Three boozy cocktails to keep you warm this winter
'Tis the season
Before I met my wife I was an avid craft beer drinker. The night I met her she was drinking a gin and tonic which to me sounded like a bold drink. I've developed a taste for gin, especially during the hotter months of the year; which, in Phoenix, is most of the year.
But, now that it is sweater weather outside I've pulled out the whiskey, and other common suspects. These boozy concoctions will warm you up. To the bar!
Boulevardier
1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
Stir all the booze with ice and strain it into an old-fashioned glass with a big block of ice.
The rye whiskey I use is Bulleit. For the vermouth, I like Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino. Sidenote: Once you open your vermouth, keep it in the fridge or it will develop off flavors.
I love equal-part cocktails, super easy to remember and mix. The Boulevardier is a Negroni made with rye whiskey instead of gin. It's spicy, bitter, and sweet. Superb.
Manhattan
2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes of orange bitters
1 brandied cherry as a garnish
Stir all the booze with ice and strain it into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
The rye whiskey and sweet vermouth stay the same, Bulleit and Cocchi Di Torino. For the orange bitters, I use Angostura orange bitters.
The first time I had a Manhattan I didn't know it was all booze. And I drank several of them in rapid succession. Let's say that now I treat this drink as a nightcap.
Vieux Carré
3/4 oz rye whiskey
3/4 oz cognac
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz bénédictine D.O.M.
2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Stir all the booze with ice and strain it into an old-fashioned glass with a big block of ice.
The rye whiskey and sweet vermouth stay the same, Bulleit and Cocchi Di Torino. For the cognac, I picked a bottle of ABK6 VS at Total Wine as recommended by one of the staff members.
This is a sweeter, herbal, New Orleans riff on a Manhattan. The addition of cognac makes it even more suited for winter. Aren't the barrels attached to the necks of St. Bernard dogs filled with cognac?
There you have it, three boozy cocktails to keep you warm this winter. If you make any of these, let me know how you liked them. Please drink responsibly. If you drink, don't drive.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas, and I'll see you next week!