or the old Campiello site at Lake Street and Girard. And please St. Crispin, intercede to put Southdale out of its misery.

“And perhaps I’m speaking out of turn, but we’re distributing Crispin Hard Cider in other major cities. We’re working with Chicago’s Mayor Daley to plant orchards in abandoned railroad yards, housing projects and stockyards. And in Seattle we’re going to ring the Space Needle.”

About the Crispin Cider Company

The Crispin Cider Company is dedicated to the development and marketing of superior pure hard apple cider refreshment. The company is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information go to www.CrispinOverIce.com.

Crispin Iceball

ciderlover: Tailgating Season

ciderlover: Tailgating Season
www.firelakerestaurnt.com

Tailgating Season

With tailgating season nearly upon us, here is Crispin Cider's favorite recipe.

Chef Paul Lynch’s Firelake Tailgate Johnson Brats & Crispin Apple Sauerkraut


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 ounces Smoked Bacon
3 each Tart Apples (Harlson) Julienned
1 each Yellow Onion Julienned
2 cloves Garlic Minced
1 teaspoon Caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
2 x 12 oz bottles Crispin Hard Cider
1/4 Cup Sherry Vinegar
2 pounds Good Quality Refrigerated sauerkraut, drained --From one 24 ounce jar

In a large heavy bottom saute pan, fry the bacon until crisp.
Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain bacon fat, leaving 3 tablespoons in the sautee pan.

Over medium high heat, sautee the onions, garlic, caraway and crushed
red pepper until onions are translucent.
Add the apples, vinegar and crispin hard cider.
Reduce liquid by 60 %
About 5 minutes.

Stir in drained sauerkraut and bacon. Cook until heated thru. Season with salt & pepper.

Serve on a bun on top of fully cooked Johnsonville Bratwurst with Gludens Mustard.

R.T. Rybak dancing with the Crispin Bottle in the St Patricks Parade 2009

Crispin Iceball photos

Crispin Velvet

Crispin Cider Ice Ball

join crispin natural hard cider
and the st. paul saints for
the world’s coldest game of baseball
support second harvest heartland.
help break a world record and
show that to minnesotans
cold weather equals a warm heart,
entrance is free and patrons are
encouraged to donate cash, food and
warm clothing. because sometimes
giving back is a worthy adventure in itself.