GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Whether you are drinking out on the town for New Year's Eve or staying home, the staff at 18th Amendment Spirits Co., located in Muskegon, have some tips for your party this year.
Brandon Bonebrake with 18th Amendment stopped by My West Michigan Friday to talk about cocktails and mocktails. The pairing they brought in was is Labneh with a French 75 cocktail and a pear-shrub mocktail, read up on the details:
The Labneh is a Mediterranean dish that consists of Greek yogurt mixed with a small portion of salt, served with crackers, sliced cucumbers, and carrots. It's a relatively simple process for a delicious appetizer.
The French 75 cocktail consists of 1 oz gin (preferably 18th Amendment), 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, shaken and double strained into a flute or a Nick and Nora glass, finished with a topping of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine akin to champagne) and an expressed lemon twist. It can also be made with cognac and you can add an additional 1/4 oz of lemon juice and simple syrup if you like a less spirit forward cocktail.
The mocktail is pear-shrub and soda water based and is served in a Collins glass with your choice of garnish. Brandon says 18th Amendment prefers a baked apple chip or a slapped basil leaf but it all depends on your preference and the season. The pear shrub is prepared with 1 cup of diced Bartlett pears, 1 cup apple cider vinegar (Braggs is our vinegar of choice), and 3/4 of a cup of agave nectar. All you do is blend the pears and apple cider vinegar together, strain and add the agave nectar. To make the drink you just measure out 2 oz of pear-shrub and toss it in a cocktail shaker with soda water then pour it into a Collins glass and garnish.
18th Amendment is also offering some holiday fun for New Year's Eve. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the restaurant is doing a pre-party buffet style dinner consisting of New York Strip, Dutchesse potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, Crab Cakes, Bernaise, Beignets, and sticky toffee pudding. This will be $30 through EventBrite .
If you would like to stay through the night and enjoy the New Year's party in its entirety you can pay an additional $20 to cover general admission which begins at 9 p.m. and ends at 1 a.m. There will be party favors and a complimentary toast at midnight with a live showing of the ball drop.
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