Holiday Hooch!

The holidays are upon us and it is that time year to start rolling out the holiday traditions.  One of my favorites (besides chopping down a fresh Christmas tree, getting the kids Advent calendars, and hosting a holiday cocktail party) is whipping up a batch of the Jeske Family's special holiday hooch cheer--44!

Some may ask, "What is it called 44?" while others who have had the pleasure of sipping this fine crafted liqueur, will say, "Prost!"

For those of you not in the know, 44 is a delicious time-honored, holiday drink passed down to me by my amazing, Ukranian grandparents.  It is an alcoholic concoction that ferments in my pantry from early November until December (just in time for the aforementioned, holiday cocktail party).

The recipe is as follows:

• 44 sugar cubes
• 44 coffee beans
• 4-6 oranges
• One bottle of your favorite vodka (gone are the days of having to make your own)

Pour the vodka into a large container with a lid.  Add the sugar cubes, coffee beans and oranges (both whole and quartered) and let it sit in a cool, dark place for 44 days.  During the course of the 44 days, shake it 44 times (o.k. that is my little addition to the recipe--but you do want to mix it up a bit).

After 44 days, you will be ready to toast the holidays with a delicious liqueur that tastes similar to Grand Marnier.  This tasty drink also has an amazing shelf life as the guest of my recent Oktoberfest party can attest to.  They had a version that should have been called 344 (they drank the dregs of last year's batch).