Feeling chilled? Take your mixologist game to new heights this winter with some warming cocktails - whether they’re served physically warm or warm the belly all on their own. Here are three of our favourite classic winter cocktails to get you through the snowy season - each with a little special twist of our own.
Hot Toddy
This is a classic hot boozy drink that most people are familiar with, but our version uses smoky, peaty single malt scotch from the Isle of Skye along with one of our favourite Alberta beverages - mead!
Whether you’re feeling under the weather or enduring a cold winter night, the soothing honey, warm spices and smoky whisky are sure to lift your spirits. Recipe serves 4.
Ingredients:
-5 tbsp honey
-4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large or 2 small lemons)
-2 cups Maxwell Spiced Mead
-1 bay leaf
-1 cinnamon stick
-1 star anise
-.5 cup Talisker 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky
-Ground nutmeg for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Put honey, lemon juice, ½ cup water, mead and spices in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a shot glass worth of Talisker each to four mugs. Strain in the honey mixture to each, then garnish with nutmeg to serve.
Boulevardier
Commonly known as a Negroni with bourbon instead of gin, a Boulevardier is served chilled but is made with full-bodied, warming spirits that make it perfect for a cold day. But we’re offering a Canadian twist on this classic - using rye whisky in place of gin or Bourbon gives it a woodsy, barrel-aged flavour, which is complemented by the sweetness of the vermouth and the bitterness of Campari. Recipe serves 1.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Alberta Premium rye whisky
¾ oz Campari
¾ oz Sweet vermouth (i.e. Carpano Antica)
2 or 3 dashes aromatic bitters
Handful of ice cubes
1 square ice cube or ice cube ball, for serving
Whisky-soaked cherry for garnish - Make one yourself or use Tipsy Cherries in Whisky, which we carry in store!
Instructions:
Add the rye whisky, Campari, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass. Add the ice cubes and stir for 20 to 30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a whisky-soaked cherry.
Winter Negroni
A negroni is usually best enjoyed in summer weather (on a patio in Italy, ideally), but the additions of blood orange and rosemary flavours gives this cocktail a winter twist. The cocktail also adds an egg white to give it more weight and slightly richer texture. Recipe serves 1
Ingredients:
1.5 oz blood orange juice
.5 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 fresh rosemary sprig (plus a second for garnish)
2 oz Boodles London Dry Gin
2 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 egg white, whipped
2 dashes orange bitters
Handful of ice cubes
Instructions:
Add the juice, sugar and rosemary to a cocktail shaker. Muddle until the rosemary starts to break down and becomes fragrant. Add the gin, Campari, vermouth, egg white and bitters. Shake with vigour for 1 minute, add the ice, and shake again for another minute. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass and garnish with the remaining rosemary sprig.