Tag: cocktails for winter

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Original Recipe: Desert Orange

I’ve been inspired by the cocktail recipes I’ve been seeing this season making use of blood orange, which is in peak form from January through March.  (One example:  the brûléed blood orange spiced winter gin and tonic at Craft & Cocktails.)  So in addition to experimenting with “dressed can” cocktails this month, I’ve put together a couple of recipes of my own that feature blood orange.  I now present the first of these, the Desert Orange:

Desert Orange

This cocktail combines flavors of smoke, spice, and citrus.  It begins with mezcal as the base spirit, which provides the smoky flavor.  Spice and savory flavors are provided by Ancho Reyes Verde liqueur and a tomatillo, tamarind and hibiscus shrub by Calvit’s.  And the citrus of course comes from freshly squeezed blood orange juice.  To round off the drink, I added a bit of burnt sugar syrup from Tippleman’s and Aztec Chocolate Bitters by Fee Brothers.  I also salted the rim of the glass with pink Himalayan salt.

This is a great cocktail for February.  The smoke and spice keep you warm, while the citrus foreshadows sunny summer days ahead – a margarita for winter, if you will.  Here is the recipe:

Desert Orange recipe
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Desert Orange

Enjoy the Desert Orange cocktail, which combines smoke, spice and citrus that takes advantage of blood orange season.
Prep Time6 minutes
Total Time6 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Sour
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. mezcal I used Mezcal Vago Espadín
  • 1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
  • 1/2 oz. Calvit's Tomatillo-Tamarind-Hibiscus Drinking Shrub
  • 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed blood orange juice
  • 1/4 oz. burnt sugar syrup I used Tippleman's
  • 1 dash Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
  • blood orange wheel
  • pink Himalayan salt

Instructions

  • Salt the rim of a rocks glass with the salt.  Add a large ice cube.
  • Combine the mezcal, Ancho Reyes Verde, shrub, juice, syrup and bitters in a shaking tin with ice and shake vigorously.
  • Strain into the glass and add an orange wheel as garnish.

Enjoy!

Ingredients that are available on Amazon are linked in the post (the blog may earn a commission if a purchase is made). Missing any other ingredients?  You might be able to have them delivered.  Check out our comparative review of liquor delivery services.

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DIY Drinks Gift: Slivovitz from the Washington Post

Ed.: I’m very excited to introduce Julia of the Gose Girls duo (check them out on Instagram at @yougosegirl), who is writing her first post for the blog about slivovitz, an Eastern European plum-based liqueur that you can make yourself at home. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. Merry Christmas Eve!

I am, at best, a casual homesteader. While our fridge is often stocked with quick pickled jalapeños and red onions, I’m rarely motivated to put in the work in August to put up summer produce for December.

But while I may be an amateur pioneer woman, I definitely know how to infuse alcohol.

I’ve expanded my repertoire from the Peachie-O’s and gummy bear infused vodka I made in college (which was well received at the time, but not the kind of thing one could package up for, say, a boyfriend’s parents for the holidays). Citrus is an easy addition to nearly anything – orange and whiskey is a favorite, or lemon and gin for my G&T-loving mom.

This year’s DIY booze gift was inspired by an overzealous purchase of Italian plums, also called prune plums, from Woerner’s Orchards (find them in DC at the USDA Farmers Market) in mid-September. After two Marian Burros plum tortes and plenty of snacking, I was left with three pounds of beautiful fruit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYgoMrFgl_a/?taken-by=truelove7

A quick search turned up a Washington Post article about slivovitz, an Eastern European plum schnapps, accompanied by a DIY recipe for vodka infused with plums, lemon peel, and cinnamon. I loved the idea of a homemade treat that was a step up from a solely citrus (or candy aisle) concoction and called back to my family’s roots in Hungary, Serbia, and Croatia.

Making Slivovitz at Home

This recipe takes about 10 minutes of prep, and 3-4 months of steeping. Start the process in August or September when these plums are at their prime. Pierce the plums to the pit or halve them. Add the fruit and pits to a vessel with the base spirit (I used a mid-shelf vodka) and the rest of the ingredients. For two weeks, shake the bottle occasionally to dissolve the sugar, then let it steep for at least three months. The recipe recommends keeping the mixture dark and cool. I used a dark growler and kept it in the pantry with a label reading “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL XMAS!!!”. 

I eagerly decanted the growler on my first day off for the holidays. The end result is a beautiful dark purple – jammy, smooth, slightly spiced, and sweet. Next year, I might add another cinnamon stick or a few cloves. It’s delicious served chilled in a port glass, or topped with soda and lemon as shown below for a lighter beverage. It would make a wonderful addition to mulled wine, and Max Falkowitz at Serious Eats swaps it into a hot toddy with honey and lemon.

Slivovitz and soda

 

Find the Washington Post recipe for slivovitz here.

I’m excited to share this with my family by the fire, and hope my ancestors are smiling down on our holiday drinks. Next August, I’ll buy the extra pound of plums with abandon.

Happy holidays to you and yours, and cheers!

Julia from @yougosegirl

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Original Recipe: Fireside Fizz

Cold weather season kicked off in the District this weekend with an inch or so of snow.  It didn’t really turn the city into a winter wonderland, but it did mark a shift to colder temperatures.  That means we have fire in the fireplace for the first time this year.  I love a good fire on a winter weekend night, and to celebrate I decided to concoct a new cocktail.  The result:  the Fireside Fizz.

Now, when I think fire my mind often goes to whiskey, and if that’s your speed you should check out my Decorator’s Drink from my last post if you haven’t already.  This time, I wanted to make use of a Douglas fir pine syrup I received as a gift recently, and I didn’t want to use a liquor that would overpower the the infused pine taste.

So I turned to St.-Germain, that elderflower liqueur that supplies a sweet floral taste, and Suze, an aperitif with an earthy flavor, both of which I thought would complement a pine syrup nicely.  To balance out the sweetness, I also used freshly squeezed lemon juice.  I shook these over ice and strained into a coupe and, for a fizzy finish, I topped it with sparkling wine.  For garnish, I used a part of the lemon rind, a freshly cut sprig of rosemary, and frozen cranberries.  And boom, I had a new fireside companion:

Ultimately, despite my efforts not to bury the pine flavor, it was quite subtle in the finished product.  But I went back at sampled the syrup by itself and, even alone, the pine taste is not strong.  Nevertheless, the drink was delicious, and the rosemary brings up the pine flavor at least a little bit.

Here is the recipe:

Fireside Fizz recipe
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Fireside Fizz

The Fireside Fizz is the perfect drink to enjoy by the fire on the first snowfall of the year, with floral, pine and citrus flavors.
Prep Time7 minutes
Total Time7 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Champagne Cocktail
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 275kcal
Author: Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. St.-Germain
  • 1/2 oz. Suze
  • 1/2 oz. Douglas fir pine syrup I used June Taylor
  • 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • sparkling wine
  • lemon rind
  • rosemary sprig
  • frozen cranberries

Instructions

  • Combine the St.-Germain, Suze, pine syrup, and lemon juice with ice in a shaking tin and shake vigorously.
  • Strain into a coupe.
  • Top with sparkling wine.
  • Garnish with the lemon rind, rosemary, and cranberries.

Enjoy!

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Original Recipe: Decorator’s Drink

I would never suggest that holiday decorating might drive one to drink.  But it is difficult to dispute that decorating can be more fun with a good drink in hand.  Or if that complicates the task of, say, putting up a tree, you might at least be tempted to reward yourself for a job well done after erecting the biggest blue spruce you have ever managed to squeeze into your living room.  For your efforts, I offer you the Decorator’s Drink:

For this cocktail I used Michter’s small batch unblended American whiskey, green Chartreuse, Cherry Heering, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and orange bitters, with a cherry for garnish.  For bonus points I broke out the silver chalice as a nod to the Silver Bells of Christmas.  But any coupe or martini glass will do the trick here.

The whiskey provides that nice, warm base you want on a cold December evening.  And the Chartreuse, Cherry Heering and lemon juice provide a pleasant piney and tangy flavor that tastes like winter break.  So mix yourself one of these, sit back and take a break from decorating or appreciate a job already done.  (And if your thoughts are turning to the gifts for the folks still on your list, check out my recent post with holiday gift suggestions here.)

Decorator's Drink recipe
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Decorator's Drink

Need a cocktail to reward yourself for holiday decorating? Try the Decorator's Drink featuring whiskey and Chartreuse and imbibe the holiday spirit!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Sour
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 245kcal
Author: Geoffrey Wyatt

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. whiskey I used Michter's small batch unblended American whiskey
  • 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
  • 1/4 oz. Cherry Heering
  • 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 dash orange bitters I used Fee Brothers
  • cherry

Instructions

  • Combine the whiskey, green Chartreuse, Cherry Heering, lemon juice, and orange bitters with ice in a mixing glass and stir.
  • Strain into a coupe or martini glass.
  • Garnish with a cherry.

Enjoy!