Derek M. Brown
Bartender, The Passenger and Columbia Room
Washington, DC

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• ½ ounce Sencha Premier green tea, cold brewed 
 (instructions below)
• ¼ ounce honey syrup (instructions below)
• 1 ounce Westford Hill Distillers New World Aged 
 Apple Brandy
• 4 ounces Thibaut-Janisson Virginia Sparkling Wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 freshly cut lemon twist

Using the ratio of tea to water given on the package, brew tea in cold purified or distilled water for 6 hours. Do not heat.

Make honey syrup: Add 2 parts honey to 1 part boiled water. Make sure pan is removed from burner, and stir until honey and water are fully blended. Cool.

Pour brandy, brewed tea, and honey syrup in a tin with ice and shake. Strain into chilled flute. Add sparkling wine. Garnish with cinnamon stick and lemon twist in flute.

Pumpkin Ginger Martini

Carrie Throckmorton
General Manager, Blue Light Grill and Raw Bar
Charlottesville, VA

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• 1 cup water, divided
• ½ cup sugar, divided
• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ cup pumpkin purée
• Ginger root, peeled but whole (golf-ball sized)
• Ice
• 3 ounces vanilla vodka

Make pumpkin purée simple syrup: In a small saucepan, mix ½ cup water, ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin purée and bring to a boil. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and cool.

Make ginger simple syrup: In a small saucepan, mix ½ cup water, ¼ cup sugar, and ginger root and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Remove ginger.

Pour 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée simple syrup over ice. Add 1 teaspoon ginger simple syrup and vanilla vodka.

Shake vigorously. Strain and serve up with miniature marshmallows and a cinnamon stick.