I’ve been swirling this Winter Harvest Cocktail recipe around in my mind for months. I wanted to create a libation that when sipped brought warm thoughts of Winter Harvest to mind. My cocktail would of course begin with rum. After doing a suitable amount of rum research, I discovered what might just be the perfect flavor pairing for my vision. Pyrat Rum XO Reserve.

Rum research. Scan the internet for rum reviews. I wasn’t at all looking for the most expensive bottle or the rum with the most worldwide sales (we already have that one in our freezer). I was looking for something different and that’s when I discovered The Rum Howler Blog. If you are so inclined here is his review of Pyrat Rum XO Reserve. It was the description of the flavors that drew me in. Scents of orange, cinnamon and clove.

When I hear orange and clove together I’m reminded of Christmas in New England as a child. Every year we would make clove studded orange balls, that would hang about the house during the holidays. They gave off the most wonderful aromas that almost took your mind off how much your thumb hurt from pushing whole cloves into an orange. Not an easy task, but one we welcomed every year….along with stringing cranberries and popcorn for the Christmas tree. Makes me wish to go back to a simpler time.

Reflections of growing up in New England always lead me to pure maple syrup. Now that I live in Georgia, I order mine online from Ben’s Sugar Shack, made just miles from where I grew up. The description of Pyrat Rum speaks of it’s rich amber color, precisely what I look for in maple syrup. Winter Harvest Cocktail ingredient number two.

The final ingredient of our Winter Harvest Cocktail would be apple. When I think of the word harvest apples come to mind. I chose apple juice over apple cider because I wanted this cocktail to be smooth. It’s a nice slow sipper concoction that is best enjoyed when given time to let all of the flavor nuances creep in. Besides orange, clove and apple, there is a subtle sweetness with hints of vanilla in this cocktail.

As a food blogger, I’m drawn to ingredients that have curb appeal. Pyrat Rum is sold in a Pirate’s rum decanter-style bottle. Short and squatty, able to stay on the table while voyaging through turbulent seas. Our maple syrup and apple juice selections will stand up to the same pirate expectations. I think that’s important. Enjoy a Winter Harvest Cocktail slowly and savor it’s layers of flavor. Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum.

Recipe Note: A Christmas tradition that Mom kept alive was filling Christmas stockings. No matter how old or how young, we always will have a stocking filled with love. This year Santa put these super cool spherical ice mold’s in my stocking. I’m told they can be found at places like Home Goods or Ross.