The spiced apple cider features some delicious fall flavors with hot apple cider, real cinnamon sticks, and a little splash of Zaya Rum. Both drinks will warm you up on a cold fall evening.

These cocktails would be perfect for a fall bonfire, or a tailgate party. Just heat up the drinks and fill up a thermos with the warm cocktails. Bring along mugs for your guests, and you can warm your hands and your insides around the fire.

Hot Apple Cider with Zaya Rum

• 1 apple
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 2 quarts apple cider
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 cup Zaya Rum
• Cinnamon sticks, garnish

Yield: 2 quarts, about 8 servings

Stud the apple with the cloves. In a medium pot, combine the studded apple and remaining ingredients except the rum. Slowly bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the Zaya rum. Discard the apple. Ladle into mugs and garnish each with a cinnamon stick and apple slice. Serve immediately.

Blood and Sanguinello

• 3/4 oz Glenfiddich 12
• 3/4 Solerno
• 3/4 oz Lillet Rouge
• 1/2 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice
• 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 egg white
• 2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters

Assemble ingredients and shake well
Serve up in a coupe with an orange spiral

Enjoy these fall cocktails, as always remind your party guests to drink responsibly!

Images and recipes courtesy of Zaya Rum

Post from: She Knows Parties

• Easy Gourd and Candle Fall Centerpieces
• Fall Party Centerpiece Ideas With Gourds
• Apple Decorating Ideas For Fall Parties
• Fall Party Decorating Ideas

If you’re going for a traditional fall color palette for your party, stick with rich browns with bright  oranges, or yellows, and deep reds. Warm tones work very well in fall. You can also work in golds, and shades of green into your fall tablescape.

Here are a couple fall tablescapes to help guide you in your fall planning.

This first one features yellows and silvers.

The next tablescape features rich golds and sunflowers, a wonderful combination for fall.

Or combine golds and greens like the tablescape below, add in accents of reds and yellows and you’ve got a great setting. I think this is my favorite color combination of all of these.

I hope some of these tablescapes and centerpiece ideas inspire your fall table.

Images (c) L Gerlach

Post from: She Knows Parties

They did turn out very well over all I tried it with just the votives with the gourds, some pine cones, and a couple hedge apples. I added a round candle that I had to the centerpiece. I couldn’t decide whether I liked the round candle, or just the votives.

I think it would make a great centerpiece idea for a fall party, or for your Thanksgiving feast.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: She Knows Parties

My husband would enjoy these recipes, he’s a put Tabasco in everything kind of person. I’m not sure he eats anything without adding a drop or two.

I think the Spiced Mulled Cider sounds delicious for a cool fall evening. I love mulled cider this time of year, so I may have to give this recipe a try.

Citrus Frost

• 2 cups blood orange juice
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 teaspoon bitters
• 1/2 teaspoon original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce
• Ice cubes
• Orange and lime slices for garnish

Combine blood orange juice, brandy, bitters, and Tabasco sauce. Serve over ice; garnish with orange and lime slices. Serves 2.

Pomegranate Ginger Snap

• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup white wine such as Redwood Creek or Turning Leaf
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce
• Crushed ice
• 1/2 cup ginger ale, chilled
• Lime peel twists for garnish

Combine pomegranate juice, white wine, lime juice, and Tabasco sauce. Place ice in two tall glasses; add juice mixture. Top with ginger ale; garnish with lime peel twists. Serves 2.

Spiced Mulled Cider

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco® brand green pepper sauce
• 1/4 cup Captain Morgan rum
• Apple slices for garnish

In 1-quart saucepan over high heat, heat apple cider, cinnamon stick, honey, and Tabasco green sauce to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add rum.

Pour into glasses. Serve warm; garnish with apple slices. Serves 2.

For more yummy fall recipes with a kick, visit the Tabasco website.

Always remind your guests to drink responsibly!

Images and recipes courtesy of Tabasco®

Post from: She Knows Parties

An apple pie cocktail is the perfect flavor for this time of year, with fresh apple cider from your local apple orchard, or farmer’s market. You can offer warm spiced apple cider as an alternative on cool autumn nights, or warm everyone up with the Hot Toddy recipe below.

Hot Apple Pie

• 1 ¼ parts Canadian Club 12 Classic
• ½ part Tuaca
• 4 parts Hot Apple Cider

1. Add Canadian Club and Tuaca to a tall coffee mug.
2. Fill remainder of mug with hot apple cider.
3. Top with whipped cream dust with cinnamon.

Cruzan Hot Toddy

• 1 part Cruzan Aged Dark Rum
• 1 bar spoon honey or sugar
• 1 large lemon peel

1. Prepare a mug by rinsing it with boiling water and pouring the water out.
2. Add the sugar or honey and the lemon peel and pour in an ounce of hot water and stir until the sweetener has dissolved.
3. Add Cruzan Aged Dark Rum and top off with more boiling water.

As always you should remind your party guests to drink responsibly!

Post from: She Knows Parties

Last year I posted this recipe for a harvest party snack mix, but today I wanted to share a few more ideas you can mix and match.

• Make a sweet mix with any combination of sweet cereal, candy corn, candy pumpkins, or nuts.
• Toss your mix with a teaspoon or two of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to give it a fall flavor.
• A curried snack mix would also be wonderful for fall parties.
• Pumpkin seeds are another great addition to fall party mixes.
• Chex cereal, bagel crisps, and pretzels, with pumpkin seeds, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of chili powder, a tablespoon of canola oil, and a dash of garlic, all tossed together and baked at about 300` for about 10 minutes will give you a wonderful fall chili flavored party mix.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with flavors, and you can create a party mix to fit your own taste.

Post from: She Knows Parties

You can enjoy these by the glass, or make a whole pitcher or shaker full to share with your guests. They’ll be impressed with all the fun fall recipes you have.

Nutty Sun

• 2 parts Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum
• 1 part hazelnut liqueur
• 1 pinch cinnamon powder
• Cinnamon stick
• Graham cracker rimmer (optional)

Shake Golden Sun Rum and hazelnut liqueur over ice and strain into a glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon stick.

Golden Apple

• 1 part Tommy Bahama Golden Sun™ Rum
• 2 parts hot apple cider
• Garnish with an apple slice

Stir rum and hot apple cider in your mug of choice and top with a fresh apple slice.

Maple Old-Fashioned

• 2 oz Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum
• ½ oz Maple Syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Apple Dunkin’

• 1 ½ oz Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
• ¾ oz JC Apple Cognac
• ½ oz Apple Puree
• ¼ oz Sweet Vermouth

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an apple float.
L’uva

• 10 Seedless Green Grapes
• 2 oz Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
• ¾ oz Sauvignon Blanc
• ½ oz Simple Syrup

In a mixing glass, muddle grapes. Add remaining ingredients and shake well over ice. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve with a grape on a cocktail pick.

Make sure you remind your guests to drink responsibly!

Images: Tommy Bahama

Post from: She Knows Parties

Here are a few low cost Halloween party planning tips:

• Decorate with nature. Look around you, Mother nature has decorated herself for fall. Take advantage of her free decorations. Use plenty of free (and low cost) decorations from Mother Nature. Grab some fall leaves, pumpkins, gourds, ask your neighbor if you can borrow a couple bales of straw, or some corn stalks.
• Make it a pot luck party. Have all your guests bring their favorite ghoulish Halloween treat or dish. Tell them to bring a couple copies of the recipe to share.
• Make it a pumpkin party, and have everyone bring a pumpkin and their favorite carving tools for a pumpkin carving competition.
• Invite everyone over for a Halloween bonfire, roast some hot dogs, and make some s’mores.
• Make your own apple decorations.
• Use some free printable Halloween games and activities for the kids.
• Think about what you can “borrow” for the party from a friend or neighbor or ask them to collaborate with you on the party.

If you have more low, or no cost Halloween party planning tips I’d love to hear them.

Image istockphoto.com

Post from: She Knows Parties

• Use dried apple slices to make a dried apple garland, add in some cinnamon sticks for a garland that smells and looks festive for the fall season.
• Add apples to a vase of water for a beautiful centerpiece for your food table.
• Hollow out the apple center and use them as small serving bowls for dips and spreads.
• Add apples to floral centerpiece you can wire them into the arrangement with floral wire, or sticks.
• Hollow out apples and use them as the base for a small floral arrangement.
• Apples or dried apple slices can also be added to wreaths.
• Use hollowed out apples as votive or candle holders.
• Make a festive basket or cornucopia overflowing with apples, and other fruits, gourds, fall leaves or hedge apples.

Apples make a great theme for a fall party or to decorate the Thanksgiving table. Use your imagination and you can work them into every aspect of the party from the food to the decorations.

Image: istockphoto.com

Post from: She Knows Parties

Oatmeal Cookie

• ¼ part Jägermeister
• ¼ part coffee liqueur
• ¼ part Irish Cream
• ¼ butterscotch schnapps

Combine and shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into a shot glass

Buttery Jäger Ripple

• ½ part Jagermesiter
• 1/3 part Irish Cream
• 1/3 part butterscotch Schnapps

Combine and shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into a shot glass.

Here’s a cocktail that’s perfect for your Halloween party. Imagine the conversations the Widow Maker can kick up.

Widow Maker

• 1 part Jägermeister
• 1 part vodka
• 1 part coffee liqueur
• 2 drops grenadine

Combine and shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into cocktail glass.

Jäger Barrel

• 1 part Jägermeister
• 1 part Root Beer schnapps
• Cola

Pour Jägermeister and schnapps into an ice filled rocks glass. Fill with cola.

Here’s a recipe for your fall football, or tailgate parties.

Touchdown

• ⅓ part Jägermeister
• ⅓ part hypnotic
• ⅓ part pineapple juice

Combine and shake pineapple juice and Hypnotic over ice and strain into a shot glass. Float Jägermeister on top.

Check out this guy to help guard the Jägermeister at your Halloween party. No one will want to tangle with the Jagermonster.

Always make sure you remind your guests to drink responsibly!

Images and recipes courtesy of Jägermeister.

Post from: She Knows Parties