The Nav Presents: Battle of the Beards

Mike’s Vegan Halloween Cupcakes
(Recipe from here)
These cupcakes turned out great! Beware the buttercream! You definitely need a stand mixer or an extremely powerful hand mixer and a lot of patience to get these done – don’t try to whip the aquafaba with a whisk by hand, it won’t work.
Mike’s Apple Cinnamon Fall Sangria
This has been a classic drink I have served for years at various gatherings. It tastes like Apple pie, and the fruit disguises a devilish trick when someone takes a bite – they’re infused with cinnamon liqueur! Be careful because the drink itself is strong but doesn’t carry that strong alcohol taste. Beware, this recipe measures alcohol by the bottle instead of the ounce!
Ingredients:
1 – 750ml Bottle Fireball Whiskey
1 – 750ml Bottle of cheap pinot grigio
2L – Apple Cider
1L – Club Soda
6 Apples
3 Pears
2 Hours Before Serving:
Cube apples and pears and toss together in a large bowl. Pour the whole bottle of Fireball overtop and then cover with cellophane. Put in the fridge for two hours.
At Serving Time:
Pour fruit and Fireball into the serving container, then pour in the pinot grigio, the cider, and the club soda. Give it a gentle mix and enjoy!
Serving Tips:
It is helpful to provide spoons or other methods for your guests to eat the fruit in the drink! While I used a beer stein in the video, I usually opt for plastic cups instead to avoid chipped glasses from cutlery retrieving fruit!
Mike is a web designer, writer, and videographer who has lived and experienced stories from all over Western Canada. He is on his third journey through VIU pursuing his degree in Digital Media Studies. In his non-VIU life, Mike spends his time hanging out with his wife and kids, exploring Vancouver Island, and learning how to be a better global citizen. This is Mike’s second year at The Nav, and he is looking forward to telling the stories that matter to Nanaimo, and especially the VIU community.