Tea Time with Brandy: Cubs World Series Themed Cocktails

As we've spoken about before, Brandy has acquired a real love of baseball since moving to Chicago, and her loyalty has finally been rewarded in the form of a Cubs World Series bid. But the stress of a whole month of tension filled playoff games and now a possible come from behind championship win have left her feeling more than a little jittery. "I don't know if I can make it through one more game!" she exclaimed as Game 6 came to a close. "I'm going to need something to calm my nerves for Game 7. Time to make some cocktails."

She decided to mix up two options for Wednesday night's game: a shooter for a quick burst of "courage" at home during the early innings and a sip-able drink to maintain sanity throughout the evening that could easily transported to various Game 7 viewing functions.

First, Brandy went for mixing up her shooter, and to do so, she decided to be a bit ambitious in attempting a layered drink in the Cubs signature colors. To achieve this, she reached for a bottle of LEAF Vodka, a locally based company producing a unique line of vodkas based on quality mineral waters. LEAF believes vodka’s main ingredient, water, is what truly defines the spirit, which is why they sourced from unique waters around the country. One variety is made from Alaskan Glacial water, which lends a pure, smooth taste with a hint of sweetness. The other, made from Rocky Mountain mineral water, provides richness and complexity, offering a warm and savory impression. Brandy found that the quality and smoothness of LEAF really helped to balance out what would otherwise be an overly sweet drink. "Hmmm... sweet, smooth, full of spirit... Reminds me of my favorite Cubs player, Anthony Rizzo!"

Next, Brandy decided to design a cocktail she could mix on the go, as she might have to jump between friend's homes to help them also calm down during the game. She grabbed a new favorite out of her fridge, Backpack Wine, along with some pre-cut fresh fruit and a box of 100% juice so that she could create a mobile sangria. Chicago based Backpack Wine offers versatile rosé and white wine blends sourced from great vineyards and packaged in recyclable cans that are ready for any occasion. Brandy liked that both the white and rosé varieties had a good acidity and a bold, fruity flavor, which worked incredibly well for her makeshift sangria. "This is the perfect drink for a seventy degree day in November, especially when that day has the potential to make history!"

Both LEAF Vodka and Backpack Wine are available now all across the Midwest.

Razz-O Shooters

1 maraschino cherry
splash of grenadine
half ounce of blue raspberry liquor (pucker or schnapps, for instance)
half ounce of Leaf Vodka
red and blue sugar and lemon juice for garnish

Dip the shot glass into the lemon juice so that just the rim is coated. Immediately, dip half the rim into the red sugar and then the other half of the rim into the blue sugar. Drop the cherry into the bottom of the glass and add a splash of grenadine. Carefully pour in the blue raspberry liquor until the glass is half full. Place a small spoon inside the glass at a downward angle and slowly pour the Leaf Vodka over the back of the spoon so that it stays suspended over the blue. Shoot or sip at will.

Road Trip Sangria

Fresh fruit
1 can of Backpack Wine
1 box of 100% fruit juice

Drop the fruit of your choice into the glass. Pour in about an ounce of fruit juice (apple or white grape work really well). Fill up the glass with the Backpack Wine and enjoy. Alternatively, the fruit, juice, and wine can be poured into a cold thermos and left to sit and chill for a deeper flavor.

The writers of this blog were sent products by the companies mentioned in order to facilitate the writing of this post.