The N.F.L. season began Thursday night just the way last season ended: with a decisive victory by the Seattle Seahawks.  The defending Super Bowl champions defeated the Green Bay Packers, a decent team in their own right, 36-16. Seattle is a favorite to win the Super Bowl and just about every other game along the way. (It didn’t even need the help of The New York Times 4th Down Bot, which gives live assessments on whether teams should kick or go for it on fourth down.) Some Las Vegas oddsmakers give the Seahawks a one-in-six chance of repeating as champions, which we feel in our hearts is still too low.  What’s any of this bragging by two Pacific Northwest expats have to do with this weekend’s edition of Upshot With a Twist? We found the perfect drink to mark the start of the season — and another year of dominance by the Seahawks. For everyone else, consider it a drink in which to drown your football sorrows.  We turned to Clear Creek Distillery, which makes liqueurs and whiskey in Portland using Pacific Northwest fruits. It also has an elixir called Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir, made from the evergreen conifer native to the Pacific Northwest.  Historically, Native Americans used the tree to treat headaches or make prayer sticks. Clear Creek makes it by infusing springtime tree buds in clear brandy. The Upshot twist: maple syrup instead of simple syrup, to continue the arboreal theme. The ingredients, other than the Eau de Vie, are common in pantries, said Jody Guither of Clear Creek, so it’s an easy cocktail to make while watching football at home.  Timber Punsch (Courtesy of Jody Guither at Clear Creek Distillery)  ¾ ounces Clear Creek Eau de Vie of Douglas fir  1¼ ounces Broker’s London dry style gin  ½ ounces Grade B maple syrup  Shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain and serve in a martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a sprig of Douglas fir.
Football fans from the Pacific Northwest will appreciate this week’s drink, while others might appreciate it from a safe distance.