HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - We get ready for Halloween with Chef Patrick Evans Hylton.
CHEERS TO SPOOKY SEASON
WITH OUR FRANKENTINI
Take a few ingredients and throw them together. Scary? Not with our monstrously delish Frankentini. Shake up a few of these cocktails for a real treat on Halloween.
We use Virginia Beach’s Chesapeake Bay Distillery’s Spirits of the Blue Ridge vodka, ghastly green creme de menthe, and other potions to craft the drink. Here’s how you make it:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add4 ounces vodka (our spirits du jour is Chesapeake Bay Distillery's Spirits of the Blue Ridge Vodka) 3 ounces green creme de menthe, and 2 dashes Angostura or orange bitters.
Cover and shake thoroughly, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a skewered, edible Halloween decoration. We love the Halloween-themed marshmallow Peeps as our garnishes.
More about the Virginia distilled spirits scene can be found in my new book, “Virginia Distilled: Four Centuries of Drinking in the Old Dominion,” on sale now.
For more information on my new book, visit www.VirginiaDistilled.com
Vodka comes from Chesapeake Bay Distillery; visit www.ChesapeakeBayDistillery.com
BON APPETIT TO HALLOWEEN
WITH OUR SPOOK-TACULAR BOURBON-MAPLE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES
The classic autumnal flavors of bourbon, maple, and pumpkin come together in one spectacular whoopie pie from our friends at Norfolk’s Cafe Stella. The tasty treat is on sale at Cafe Stella now through the end of November. They are great as a treat or dessert.
We take the Bourbon-Maple Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and embellish them a bit to make them spook-tacular for Halloween by adding a smear of white frosting across the top to resemble a ghost. Two mini chocolate chips stand in for the eyes.
This is a method you can use on any flat-surfaced baked goods, like cookies or cakes. Here’s how to create it:
With a teaspoon, gather a generous dollop of room temperature buttercream frosting and drop onto the top of a cake, cookie, or whoopie pie.
With the bottom of the spoon bowl, press down on the frosting dollop and pull, slightly squiggling, down to produce the shape of a ghost.
Add two miniature chocolate chips, dried currants, or raisins, to create the ghost eyes.
With cakes, repeat to complete the number of desired ghosts.
You can use store-bought frosting, or homemade. For Cafe Stella’s recipe for buttercream frosting, email PatrickEvansHylton@gmail.com with “Buttercream Frosting Recipe” as the subject.
Whoopie pies come from Cafe Stella, www.CafeStellaRoasters.com
EATS, DRINKS + DOS
SIGN UP NOW FOR DEWITT COTTAGE’S GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION
Don’t be alarmed, but its only 9 weeks until Santa comes ho-ho-hoing! Get in the spirit by entering the DeWitt Cottage’s first annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibit. The DeWitt Cottage is located at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
It’s fun and easy to enter, but don’t sit around stuffing your stocking too long, spaces are limited and the deadline is November 10. Awards will be given in five categories, including The Virginia Eats + Drinks Award.
For more, visit www.DeWittCottage.org
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
Get all the information from today’s Virginia Eats + Drinks on Coast Live segment plus more: giveaways, recipes, tips, and tricks on our Facebook group.
Join today, www.facebook.com/groups/VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.
