We recently were invited to one of those holiday parties. After someone took my coat, a gentleman approached me with a beautiful serving tray and offered me a shot. Oops, I mean a cute hobbit size “cup” of cider (this host is not the shot giving type of person). It was so damn good I had to have the recipe. I found the host and praised her for her creation. She smiled and jotted a few things on a napkin.  The next evening I whipped up this boozy cider.  Real life confession- it was good but sooo not worth the effort of dealing with a whole pomegranate. Can we talk about a culinary challenge?! Save yourself the time and just buy some good quality pomegranate juice. I would also suggest not using juice as yours truly did, but cider. To make it a little extra festive, pomegranate vodka wouldn’t hurt with that splash of burbon. If you’re curious, here is the recipe. Cheers!

•  Juice of one Pomegranate
• 1 cup fresh, unfiltered apple cider
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 1 clove
• Slices of ginger (two or three slices should do it)
• 2 shots dark bourbon

Preparation : Open the pomegranate; gently break the arils away from their white membrane and remove. If they’re a little too attached, a bowl of warmish water seems to help soften the pith up enough to complete the task. The pith will float to the top of the water and can easily be skimmed away. Now, after this tedious task, mix all ingredients together in a pot except booze. Turn the heat to medium and let the mixture come to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so, until it’s nice and fragrant. Strain the mixture and pour into two warm mugs (this is a joke. I’m sure she meant one mug or a half dozen hobbit glasses), and add a shot of bourbon. Serve immediately.