This past weekend I was at Filson in the North Loop mixing up three custom recipes for warming winter drinks. Here they are for you to share and impress your friends and family in the coming weeks of celebrating!
Hot Buttered Rum
2 oz. rum
1 tablespoon ginger preserves (substitutions discussed below)
2 droppers of allspice tincture (again, see below)
1 piece of star anise
pat of butter, unsalted (approximately 1 teaspoon)
4-6 oz. very hot water
Simply place all ingredients above, except hot water, in the hot drink vessel of your choice. Favorite cozy mug or fancy glass.
Carefully pour hot water over ingredients and stir until butter is melted and preserves are fully disolved. The star anise will float to the top and the butter will create creamy layer on the surface. Sip it up!
Substitutions
The ginger preserves can be found in most grocery stores with a decent preserve/jam section. You could replace the preserves with Domaine De Canton, a ginger liqueur. Use 1oz. Then be sure to add a sweetener like honey or brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness found in the preserves. 1 teaspoon.
Infusing the rum ahead of time is also an excellent option. Dice about 1/4 cup fresh ginger (peeled) and put it in the rum bottle. Leave the ginger in the rum for at least a few hours but not much longer than 24 or it takes on a bitterness. Aggitate the bottle periodically and then strain the ginger out of the rum. Again, be sure to add a sweetener like honey or brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness found in the preserves, 1 teaspoon.
If you don't have allspice tincture laying around I recommend choosing a warmly spiced premade bitter. Bittercube Blackstrap is a good fit.
I make my allspice tincture and its easy but it does need to stand for a month at least for full effect. Use the highest proof vodka you can find or use everclear if its available near you. Add whole allspice to a jar (about half full) and fill the jar with your liquor. Seal it and then aggitate it periodically. It's worth the wait! I use it in several recipes involving dark liquor, warm drinks and even cooking.
Hot Toddy
2 oz. whisky
1 teaspoon honey (honey talk below)
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 droppers of allspice tincture (substitution in above recipe)
Dash of powdered cinnamon (fresh grated cinnamon if you have it)
4-6 oz. very hot water
This recipe is based on the classic. The allspice tincture adds a great depth. Using bitters that you like is a way to easily customize this and make it your own.
Let's talk honey. Use good honey always. There are a lot of good honey producers out there so you shouldn't have to settle. (ie. please don't use Mell-O "honey")
The honey you use can take the toddy in some great directions. Clover honey or wildflower honey is what you expect from honey. Those are the base flavors. The toddy takes more floral and even deeper dark honeys very well. For extra depth use buckwheat honey. Dark in color and very rich this one will take your toddy. Find a thyme honey if you can and you'll get a much more herbal bend.
Man Bubbles
1 oz. whisky
dash of blackberry peppercorn shrub (*we'll talk about this below)
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz. bubbles (your favorite kind...go dry, not sweet)
nutmeg shavings (4-5 passes over a micro plane)
Whisky and bubbles make a great partnership when you want a festive bubbly drink without fruity sweetness.
I happened across a small company in Atlanta called 18•21 Bitters and picked up their blackberry peppercorn shrub. A shrub is a sweetened drinking vinegar. Fruit is a common flavor for shrubs but for this drink I recommend a savory or herbal shrub. Check out this past blog entry for info on making a shrub.
I used the nutmeg shavings primarily as an aromatic. It's warm, soft and familiar scent hits your nose right before you get the contrasting crisp dry bubbles, savory shrub and virile whisky palate.
Drink up everyone! Please comment and contact me if you want any advice or more ideas. Happy to oblige.
2 oz. rum
1 tablespoon ginger preserves (substitutions discussed below)
2 droppers of allspice tincture (again, see below)
1 piece of star anise
pat of butter, unsalted (approximately 1 teaspoon)
4-6 oz. very hot water
Simply place all ingredients above, except hot water, in the hot drink vessel of your choice. Favorite cozy mug or fancy glass.
Carefully pour hot water over ingredients and stir until butter is melted and preserves are fully disolved. The star anise will float to the top and the butter will create creamy layer on the surface. Sip it up!
Substitutions
The ginger preserves can be found in most grocery stores with a decent preserve/jam section. You could replace the preserves with Domaine De Canton, a ginger liqueur. Use 1oz. Then be sure to add a sweetener like honey or brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness found in the preserves. 1 teaspoon.
Infusing the rum ahead of time is also an excellent option. Dice about 1/4 cup fresh ginger (peeled) and put it in the rum bottle. Leave the ginger in the rum for at least a few hours but not much longer than 24 or it takes on a bitterness. Aggitate the bottle periodically and then strain the ginger out of the rum. Again, be sure to add a sweetener like honey or brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness found in the preserves, 1 teaspoon.
If you don't have allspice tincture laying around I recommend choosing a warmly spiced premade bitter. Bittercube Blackstrap is a good fit.
I make my allspice tincture and its easy but it does need to stand for a month at least for full effect. Use the highest proof vodka you can find or use everclear if its available near you. Add whole allspice to a jar (about half full) and fill the jar with your liquor. Seal it and then aggitate it periodically. It's worth the wait! I use it in several recipes involving dark liquor, warm drinks and even cooking.
Hot Toddy
2 oz. whisky
1 teaspoon honey (honey talk below)
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 droppers of allspice tincture (substitution in above recipe)
Dash of powdered cinnamon (fresh grated cinnamon if you have it)
4-6 oz. very hot water
This recipe is based on the classic. The allspice tincture adds a great depth. Using bitters that you like is a way to easily customize this and make it your own.
Let's talk honey. Use good honey always. There are a lot of good honey producers out there so you shouldn't have to settle. (ie. please don't use Mell-O "honey")
The honey you use can take the toddy in some great directions. Clover honey or wildflower honey is what you expect from honey. Those are the base flavors. The toddy takes more floral and even deeper dark honeys very well. For extra depth use buckwheat honey. Dark in color and very rich this one will take your toddy. Find a thyme honey if you can and you'll get a much more herbal bend.
Man Bubbles
1 oz. whisky
dash of blackberry peppercorn shrub (*we'll talk about this below)
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz. bubbles (your favorite kind...go dry, not sweet)
nutmeg shavings (4-5 passes over a micro plane)
Whisky and bubbles make a great partnership when you want a festive bubbly drink without fruity sweetness.
I happened across a small company in Atlanta called 18•21 Bitters and picked up their blackberry peppercorn shrub. A shrub is a sweetened drinking vinegar. Fruit is a common flavor for shrubs but for this drink I recommend a savory or herbal shrub. Check out this past blog entry for info on making a shrub.
I used the nutmeg shavings primarily as an aromatic. It's warm, soft and familiar scent hits your nose right before you get the contrasting crisp dry bubbles, savory shrub and virile whisky palate.
Drink up everyone! Please comment and contact me if you want any advice or more ideas. Happy to oblige.
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