Wednesday December 9, 2009
Every year a variety of new drinks are created for every holiday and a few stand out from the rest to me for this year's season. Here is my selection of the myriad I have received. Some are warm and toasty while others just capture some of the favorite flavors of the season...
- Irish Winter - Irish Coffee with a small enhancement from a new liqueur.
- Spiked Three-O Mocha - Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso meets hot chocolate.
- Milk & Honey - Benedictine and milk, either hot or cold but both very soothing.
- Peppermint Kiss - Another great Midori and mint cocktail for the season by Mixologist Victoria D'Amato Moran.
- Waterloo Sunrise - Elderflower, a great new gin. champagne and raspberry create a stunning cocktail.
- Ruby Negroni - A slightly sweeter twist on a favorite before dinner drink.
- Alchemist Punch - Bring out the more creative side in your punch.
More Holiday Cocktails...
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Timeless Tipple of the Week: Eggnog
Tuesday December 8, 2009
The holidays are truly here and that means that it is time to dive into the best holiday cocktails of all time. One that I will always enjoy (though it took some persuasion at first) is Eggnog. I think that many of the qualms with Eggnog, such as mine were, happens to be that there are many very bad versions of the holiday tradition, with the most poignant being those cartons that are found in the dairy section. No, to truly appreciate Eggnog we have to go old school and who better to explain it than Jerry Thomas, the most famous bartender of the late 1800's and still the best teacher of mixology?
In the 1887 edition of Thomas' Bartenders Guide there are six Eggnog recipes listed, though the classic drink has been adapted many more times over the years. Here is "The Professor's" take on Eggnog...
- Egg Nogg - For this recipe (very similar to this Brandy Eggnog recipe) Thomas includes both brandy and "Santa Cruz rum" (1/2 wine glass each) with a whole egg, powdered sugar and no milk. He also notes that "This may be made by using a wine glass of either of the above liquors, instead of both combined."
- Hot Egg Nogg - About this version Thomas writes: "This drink is very popular in California, and is made in precisely the same manner as the cold egg nogg above, except that you must use boiling water instead of ice."
- Egg Nogg for a Party -Thomas' recipe for an Eggnog punch is considerably stronger than the more modern, common version (recipe here). In this 3 1/2 gallon mix he uses 20 whole eggs, 2 1/2 quarts of fine old brandy, a pint of rum, 2 gallons of milk and 2 (whopping) pounds of sugar. He also adds a great tip that once the punch is in a bowl that it be placed in an ice bath.
- Sherry Egg Nogg - Two full wine glasses of sherry are the spirited base for this version.
- General Harrison's Egg Nogg - A non-alcoholic version of the holiday favorite, it used only sugar, an egg and ice. Thomas writes: "This is a delicious drink, and was very popular on the Mississippi river in old times. It is said to have been General Harrison's favorite beverage." Presumably the named Harrison was William Henry Harrison, though his grandson Benjamin Harrison was a brigadier general in the later part of the 1800's.
- Baltimore Egg Nogg - Also a punch, this hefty version contains 1/2 pint brandy or rum, 2 wine glasses of Madeira wine, 6 pints of milk, 10 eggs and 10teaspoons of powdered sugar.
More on Eggnog...
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Monday December 7, 2009
Maybe the season's first real snow fall has influenced my weekly sipping choice and maybe part of it is this is such a unique cocktail. The drink is aptly named Winter's First Frost and this chocolate cocktail's twist includes two Asian aspects, most unusual of the two is the new soju from TY KU.
At first glance one would think that this combination would not work, but amazingly enough it does. It's the soju and sake paired with chocolate and vanilla that can throw you off, but like many drinks it is something that you have to try. The TY KU Soju does a remarkable job at bringing out the flavors of the chocolate and because it does have the near flavor clarity of vodka it does not bring anything too overbearing to Winter's First Frost. It is a nice way to ring in the season.
Winter's First Frost cocktail recipe...
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Sunday December 6, 2009
Lance Mayhew has uncovered two fascinating pieces of news in the whiskey industry this week and if you are a fan of craft spirits or a rare Scotch you'll want to read more...
- "House Spirits Distillery, one of Oregon's premier craft distilleries and makers of Aviation gin, Krogstad Aquavit, and Medoyeff vodka are releasing three whiskey expressions simultaneously at the distillery on December 12th. House Spirits Straight Malt whiskey (approx $46, 1500 bottles released), House Spirits Cask Strength whiskey (approx $34, 150 bottles released) and House Spirits White Dog whiskey (approx $20.50, 150 bottles released) will all be available for tasting and purchase at the distillery and later at liquor stores throughout the state of Oregon." Read the full article...
- "Glenfiddich is preparing to auction off one of its rarest bottles this month to benefit Friends of Scotland, the charity founded by Sean Connery to create educational scholarships and benefit veterans of foreign wars. Offering up one of the few precious bottles of Glenfiddich 50 year old for a simultaneous auction to be held at the Mandarin hotel in New York, the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami and the Peninsula hotel in Los Angeles, this bottle is the only one being offered for home purchase in the United States." Read the full article...
