Winter Cocktails Trio

 

Winter Mule

Sometimes you want a refreshingly light and juicy cocktail with crushed ice even when it is cold outside. Sometimes a cocktail in pretty Mule mugs is also a must. That's where this recipe hits the spot. 

Simple Times Mixers makes a cranberry apple cider mule mix that is perfect for winter sipping (and making non-alcoholic cocktails as well.) The recipe on the back recommends using whiskey or rum, which is nice, but I also enjoy the taste of Laird's Applejack 86 since this is going for apple flavors as well. 

The only downside to using this Simple Times product and spirit alone is that the ginger flavor is very understated, while apple and cranberry are in the foreground. I miss a spicy ginger mule taste, so I augmented the recipe further with my own ginger-infused brandy. You can use King's Ginger or a  ginger brandy from one of the economy flavored brandy producers like Jacquin's. It is best if it is a brand-based flavor to give the drink a nice gingersnap taste. 

• 1 1/2  oz. Laird's Applejack 86 or apple brandy
• 1 oz. ginger brandy
• 3 oz. Simple Times Mixers apple cranberry mule

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled mule mug full of crushed ice. Stir with stir straws and add more crushed ice. (This will get a nice frost on the outside of the mugs.) Garnish with a lime slice and serve with two stir straws.

 

Highland Cream Cocktail--Scotch and sherry are excellent mixing companions. Whether it is McCallan 12 and a bone-dry fino or a blend and cream sherry, there is a range of sweetness you can control with the addition of sherry. Scotch is often finished in sherry casks, oloroso and PX make for some of the richest flavors we have come to appreciate in scotch. This cocktail does that with a bourbon finished scotch and an especially rich sherry: Lustau East India Solera.

Bourbon finished scotches like Speyburn Bradan Orach are becoming more popular because bourbon barrels can only be used once for bourbon. Scotch has no such rule, and Scottish distillers are snapping up these American oak barrels to finish their beautifully dry and oaky tasting whisky. But I still miss the sherry finish of some of the oldest scotches--you pay a premium for it. Nowadays, the price of a sherry cask finished scotch is between ten and fifty dollars more than a bourbon finished scotch. That's the beauty of adding that sherry flavor back to the whiskey yourself. Round it all out with Aztec and aromatic bitters and a Luxardo cherry, and you have an especially rich treat for winter sipping.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon finished scotch like Speyburn Bradan Orach
• 1 oz. Lustau East India Solera sherry
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 3 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec bitters
• Luxardo cherry garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.

 

Agave Old Fashioned

It's not whiskey or tequila, but Mt. Defiance anejo agave spirit is somewhere in between. It has loads of vanilla and oak and not much bitterness at all. That's what makes it an excellent ingredient in an Old Fashioned. 

For this cocktail, I used simple syrup and not agave syrup, which might sound a bit like a mistake. Trust me, agave syrup is way sweeter and thicker. It's fine for citrus drinks where the sweetness is cut with acid, but it makes Old Fashioneds taste like rock candy. 

Outside the classic recipe, I used a squeeze of a lime zest rubbed on the rim and a flamed orange peel dropped into the glass. In addition to Angostura bitters, I used one dash of Fee Brothers Aztec bitters for a cinnamon and cocoa note appropriate for the holidays. Cheers!

• 2 oz. Mt. Defiance anejo agave spirit
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash Fee Brothers Aztec bitters
• lime peel zest
• orange peel flamed as garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Twist lime peel over the glass and rub it around the rim before discarding. Flame orange peel over the glass and drop it in as a garnish. 

 

Sweep the Leg (Death & Co. Recipe)

There's some Karate Kid fans working at Death & Co. for sure. This cocktail uses Japanese whiskey, to tie into the name. But I can't afford the stuff and really I get a kick out of using malted whiskey (and beer whiskey, which is malted) to approximate Japanese whiskey. That malted whiskey is Catoctin Creek Colossal X!

I also loved that this drink includes sherry, orgeat and chocolate bitters. These flavors all come across as deep and tropical, so it is no surprise they end up in this Japanese themed cocktail. 

• 2 oz. Suntory Hakashu 12-year whiskey (Catoctin Creek Colossal X used)
• 3/4 oz. orgeat (Fee Brothers used)
• 1/2 oz. Amontillado sherry
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/4 oz. acacia honey surp
• 1 tsp. Luxardo Amaro Abano (a combination of homemade Amer Picon and Don Ciccio and Figli Ambrosia used)
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash of Aztec bitters
• Garnish: lime wheel, orange crecent, brandied cherry, mint sprig (not pictured)
  

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with three ice cubes. Short shake and strain into a pilsner glass full of crushed ice. Skewer garnishes on a pick and place on the top of the glass.

 

Prima China (Death & Co. Recipe)

How many puns can you make with the name Cynar. No there is no Chinese ingredient in this cocktail, but that is also true of the Chinese cocktail as well. Really, this cocktail is a split between Mexican and Italian ingredients, but you don't have an easy play on words there.

This was a rich and bittersweet chocolate cocktail. I really liked how all the flavors came together and each lending its special touch. I am not a huge el Jimador fan, but the bitterness of their Anejo tequila was perfect for this drink and paired well with Cynar. Creme de cacao is often overly sweet, as is Dolin blanc, but in this case it was needed for balance and did that perfectly.

The recipe calls for Earl Gray infused Dolin blanc. I skipped the infusion time and used a drizzle of MurLarkey Three Tea whiskey (really only a few drops to not upset the balance of alcohol in the Dolin or overplay the tea flavor.) MurLarkey flavored whiskies are great for this because they are already an infusion of a flavor into raw (not neutral) corn spirit. Three Tea whiskey is bitter because there is no sugar, and it tastes strongly of Earl Gray, so it was an awesome move. 

• 2 oz. Anejo tequila (El Jimador used)
• 3/4 oz. Earl Grey-infused Dolin blanc (Murlarkey Three Tea whiskey and Dolin blanc used)
• 1/4 oz. Cynar 70
• 1 tsp creme de cacao
• 1 dash Aztec bitters
• grapefruit twist garnish
  

Combine all ingredients except for garnish in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the twist. 

Coffee and Cigarettes (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I'm impressed with how well this cocktail mimics the scent and flavor of this smoker's delight. Coffee and cigarettes are known to go well together, and specifically at times when a craving for both hits. I'm not a smoker, but I have to agree that there is something about the bitterness of coffee and that sweet tang of tobacco smoke that mysteriously emerges in this cocktail.

Coffee and Cigarettes is like one of those flavor hacks that tricks your brain into sensing things that are not even there. It has something to do with a smokey Islay scotch (The recipe calls for Caol Ila, not one of the southernmost scotches like Laphroaig with their heavy peat dose). I used McClelland's Islay because it is sourced from the Bowmore distillery, so it is less salty than Laphroaig and Ardbeg, and much closer to Caol Ila.

Then there is the magic created with sweet vermouth, chocolate bitters and Galliano that I cant explain. They come together to make a cold brew coffee taste when done in these proportions. I made a note to use them again whenever I'm going for this flavor but don't want to use it directly in a drink.

• 2 oz. Caol Ila 12-year-old scotch (McClelland's Islay used)
• 1/2 oz. Galliano 
• 1 tsp. Antica Formula Vermouth
• 2 dashes Aztec bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe. 

Cynard de Bergerac (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Bergerac is a French wine region known for its combination of Cabernet and Merlot grapes. This particular cocktail requires the mix of ingredients in its "Bergerac Mix" In the Death & Co. book, this works out as 6 parts blended red wine (Bergerac), 1.5 parts Cynar, 1.5 parts black strap rum (homemade used), and 1/2 part Demerara syrup. This stuff is bittersweet and savory, adding its own color and sweetness to any cocktail. 

The rest of the Cynard de Bergenac involves genever, old Tom gin, and Benedictine. It is further flavored with a dash of absinthe and Aztec chocolate bitters. The end result is a wine and gin cocktail that really comes across like a dark rum punch with lots of barrel-aged notes from the genever and an herbal lift from the absinthe. It is grounded, however by chocolate and orange in the finish. You almost can't taste the Benedictine, but it is in there adding sweetness and texture. All the way through, you get red wine tannin from Cabernet. It is pretty overwhelming and easily underestimated in such a cute little glass. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Bergerac mix
• 1 oz. Bols barrel-aged genever
• 1/2 oz. Vitae Old Tom gin
• 1/2 oz. Benedictine
• 1 dash absinthe vert
• 1 dash Aztec chocolate bitters (Fee Brothers used)
• orange twist garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Roll the orange twist tightly and skewer on a cocktail pick.

Sergio Leone (Death & Co. Recipe)

This cocktail is named after the Spaghetti Western filmmaker and is, of course, a tequila and Italian vermouth cocktail. Blood orange liqueur, another Italian ingredient is also part of giving this stirred cocktail a juicy flavor. I can't get Solerno blood orange liqueur, so I made it as close as possible to something on the market. Here's how.

First I juiced blood oranges and made a syrup, setting aside some of the juice to add to the infusion of blood orange and 100-proof vodka. After the syrup cooled, I added an oz. of cognac to preserve it and provide that grape and oak spirit whiff that is often central to orange liqueurs. While this was cooking, I put the peels of the blood oranges in 100-proof vodka to make a bitter tincture. After a week, I combined all three of these batches and fine strained them before bottling them. This is as close to a mass marketed blood orange liqueur as I think you will find and I'm proud of how it tastes. 

The rest of the cocktail is surprisingly simple and very tasty. It's like a fruity tequila Manhattan with cinnamon and chocolate notes from the chocolate bitters. 

• 2 oz. reposado tequila
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Dopo Teatro vermouth
• 1/4 oz. blood orange liqueur
• 1 dash Aztec chocolate bitters

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. 

 

Broken Oath (Death And Co. Recipe)

 

Death & Co. has many Martini and Old Fashioned variations among their recipes. This is one of their Manhattan variations with Mezcal--a perfectly suitable substitute for whiskey. In addition to the vermouth and main spirit, they added Galliano and rich sherry. This takes this drink in a cordial direction, and that is fitting because they serve it in a Nick& Nora glass. (I'm using a cordial glass because I don't have a Nick & Nora.) Chocolate and cinnamon from the Aztec bitter is a perfect finishing touch to this new classic showing off the spirits coming to us by way of Mexico and Spain.

• 1 1/2 oz. mezcal (Del Maguey Vida used)
• 3/4 oz. Lustau Amontillado sherry (Lustau East India Soleara used)
• 3/4 oz. cocchi vermouth di Torino
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 2 dashes Aztec bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. 

Eye of the Torino (Death & Co. recipe)

 

Scotch from Islay is still an island spirit. That's the thinking behind Eye of the Torino. Death & Co. is at it again, changing people's expectations of spirits like Scotch. No, even a single malt scotch like Bowmore 12 doesn't have to be trapped in a Glencairn glass or on the rocks. You can make an excellent Tiki cocktial with single malt from Islay because it has a rich profile similar to rum. 

Yes. Bowmore 12 (or in this case McClelland's Islay, which is my less expensive way to get Bowmore in a different label) is the main ingredient in this tropical drink that features huge coconut flavors. The title of the drink suggests the need to hide Cocchi di Torino in a fruity drink that resembles a Bahama Momma. With all the coconut, pineapple, cream and orgeat, it's hard to taste that sweet vermouth, but spicy scotch still stands out with peat notes and a bit of smoke. But don't tell your Tiki drinking friends it's in there, just pretend it is smoke from the Tiki torches. 

This drink is intended to be served in a coconut shell, which is a lot of trouble to get and cut. I figured a large Tiki mug would be fitting. 

• 2 oz. Bowmore 12-year scotch
• 1/2 oz. cocchi vermouth di Torino
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1/4 oz. heavy cream
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash chocolate mole bitters
• 1 pineapple wedge and cherry flag for garnish

Combine all ingredients is a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a coconut mug (or Tiki mug, as pictured) full of crushed ice. Use a pick to pin the stem cherry to the pineapple wedge and stick it on the rim.

Dale Cooper (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This is the first of the Death & Co. stirred tequila cocktails I decided to dabble with this weekend. On the dessert side, this cocktail by bartender Jessica Gonzalez is a tribute to the Twin Peaks character of the same name. 

There's a lot going on here, from the cinnamon syrup and coffee infused sweet vermouth. The cocktail ties together the chocolate, cinnamon and coffee flavors associated with ancient and modern day Mexico. It is strong and on the large side--the recipe calls for a large Martini glass because a coup just won't handle it. 

I made a few modifications, as I always do, to save time and make up for ingredients I don't have on hand. The first is replacing the Green Chartreuse with Dolin Genepy, which is a fine move when considering how many powerful ingredients are contending for your attention in this drink. The other thing I did was instantly flavor my simple syrup with MurLarkey Cinnamon whiskey. I just added 1 tsp. cinnamon whiskey to my portion of simple I was using for this drink. I also flavored my portion of sweet vermouth with a tsp. of MurLarkey coffee whiskey. My thinking is that MurLarkey has already made these infusions so I don't have to, which is kind of the beauty of these whiskey flavors.

The result is a rich cocktail that combines your dessert Manhattan with cinnamon, coffee and chocolate flavors for a very round and satisfying nightcap.

• 2 oz. reposado tequila (El Jimador used)
• 1/2 oz. coffee-infused sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino with MurLarkey coffee used)
• 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse (Dolin Genepy used)
• 1 tsp cinnamon bark syrup (simple syrup and 1 tsp. MurLarkey cinnamon used)
• 1 dash Aztec chocolate bitters 

 Stir all ingredients over ice, then strain into a Martini glass. 

 

Lillywhacker (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

Is it possible I've exhausted all of Death & Co. apple brandy cocktails? Not quite. This silly sounding cocktail calls for Laird's and a bitter vermouth in what amounts to an Apple Brandy Manhattan with chocolate, cinnamon and orange notes. Not bad, considering how much Laird's Applejack 86 tastes like real baked apples. Now we have the makings of an apple pie in one drink. 

• 2 oz. Laird's apple brandy (Applejack 86 used)
• 3/4 oz. Carpano Antica (Cocchi di Torino used)
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau (triple sec used)
• 1 dash Bittermen's Xocolatl Mole bitters (Fee Brosthers Atec Chocolate biters used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

East India Trading Co. (Death & Co. Reciep)

 

Death & Co., like any bar, has to limit its ingredients to a set of standards that can be re-assembled in different configurations. This one is more variations on a theme involving dark spirits in a coupe glass that taste of exotic rum, chocolate and cinnamon. Here, I put a few of my own liquors to use to pull off this cocktail.

My Amer Picon (hiding behind the Aztec Chocolate Bitters) is made with Ramazzotti, so I used it as an obvious substitute. George Bowman's rum tastes like Jamaican rum, and it is a blend that might include some from Jamaica. Finally, the chocolate bitters are intended to have the cinnamon notes of Mexican chocolate, so Fee Bros. Aztec chocolate works just as well as Death & Co.'s Bittermen's Xocolatl mole.

• 2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve rum (George Bowman's used)
• 3/4 oz. Lustau East India Solera Sherry)
• 1/2 oz Ramazzotti (homemade Amer Picon with Ramazzotti used)
• 2 dashes Aztec chocolate bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.