Recipe: Nuit Rouge

Nuit rouge

Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling time for the syrup

Servings: 1

Note: Adapted from Vincenzo Marianella, Copa d’Oro. Make cranberry ice cubes by placing cranberries into 1-inch ice cube molds and pouring cranberry juice to fill. Freeze until set.

Cinnamon-allspice syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

1 to 11/2 teaspoons allspice

1 (4-inch) vanilla bean, split

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and drop the pod in. Heat on medium-high until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently.

2. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool, then strain. This makes about 1 cup syrup. It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 weeks.

Cocktail assembly

2 ounces bourbon or Jamaican dark rum

1/2 ounce cinnamon-allspice syrup

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce organic apple juice

Cranberry ice cubes

11/2 to 2 ounces Bundaberg ginger beer

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the bourbon, cinnamon-allspice syrup, lemon juice and apple juice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with cranberry ice cubes. Top with ginger beer.

Each cocktail: 252 calories; 0 protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 28 grams sugar; 8 mg. sodium.