Halloween cocktails are back!

Yes I know, I've been a pretty lame blogger as of late -- traveling a lot can do that to you. But I am back in the 'hood and very much looking forward to Halloween. I put up my first decoration yesterday -- outside of my basic Halloween Pez dispensers -- and will do more tonight and Friday. Don't want any trick or treaters passing by my place and thinking we're not in the game.

We will have a crew on our front porch like last year sipping on drinks and trying not to frighten the young treaters too much. We're usually pretty well-behaved. But that might change this year since my Halloween cocktail concoctions have taken a turn for the better.

If you remember last year, I had an ill-fated attempt to make candy corn infused vodka. This year however things are looking up. I've been experimenting some with Jolly Rancher hard candies and Nerds. So far, so good.

My first attempt was with the sour apple Jolly Rancher. I infused about two ounces of Stoli's with one-half the candy and let them marinate for about 2.5 hours in the fridge. Since the 2009 attempt was way over the top, I decided to err on the side of caution and only do 1/2 a candy. The result was tasty, although mild. One might want to consider upping it to one whole sour apple Jolly Rancher per two ounces of vodka. It all depends if you're looking for something a little sweet or just a hint of the apple.

Next on my list was Nerds. I know everyone has tried these packed little punches of sugar. Again, I went easy on the combination and only added 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry Nerds to 4 ounces of vodka. Reasonable success for number two as well.

On this one I did some straight sipping via this 2 ounce shot and then did the rest mixed with soda water. Certainly with the latter I had very little Nerds flavor. But with the straight shot you got a decent strawberry flavor, but not a heavy sugar flavor. I got that later in the night when I finished off that box of Nerds. Major mistake. Talk about all sugar! I guess it had been a while since I tried some straight Nerds. Word of advice -- avoid that treat if you're giving them out on Sunday night.

OK finally, the best of the batch, vodka-infused with a Jolly Rancher cinammon fire. I was looking for straight red hots but couldn't find any. Nonetheless I was more than happy with these. Again I only did 1/2 a candy to two ounces of vodka. The result was quite good. I would have taken a bit more heat, but the combination worked great together. I think next time I might go for an entire candy and give them 3 + hours in the fridge. For this first batch I only did 2.5 hours each and the candies had yet to dissolve completely. So if you're looking for something different to offer friends Halloween night, this should be a consideration!

All right, a couple other quick things while I have your attention. Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and if you're cooking and are looking for a properly-raised local bird, here are a few sites you might want to check out. I bet you can't go wrong with any of them.

Good Earth Farms
Guttenberg Farms
Heritage Turkey Farm

And I'm sure you know the last Fenton Street Market of the year is set for Saturday, so don't miss the action. It's now being held at the new civic building as opposed to the Fenton and Silver Spring Ave location.

Lastly, any thoughts to my creative idea for fans of Fenton St -- would you like to be called a, FENTONiSTa. OK, be gentle on that one. I've only heard lame remarks on it, so I guess a few more won't hurt me.

If you try my drink concoctions let me know how they go. I'll be sure to post my results. Also, if you have other drink ideas, please pass them on.