The Triangle Explorer

With the holidays fast approaching it’s time to work on some new cocktail recipes to share with friends. So I’ve partnered with Cheerwine, the family-owned soft drink made right here in North Carolina, to create a holiday cocktail with a southern twist. This cocktail features Cheerwine’s “Holiday Punch”- which mixes the iconic cherry flavor with bright, bubbly ginger ale and tangy pineapple. It is the perfect mixer and goes well with just about any spirit from bourbon to vodka and makes for a fun festive drink!

This special punch only comes around once a year for the holidays and you can find it on shelves in the Carolinas now through December 31st. The recipe below is for what I like to call the Cheerwine “Merry Martini”. These instructions make drinks for two, but can be easily modified to create the perfect punch bowl for your big party.

The Cheerwine Merry Martini
• 4 ounces Vodka
• 1 ounce Triple Sec
• 1 ounce Lime Juice
• 2 ounces Orange Juice
• 2 ounces Cranberry Juice
• 6 ounces Cheerwine Holiday Punch
• Lime slice for garnish
• Himalayan Sea Salt
• Ice

Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add vodka, triple sec with lime, cranberry and orange juice & shake well. Add 6 ounces of Holiday Cheerwine to the mix & stir until perfectly chilled. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of the martini glass and salt the rim w/ Himalayan Sea Salt. Add lime slice garnish. Strain & pour chilled contents into the martini glass w/ salted rim & enjoy!

Quick Bonus Recipe: The Cheerwine “Christmas Cuba Libre”

• 2 ounces Rum
• 5 ounce Cheerwine Holiday Punch
• Crushed Candy Cane
• Lime slice
• Ice

Directions:
This is super easy drink to make. Just fill a rocks glass with ice and add five ounces to Cheerwine Holiday Punch to two ounces of your favorite rum and stir. To add a little holiday flare crush up a candy cane and use a lime wedge to wet the rim of the glass and “salt” the rim using the crushed candy cane. Add a slice of lime for garnish and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy the recipes I shared above or creating your own cocktail ideas using this special holiday punch from Cheerwine. If you have any recipe ideas you would like to share feel free to comment below. Happy Holidays!

About Cheerwine: Uniquely Southern
Created in 1917 by L.D. Peeler, Cheerwine is a one-of-a-kind soft drink with a unique cherry flavor. It is an iconic brand from Salisbury, North Carolina. Owned by the Carolina Beverage Corporation, the 101-year-old company is still privately owned and managed by the same founding family, five generations of whom have worked there. Cliff Ritchie leads Cheerwine as president and CEO. Available in supermarkets, restaurants, mass merchandisers and convenience stores in select states nationwide and cheerwine.com. For more information, follow Cheerwine on Facebook at facebook.com/cheerwine or on Twitter and Instagram @drinkcheerwine.

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving besides spending time with family is dessert. Yes I love the turkey too, but let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a fresh baked apple pie? I have never met a dessert I didn’t like and a great slice of pie and ice cream is probably one of my all time favorites. As you plan out your Thanksgiving day meal here is a list of local bakeries that are now taking orders for Thanksgiving day pies.

Make sure you get your orders in early! While a few are first come first serve many of these places require orders to be in by next week. In addition to pies, several of the local businesses below offer fresh baked breads, rolls, tarts, pastries and other delicious confections to help round out your feast.

If you need some great locally roasted coffee to serve your guest along with dessert I recommend picking up a bag of coffee beans from 4th Dimension Coffee at Cocoa Cinnamon in Durham or Black & White Coffee Roasters in Wake Forest. Both of these roasters offer excellent fresh roasted coffees that will go perfect with a slice of pie or make for the perfect party host gift.

Here are some great places to get your Thanksgiving Day pies around the Triangle:

Durham
East Durham Bake Shop
Rose’s Sweets
Jack Tar
Bean Traders

Raleigh
Angus Barn
Union Special Bakery
Boulted Bread
Raleigh Night Kitchen
Share The Pie

Cary
La Farm Bakery
Triangle Pastry Company
Slice Pie Company

Today I made my annual visit to the scariest Halloween House in Raleigh. Located in the Historic Oakwood neighborhood on the corner of Oakwood Avenue and East Street, this house is definitely one of the best places to visit to get into the Halloween Spirit.

There is a great story by the N&O from 2013 with more info about the owner, Jesse Jones, and his inspiration for the the haunted house. I swung by during the day to check out all the detail and grab some decent photos, but it is even spookier to stop by at night when it is lit up.

As you can imagine it gets VERY busy at that intersection on Halloween. But  here is a map to the exact location in case you want to check it out. Hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Some welcome news for everyone looking for more grocery store options in northern Wake County. On Thursday Wegmans announced plans to build a store in Wake Forest off the 98 bypass just east of Capital Boulevard.

No opening date has been set for the Wake Forest locatio at this point as they work through the planning and approval process with the town. Meanwhile progress at the Raleigh Wegmans site off Six Forks road is moving along with a scheduled opening date of sometime in late 2019.