Wet Your Whistle
Tasty alcoholic beverages are often big sellers during the warmer months, obviously, most of us get thirsty then. But what is a guy to do when the weather is more… chilled? Well, don’t fret. Not all cocktails have to include crushed ice. And if cold beverages are great when it’s hot, then surely the inverse is also true? So we decided to see what cocktails we could find in preparation for a possible indoor month-long hibernation.
Here are some awesome drinks to get you all the way through to the new year:
Angry Jolly Juice
Ingredients
1.5 cups of Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple
2 cups of water
1 cup cranberry juice
half a cup of brandy or spiced rum
half a cup of light brown sugar
3 tea bags of Chai Tea
Directions
Add water to a pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and add the tea bags.
Allow to steep for 2 minutes and then remove the tea bags.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
Simmer over low to medium heat and serve hot.
Garnish with a lemon wheel studded with cloves.
Autumn Leaves
Ingredients
2 slices orange
3 slices lemon
1 bottle (25 oz / 750ml) Knob Creek Bourbon
50 oz (1.5 liters) dry Seattle apple cider
6 oz pimento dean
8 oz apple cider syrup
25 dashes Angostura bitters
Directions
Sear citrus in a warm pot and cook until brown on both sides.
Add cider, syrup, pimento dram, bitters and whiskey. (In that order, unless you like fire.)
Bring to a simmer and serve in an 8 oz (250ml) mug.
Garnish with one star anise.
Boozy Candy Cane Milkshake
Ingredients
12 oz ( 360ml) vanilla gelato
2 oz (60ml) Rumple Minze Peppermint Schnapps
.5 oz (15ml) simple syrup with red coloring
5 mini candy canes
Directions
In a mixer, blend the vanilla gelato, Rumple Minze, and 2 mini candy canes for 30 seconds or until it is a rich creamy-smooth consistency.
Do not add any milk or cream.
Put simple syrup in a squirt bottle and squirt 3 horizontal lines inside the glass / mason jar.
Pour shake into the middle of the glass / mason jar and top with whipped cream.
Bourbon Milk Punch
Ingredients
2 cups cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup Woodford Reserve bourbon
.75 cup sifted powdered sugar
half of one vanilla bean
fresh grated nutmeg
Directions
In a metal bowl over an ice bath, whisk sugar, cream, milk, and bourbon until nice and frothy.
Add vanilla bean and strain through fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.
Place pitcher in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour stirring on occasion.
Pour into a glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Caramel Apple Toddy
Ingredients
3 oz (90ml) Caramel Apple HI-CHEW Infused Applejack
1.5 cups apple cider
1 oz (30ml) fresh lemon juice
Directions
In a small saucepan, heat the cider until hot.
Remove from the heat, stir in the applejack and lemon juice, and divide between two mugs.
Garnish with a lemon wheel and dried apple ring.
Cocoa Buie II
Ingredients
2 oz (60ml) Drambuie
9 oz (250ml) hot milk
3 oz (90ml) hot cocoa mix
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Directions
In a saucepan combine all ingredients and warm over medium heat.
Stir slowly until simmering.
Serve hot, garnished with miniature marshmallows if desired.
Cold Brew Martini
Ingredients
1 oz (30ml) Absolut vodka
2 oz (60ml) Kahlúa
3 oz (90ml) cold brew
Directions
Fill shaker with ice.
Add all ingredients and shake hard for at least 10 seconds to create a nice foam.
Strain into a cocktail glass to get rid of all of the small ice chips. Garnish with coffee beans.
Hot Butter Bourbon
Ingredients
1.5 oz (45ml) Rabbit Hole Bourbon
1 heaping tsp Holiday Compound Butter
0.25 oz (10ml) heavy cream
0.25 oz (10ml) Rich Demerara Syrup
4 oz (120ml) hot water
1 cinnamon stick
Directions
Combine the ingredients in an Irish coffee mug and stir.
Then garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Jalapeño Cranberry Margarita
Ingredients
2 oz (30ml) Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
1 oz (30ml) fresh lime juice
1 oz (30ml) agave nectar
2 oz (60) sugar-free cranberry juice
Directions
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a cranberry skewer.
La Chine Grog
Ingredients
4 oz (120ml) El Dorado 8 year old rum (Guyana)
6 oz (180ml) Puerh Tea (or another brewed black tea)
1.5 oz (45ml) ginger syrup (simple syrup prepared with fresh crushed ginger)
.5 oz (15ml) maple syrup
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Directions
Brew of tea in saucepan.
While hot, add remaining ingredients and stir to integrate.
Add a lemon peel as the garnish.
Serves two.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
2 oz (60ml) Partida Añejo
6 oz (180ml) hot chocolate
half a bar spoon ancho chili powder
pinch of ground cinnamon
Directions
Add ancho chili and a pinch of ground cinnamon and stir until they are mixed in.
Preheat a hot toddy glass or mug with hot water.
Pour out the hot water. Add spiced hot chocolate to heated glass, add the Partida Añejo and stir.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
The 8th Day
Ingredients
1.5 oz (45ml) Havana Club Añejo Clásico Rum
3 oz (90ml) Chai Tea
2 oz (60ml) coconut milk
1 oz (30ml) simple syrup – or 1 tbsp white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Directions
Prepare Chai Tea.
While the tea steeps, warm coconut milk over medium heat.
Do not boil.
Combine remaining ingredients in a high-temperature resistant mixing glass, add rum last, and stir.
Serve in a glass coffee cup, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
The Lucky Few
Ingredients
1.5 oz (45ml) Rémy Martin XO
.75 oz (20ml) Som Pineapple Szechuan Pepper
.75 oz (20ml) pineapple juice
.5 oz (15ml) lime juice
.25 oz (10ml) simple syrup
Fever Tree Club Soda
freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
Combine all ingredients with ice into a cocktail shaker.
Shake and strain.
Top with Fever Tree Club Soda.
Garnish with grated nutmeg and a slice of pineapple.
The Winter Fiesta
Ingredients
4 oz (120ml) Jose Cuervo Red Sangria Margarita
1 oz (30ml) sparkling water
1 lime
1 orange
1 pomegranate
1 apple
mint leaves
Directions
Combine the margarita mix and sparkling water.
Garnish with lime, orange, pomegranate, apple, and mint.
Very Merry Bourbon Alexander
Ingredients
1 oz (30ml) bourbon
1 oz (30ml) crème de cacao
1 oz (30ml) half and half
one egg white
dash of simple syrup
dash of salt
Directions
Combine ingredients in a shaker, add ice, shake vigorously, strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with nutmeg, cranberries, and a sprig of rosemary.
Winter Blue
Ingredients
1 oz (30ml) vodka
1 oz (30ml) blue curacao
4 oz (120ml) lemonade
1 lemon
Directions
Fill a glass with ice and pour in vodka and curacao.
Top the rest of the way with lemonade.
Garnish with a wedge of lemon.