Snuggle up with easy winter cocktails
The popular image of stalwart St. Bernard dogs bravely carrying brandy to people stranded in the snow is, sadly, more a creation of cartoons than real life.
That is probably a good thing, actually. If you are truly freezing, alcohol will only make it worse.
But wintertime cocktails are a real thing. When the winds howl, when the snow stings your cheeks, there is nothing more welcoming and inviting than an elegant aperitif.
And you don’t want something summery, such as a gin and tonic or a margarita. When you’re cold — or you’re inside where it is warm but you can see a frosty landscape out the window — you want a drink with the flavors of winter.
I recently made a selection of cold-weather cocktails. Two of the drinks were similar in style, and both used a simple syrup that I gussied up for the season.
Typically, simple syrup boils together equal amounts of sugar and water. You get a sweet liquid that you can use in drinks in place of sugar, which does not dissolve well in cold drinks. I made that, but I added a cinnamon stick, a clove and the zest of an orange and a lemon. It all steeped together until the syrup took on the flavors that are so familiar in the coldest months.
I used this winter simple syrup to make what I call a Manhattan in Winter. When mixed in with bourbon and sweet vermouth, it softened the edges of an ordinary Manhattan. It gave it a rounder and fuller flavor, with a subtle overtone of spice.
Then I took the same formula and created what I am tentatively calling a Jamaican Solstice.
The base is dark rum — think Myers’ or a similar brand instead of a gold rum (that comes later). Grand Marnier gives it a rich orange taste, which is then accentuated by the citrus zest, cinnamon and clove of the winter simple syrup.
I can’t claim credit for the third winter cocktail, even though I created it. I am certain it has been made thousands of times before, and probably nearly always with the same name: Peppermint Pattie.
I was inspired by the popular candy that made York, Pennsylvania, famous: dark chocolate encasing a creamy peppermint filling. I decided to give the flavors an alcoholic twist by combining Godiva chocolate liqueur with peppermint schnapps.
My next wintery cocktail, which was created by a national distillery, is one of those ideas that is so simple you wonder why you didn’t think of it first. Apples bring out the best in bourbon, so why not make a drink out of bourbon and sparkling apple cider?
It’s called a Bourbon and Cider, and that is what it is made from, along with a lot of crushed ice. For a garnish, simply add a slice of apple with a sprinkling of cinnamon on it.
The recipe for the Merry Maple Sour also comes from a national distillery. They’re always thinking of innovative ways to use their products. This one begins with the idea of a sour, like a whiskey sour or a pisco sour, and uses gold rum as the main ingredient.
It is a sour, so it is shaken with fresh lemon juice, but the sweet third ingredient may be a surprise. It is maple syrup.
The syrup adds some lovely low notes to the cocktail, but they are subtle. This is a sweet-and-sour drink that favors the sour at least as much as the sweet.