Christmas Morning Coffee

 

I've been doing a lot of coffee and hot cocktails since making my own liqueurs this fall season. The Christmas morning idea came to me when I considered all the things that you find in holiday spiced coffee blends: cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, and chocolate. These ingredients spice up your coffee and make for a holiday treat, but the real rewards come from treating yourself.

I used two spirits to flavor the coffee and add alcoholic punch. The first is MurLarkey's cinnamon whiskey, which is unsweetened cinnamon-infused white whiskey. The cinnamon flavor is natural and very intense. For sweetness and natural ginger rounded out in American brandy, I used my homemade ginger syrup with Korbel brandy. Together, these spirits make up the base of this coffee drink.

Next, grating chocolate and orange zest on top of whipped cream transforms this ordinary cup of coffee into the scents and flavors you find in stocking-stuffer delicacies. It's all part of the holiday experience and a great way to greet the morning on a day of celebration.

• hot black coffee
• 1 oz. ginger brandy (homemade used)
• 1/2 oz. MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey
• grated dark chocolate
• grated orange zest
• whipped cream

Add spirits to a cup of black coffee. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle chocolate and orange zest on top. 

Toreador

Whatever you think about bull fighting or dessert drinks (and I tend to dislike both of them) you have to credit this recipe as being impressively crowd-pleasing. Just as the toreador must be showy and skillful, this drink presentation if fabulous and smooth.

I also appreciate how well tequila works in dessert drinks--in ways you'd never consider given its herbal flavor. Whipped cream and dark creme de cacao make it decadent and sweeten the liquor significantly. The recipe calls for cocoa powder, so rather than grating bittersweet chocolate, I used Hershey's dark powder, which is so fine that there's no noticeable solids to dissolve in your mouth, just chocolate flavor in the whipped cream. Do this drink to impress.

• 2 oz. silver tequila (Sauza blanco used)
• 1 oz. dark creme de cacao
• 1 oz. half-and-half
• whipped cream
• Cocoa powder (Hershey's dark used)

Combine tequila, creme de cacao and half-and-half in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled wine glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder. 

Lallah Rookh

The whole aim of this cocktail is to be exotic, and it succeeds on a few levels. First off, the curious name comes from the romantic poem by Thomas Moore, written in 1817. It is the story of a Persian princess married off to a prince she doesn't know, who has to travel by caravan to the distant palace. Whilst on the journey, she falls for one of the troupe in the caravan. The romance ensues.

But back to the drink. A simple blending of rum, cognac and sugar with a little vanilla extract means you have a smooth ice slush that tastes like creamy vanilla without cream. The whipped cream topping accentuates the texture and smell of this cocktail.

I really like how the Lallah Rookh doesn't use any fruit juice and relies on the texture and flavor of the spirits to come through.

• 2 oz. light rum (Cruzan used)
• 1 oz. cognac (D'usse used)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• dash vanilla extract
• whipped cream

Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled wine glass. Top with whipped cream. 

Egg Nog (Non-Alcoholic)

For those non-drinkers this holiday season, thank goodness for Egg Nog. The spices and richness go a long way to creating a holiday feel with just simple eggs, sugar and milk. While vanilla and almond extract have some alcohol in them, only a quarter tsp. of each is pretty much a negligible portion.

There's something amazing about a made-to-order Egg Nog, one that makes a single glass with only freshest ingredients. Whipped cream and nutmeg on top seem especially indulgent--which is the point, really.

• 1 whole egg
• 8 oz. milk
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract. 
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• freshly grated nutmeg
• whipped cream

Add one well beaten egg to a shaker with sugar, extracts and milk. Add ice and shake vigorously for a minute. Strain into a mug and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Add a whipped cream top garnish.