College football, basketball, NFL thoughts and holiday cocktail ideas

Sports and Spirits

We back! After a small layoff due to scheduling and sickness, Matt and Hank are back in the saddle to talk about the fall sports calendar going on right now.

We'll start by giving you our thoughts on the latest college football playoff rankings.

After that some NFL discussion including why we think Drew Brees remains underrated.

College basketball has tipped off and we will talk a little about that and then wrap it up with some great holiday cocktail ideas from our friends at Smirnoff.

Cocktail Recipes

1. Peppermint Cranberry Moscow Mule, Courtesy of Kendra Darling, Simply Darrling

(Makes 1 Cocktail)

Ingredients:

· 1.5 oz. Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

· 2 oz. Cranberry Juice

· 6 oz. Ginger Beer

· Sugar coated Cranberries & Mint for garnish

Directions:

In a cocktail shaker, combine Smirnoff Peppermint Twist and cranberry juice with ice. Shake. Fill a copper mug with ice, pour the vodka & juice over the ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with sugar coated cranberries and mint.

2. Orange & Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Courtesy of Kendra Darling, Simply Darrling

(Makes 1 Cocktail)

Ingredients:

· 1 oz. Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

· 0.5 oz. Triple Sec

· 8 oz. Hot Chocolate

Directions:

Combine hot chocolate, triple sec, and Smirnoff Peppermint Twist in a mug. Stir, and serve with a candy cane. Garnish with a candied orange peel.

3. Smirnoff Holiday Punch, Courtesy of Kendra Darling, Simply Darrling

(Makes 12 Servings)

Ingredients:

· 10 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 Holiday Ornament Vodka

· 12 oz. Cranberry-Raspberry Juice

· 4 oz. Pineapple Juice

· 20 oz. Orange Juice

· 2 oz. Lime Juice

· 1 Bottle Sparkling Wine

· Raspberry Sherbet

· Slices of Limes, Oranges and frozen cranberries

Directions:

Combine all the juices in a punch bowl. Stir in the Sparkling wine and the Smirnoff No. 21 Holiday Ornament Vodka. Garnish with slices of limes, oranges, and frozen cranberries. Place a ball of raspberry sherbet into a glass. Ladle punch into the glass

4. Ornament Cocktail, Courtesy of Kendra Darling, Simply Darrling

(Makes 1 Cocktail)

Ingredients:

· 1.5 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 Holiday Ornament Vodka

· 2 oz. Pomegranate Juice

· 0.5 oz. Simple Syrup

· Splash Lime Juice

· Pomegranate Seeds & Mint Leaves for garnish

Directions:

Mix together the Smirnoff No. 21 Holiday Ornament Vodka, simple syrup, and juices. Use a funnel to pour into a clear ornament. Place Pomegranate seeds and mint leaves into a martini glass. To enjoy, pour the cocktail into the martini glass

5. Holiday Cosmo, Courtesy of Megan Marlowe, Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

(Makes 1 Cocktail)

Ingredients:

· 1.5 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka

· 1 oz. Orange Liqueur

· 4 oz. Cranberry Pomegranate Juice

· Lemon twist

· Candy rim

· Cranberry skewer

Directions:

Rim a martini glass with water and dip into edible glitter. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka, orange liqueur and cranberry pomegranate juice. Shake until chilled. Pour into martini glass and garnish with cranberries.

6. Autumn Harvest Punch, Courtesy of Megan Marlowe, Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

(Makes 16 servings)

Ingredients:

· 3 cups Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka

· 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced

· 2 pears, cored and thinly sliced

· 1 lemon thinly sliced

· 5 ¾ cups Apple cider

· 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

· 4 cinnamon sticks

· 4 pods star anise

· Rosemary sprigs

Directions:

Into a punch bowl, add sliced apples, pears and lemon. Pour in apple cider, Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka and lemon juice. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, clove and fresh rosemary springs. Stir to combine and chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, add in 1 liter ginger ale.