cocktails

Hot Toddy: The Cold-Weather Nightcap

What Uncle Les told us as kids was right – a good, late-evening cocktail does help you doze off more quickly. As the weather turns cold, we’re looking to ditch the glass of wine in favor of something more soothing – the hot toddy.  You can “toddy” many different cocktails, but a traditional hot toddy includes a few staples – bourbon/whisky or rum, hot water, lemon, honey and spices.

Like chicken noodle soup, this warm cocktail has been hailed by many as a cold and flu remedy. We’re not doctors, so we can’t say for sure whether a hot toddy heals you more quickly, but we can say from our experience it does make you feel better. Below is our go-to hot toddy recipe:

Ingredients:

Directions:

  • Fill your cup with hot water (to heat it up).
  • Meanwhile, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil.
  • Dump mug of hot water, and put bourbon, honey, sugar, lemon juice and cloves in the now-hot mug.
  • Pour boiling water over the other ingredients in the mug.
  • Garnish with a cinnamon stick (and optional slice of lemon).
  • Wrap your hands around the mug, inhale, and sip slowly.
  • Actually sleep.

Haven’t enjoyed a hot toddy before bed? Tomorrow (Saturday, January 11) is National Hot Toddy day in the U.S., so it’s the perfect time to try!

 

 

Blog 0 Comments , ,

Peach Moscow Mule

INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp Peach White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup ginger beer
2 oz vodka
1/2 oz lime juice
crushed ice

peach slices for garnish

STEPS
Fill a copper mug with crushed ice.
Add balsamic and ginger beer. Pour vodka and lime juice over the top.
Top with sliced peaches and enjoy!

 

If you prefer an alcohol-free “mule,” skip the vodka and add a little more ginger beer, to taste.

Recipe 0 Comments , , , ,

Demerara Old Fashioned

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz Demerara simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Orange peel
Luxardo / Maraschino cherry

STEPS
Using a cocktail shaker or mixing glass, combine bourbon, Demerary syrup and both types of bitters. Stir (or shake) to combine, and strain cocktail into a “rocks” or Old Fashioned glass over a single large ice cube. Garnish with a strip of orange peel and a cherry.

Recipe 1 Comment , , , ,

Demerara Sugar

Golden and sparkly, Demerara Sugar is a (relatively) unprocessed cane sugar with a smooth, sweet taste.

Demerara sugar derives its name from its original place of manufacture: the Demerara region of British Guyana (on the north coast of South America). Like white (“regular”) sugar, Demerara sugar comes from dehydrating and purifying the cane syrup from the sugar cane crop. Demerara, however, is a less refined sugar: it has a little less sucrose than white sugar, and retains some of the minerals found in cane syrup.

And because it is less refined, Demerara sugar ($3.90 for 1/2 Cup jar) has large, golden amber sugar crystals, and retains a bit of the sugar cane’s natural molasses flavor.

More

Blog 0 Comments , , ,

Bourbon Desire

INGREDIENTS

2 oz hard cider (We love the Jefferson County Ciderworks Oaked Sour Cherry Cider)
1 oz Bourbon
1 tsp Runamok Cardamom Infused Maple Syrup
2 dashes bitters (Angostura is good, but you should experiment with other varieties, too)
2 tsp Maraschino cherry juice

Maraschino cherry for garnish

STEPS

Mix ingredients together, and serve over ice or bourbon rocks. Garnish with a cherry.

You can get Jefferson County Ciderworks cider at Peace Tree Brewing – Des Moines Branch at East 4th & Court Avenue, two blocks south of our shop.

Recipe 0 Comments , , , , ,

1 2 3 4 5 >»

We Gladly Accept

Subscribe to our newsletter

Follow Us for Recipes & More

© 2018 Allspice Culinarium