Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Holiday Cocktail Recipes

| 2016 Q4 | with Craft Cocktail story by Anne Brockhoff | photos by Steven Hertzog

Katrina Weiss, bar manager at 715, is a fan of pisco (a grape-based brandy claimed by both Peru and Chile) and combines it here with Punt E Mes (a rich and bitter-edged sweet vermouth).

Pulling Rank

Makes 1 drink
2 ounces Pisco
1 ounces Punt e Mes
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
pickled red grapes, for garnish (see instructions below)
Combine pisco, Punt e Mes and bitters with ice in a mixing glass. Stir, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with sweet pickled red grapes.
To make the grapes:
This is a flexible, quick pickling recipe that can vary depending on which vinegar (Weiss uses apple cider vinegar) you prefer and how sweet you like it. Place apple cider vinegar, a bit of sugar, 1 split vanilla bean, 1 cinnamon stick and a few black peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. While waiting for the mixture to heat, place halved seedless red grapes in a heat-safe container (such as a canning jar). Cover with hot vinegar mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

This cocktail from 715 features Old Tom gin, a style popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, before the advent of London Dry. Bar manager Katrina Weiss uses Ransom Old Tom Gin in this warm cocktail; the Oregon-made spirit soft textured, tasting of gin but with woody, vanilla notes and a whiskey-like finish.

Honey Do, Honey Don’t

Makes 1 drink
1-1/2 ounces Ransom Old Tom Gin
1/2 ounce smoked paprika-honey syrup (seen instructions below)
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes Fig Bitters (try Brooklyn Bitters’ Black Mission Fig Bitters, available online)
4 ounces hot water
cinnamon stick, for garnish
lemon wheel, for garnish
Combine ingredients, pour into a hot mug, garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon wheel.
To make smoked paprika-honey syrup: Combine 1 cup honey, 1/2 cup hot water and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool before using.

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Ryan Pope, owner of The Bourgeois Pig, showcases cold brew coffee from Repetition Coffee (which he and his wife, Amy, also own) in this refreshing drink.

Morning Bell

Makes 1 drink
2 ounces cold brew coffee (Pope uses Repetition Coffee)
1 ounce crème de cassis
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
lemon peel, for garnish
Combine coffee, crème de cassis and lemon juice in a shaker tin, fill with ice and shake until chilled. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

The Bourgeois Pig’s Ryan Pope counts this New Orleans classic, first created in the 1930s, among his favorite cocktails.

Vieux Carré

Makes 1 drink
1 ounce Cognac
1 ounce rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Benedictine
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
lemon peel, for garnish
Combine Cognac, rye, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and bitters in a mixing glass with ice, stir until chilled. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

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Adam Chase, head bartender at Hank Charcuterie, ages his egg nog for at least two months. Don’t worry—the alcohol by volume is at least 35 percent, so it’s safe to consume.

Adam’s Egg Nog

Makes about 6 cups
12 large eggs
1 pound granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
1-1/2 pints whole milk
1-1/2 pints heavy cream
3/4 cup rum (such as Mount Gay or Appleton Estate)
3/4 cup brandy (such as Paul Masson)
3/4 cup straight bourbon (such as Jim Beam)
1 to 2 pinches kosher salt
Separate egg yolks from whites and place in a large bowl (save the whites for another use). Slowly add sugar to yolks while gently whisking. Add nutmeg. Continue whisking until mixture lightens in color and falls from the whisk in ribbons. In a separate container, combine milk, cream, rum, brandy, bourbon and salt. Add egg mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Transfer egg nog to another container, such as a large mason jar or glass milk jug, and cover tightly. Refrigerate until serving. Egg Nog can be consumed immediately (although please note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not recommend consuming raw or undercooked eggs) or aged (see note). To serve, shake egg nog with one or two ice cubes to add texture. Strain into a glass or mug, and grate a pinch of nutmeg over the surface of the drink.
Note on aging egg nog: If you wish to age your egg nog, simply let it rest in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for a minimum of one month. Don’t sneak any before then—the alcohol needs that much time to kill any potentially harmful pathogens. Chase says the egg nog will keep for up to a year, as long as it’s properly stored.

Shrubs are a type of drinking vinegar that combine fresh produce, vinegar and sugar. They make a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage when combined with soda water, and they also play well in cocktails. You can experiment with any vinegar, sweetener and combination of savory or sweet you like. Hank Charcuterie’s Adam Chase counts green tomato-cilantro, celery, beet, pear-ginger, apple-cinnamon, watermelon and blueberry-jalapeño among his favorites. This shrub is currently on Hank’s menu.

Apple-Cinnamon Shrub

2 pounds apples
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cinnamon sticks
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
Core the apples (Chase prefers to leave the skins on) and chop into fingertip-size pieces. Transfer to a food-safe container and half the sugar. Crush the apples a bit, mixing in the sugar and releasing the juice. Grind cinnamon sticks; add cinnamon and salt to apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer apple mixture to blender. Add vinegar and blend until it looks like applesauce. Strain through a fine mesh strainer until all the syrup has come through. Adjust sugar and vinegar, adding more of either to taste. To serve: mix 1 ounce of shrub with 3 ounces of soda water in an ice-filled glass. Gently stir and adjust to taste.

On whether aged egg nog is safe: if there are any concerns, these sources agree that it is:
http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/2008/12/19/rockefeller-microbiologist-tests-safety-of-spiked-eggnog/
http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/2008/12/19/rockefeller-microbiologist-tests-safety-of-spiked-eggnog/
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/features/8318-how-we-developed-great-and-safe-aged-eggnog
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2013/12/20/why-aged-eggnog-made-with-raw-eggs-is-safer-than-drinking-it-fresh/#1c4af2703307

Contact info:
The Bourgeois Pig
6 E 9th St
(785) 843-1001
*no web site, FB only

715
715 Massachusetts St.
(785) 856-7150
715mass.com

Hank Charcuterie
1900 Massachusetts
(785) 832-8688
hankmeats.com