hot cocktails

Holiday Spiced Port Hot Toddy

December 10, 2019 by elana 2 Comments

This post was made in partnership with Croft Port. Recipe and ideas are my own.

For the first time in forever SoCal actually feels cold for the holidays and I am HERE FOR IT! I’m dressing in layers, I turned the fireplace on (although, if you’ve been reading on here long enough you should know I do that when it dips below 70…), I broke out a winter coat I got on sale a few years ago and haven’t worn yet, and I’m drinking all the hot cocktails right now so that my hands stay warm. It’s heavenly.

Croft Port Holiday Cocktail 2019 // stirandstrain.com Once Thanksgiving comes to an end and I’ve eaten all my leftovers, my brain switches instantly into holiday mode. I want all the gingerbread cookies. I want to string up lights on every surface of my house (don’t worry, I don’t actually do that because that would probably be a fire hazard, but I do think about it a lot). And it’s baking spices inÂ everything, including my drinks. While I can make a cocktail any way I want at all times throughout the year, in December I just want it to feel extra holiday-like. And so that brings us to today’s cocktail.

Croft Port Holiday Cocktail 2019 // stirandstrain.com I’ve teamed up with Croft Port to show you all how to enjoy port in a hot cocktail, and more importantly, how to make it extra for the holidays. Extra holiday. Croft Reserve Ruby PortÂ has some built-in holiday spices already in its flavor profile: clove, cinnamon, burnt caramel, cardamom, and a warm chocolate nuttiness. While delicious on its own, today’s hot cocktail will bring out those spices further with the addition of chai tea. While chai teas vary widely in spices, the tea I’m using goes heavy on the cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. A generous dose of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a sharpness to the cocktail, cutting through some of the sweetness of the port, and the sweetness provided by my extra special ingredient, banana liqueur. That brÃ»lÃ©ed fruit flavor here is a welcome, unexpected addition to the drink, providing a deep, brown sugary sweetness that, again, makes me think of Christmas cookies.

When Croft Reserve Ruby Porto is warmed up, it also brings out the luscious berry notes and gives a rich, hearty mouthfeel which you want since you’re watering down the viscosity with the chai tea.

Croft Port Holiday Cocktail 2019 // stirandstrain.com So bring on those cold nights, I’ll be ready for them with some hot port cocktails. And so will you!

Holiday Spiced Port Hot Toddy

1 chai tea bag
3 ounces boiling water
1-1/2 ounces Croft Reserve Ruby Port
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounce banana liqueur

In a heat proof mug or glass, combine the tea bag and boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the tea bag and pour in the Croft Reserve Ruby Port, lemon juice, and banana liqueur. Gently stir to combine. Garnish with cinnamon sticks or dehydrated orange slices.

Croft Port Holiday Cocktail 2019 // stirandstrain.com

Spiced Averna Toddy

December 11, 2014 by elana 1 Comment

This winter season you’re going to drink some hot cocktails (unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere where you got another 6 months for that. Unless you like hot drinks in hot months. Hey, I drink iced coffee all year round now.) and more than likely a lot of them will have the same old familiar base. While whiskey is always a good partner, or even some nice aged rum, today I turn to a maybe an unlikely addition: Averna.

I love Averna, and you’ve seen it pop up on this site from time to time, but never warmed up. And now that I’ve had it warmed up, I can’t believe it took me so long to do it!

Serious Eats had asked me to come up with a hot drink for this cool season and frankly it took a moment of head scratching to figure out what to make. I kept struggling with how I’d make hot whiskey interesting…until I nixed the whiskey altogether. Then what you get is a flavorful hot toddy that’s low on the ABV and the perfect beverage you can start offering with brunch all the way up through dinner. I like a cocktail that has that much potential.

Now you know I can’t leave good enough alone, and I always give you a bit of homework on here in order to make some of these drinks, so it should come as no surprise that I’m requiring a deep, dark brown sugar syrup steeped with peppercorns and cinnamon to accompany this toddy. As much as I like Averna, adding this syrup in there gives it so much flavor, and it kinda comes out tasting like a spicy tea (without the tea).

So curl up alongside a fire with a good cocktail book and one of these Averna Toddies this winter. And save the whiskey for something else.

For the Spiced Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
4 cinnamon sticks

Combine water, brown sugar, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to simmer, stirring, and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for an hour and a half. Strain and store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

For the Cocktail:

1 ounce Averna
1/2 ounce spiced syrup
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon
4 ounces boiling water
Lemon peel for garnish

In a heat proof mug, combine Averna, spiced syrup, lemon juice, and boling water. Garnish with lemon peel and serve immediately.

Warm and bright from the lemon. Lots of strong spice with hints of caramel and a touch of bitterness. The cinnamon lingers around but is not overpowering. Sweet, but light on the palate.

Mixology Monday: Anise Cream Coffee

December 23, 2013 by elana 6 Comments

Weekend mornings always start with several cups of coffee. Years ago I had a French Press but it was kind of chintzy and broke on me; I only just replaced it a month ago. Since I am the only one drinking coffee in my house, I still make a full pot and will pour cup after cup, not thinking about how much caffeine I am ingesting until hours later my heart is pounding as if Animal is playing the drums in there. I’ve started to cut down on the coffee by replacing the giant coffee pot with a French press. It’s very unlikely I will clean the whole thing out just to make another round too.

So why the coffee talk? Well, because it’s the base for this month’s Mixology Monday cocktail! No, it’s not a coffee theme, Nick from the Straight Up blog has given us ANISE as the special ingredient this month.

Since it’s all kinds of cold lately, I decided a nice hot, boozy drink was in order. But where to put the anise? In a cream! Seriously though, I saw this challenge as an excuse to go buy myself a whip cream dispenser. It will have other purposes later (none of which will include whippets FYI) so I figured now was the time to splurge on one. Tis the season to give (to oneself).

First thing you need to do is make the cream infusion:
1 cup organic whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
3-4 whole star anise

In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to just under a boil and reduce heat to low. Keep at a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until room temperature. Strain the mixture, cover and refrigerate over night. The next day, whip by hand (stand mixer, hand mixer, etc…) or funnel contents into a whipped cream dispenser. Keep refrigerated if not using right away.

For the Drink:
1 oz. Rittenhouse 100 Rye
4 oz. Hot Brewed CoffeeÂ (Groundworks Black Magic Organic Espresso used here)
1/4 oz. simple syrup (or more/less to taste)
infused anise & vanilla whipped cream

1 whole star anise for garnish

In a glass mug (or regular mug if you want), add simple syrup, rye and coffee. Stir gently to combine. Top with anise vanilla whipped cream and garnish with the whole star anise.

By itself, the coffee and rye are quite strong, and too…’alcohol forward’ if you catch my drift. The cream drastically cuts that back and evens out the whole drink. Rye and anise are a wonderful combination together. Although usually strong flavors on their own, here they work as accents to the other players in the drink. The espresso has an earthiness that pairs well with the vanilla, and as a whole, the drink is only slightly sweet with a nice kick of spice.

Why not put sugar in the cream mixture? Personally, I’m not a big sweet drink drinker. Here it’s important to balance the sweetness of each drink with the person’s preference. Did I mention this is a great brunch drink? Whipping cream has a slight sweet edge to it and I find that adding a touch of simple syrup to the coffee itself disperses enough sugar throughout. Could you flavor the whipped cream to just be sweetened? Yes, Add about a 1/2 ounce of simple syrup to the mixture before beating/funneling into a whipped cream dispenser.