Nothing may be more pleasurable at day’s end than a well-crafted cocktail. The clink of ice on glass, the magical mix of sweet, sour and alcoholic — it’s a great way to unwind and be merry, especially during the holiday season.
But who says a great drink has to be cold?
This time of year, when Jack Frost nips at more than just your toes, warm cocktails just might be the thing to heat you back up from the inside.
But don’t just take this mulled cider lover’s word for it; take it from a professional.
“When you come in from the cold chill you get here in Pittsburgh, there’s nothing better than a hot toddy, Irish coffee or mulled wine,” says bartender extraordinaire Sean Enright of Pittsburgh’s Tiki Lounge and the after-hours Carrick Literary and Social Association.
Warm mugs of boozy coffee or citrus-spiced wine are not just the stuff of a ski vacation. They can be had during staycations, too. You don’t have to be a mixologist to create a winning winter cocktail or haul out any special equipment. In fact, some of the best winter sippers can be done in three steps: pour, stir, enjoy.
While warm-weather cocktails are often thirst quenchers (a good margarita goes down way too fast and easy), winter cocktails are meant to be lingered over, savored. Enright likes to warm the body and soul during cold snaps with concoctions that feature richer, darker spirits — think whiskey, rum, brandy and cognac — and the dessert-style spices — cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger.
“They go hand in hand with the other things you’re eating,” he says.
One of his favorite winter cocktail is Irish coffee — spiked with Jameson’s. He’s also a huge fan of the hot toddy, a simple drink of a brown liquor such as brandy, whiskey or rum mixed with honey, lemon juice and boiling water, and, when the mood strikes, also a tea bag. (See, we told you this wasn’t brain surgery.)
“It couldn’t be easier, and you can mix it however you want,” he says.
At Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, Pa., bartenders use another seasonal drink — a mug of hot apple cider — as a base for the signature Moonshine Cider. A shot of caramel moonshine from Tall Pines Distillery in nearby Salisbury, Somerset County, gives the hot cocktail its adult kick.
Former Pittsburgher-turned-New York cookbook author and “Today” show contributor Casey Barber suggests cocoa spiked with bourbon and hazelnut-flavored liqueur if you want something hot, sweet and chocolatey.
“I love hot chocolate so much that I can down a whole mug in four big glugs, so I need something that makes me drink it more slowly and enjoy it,” she says. Enter bourbon, “which makes everything better, and turns it into more of a sipping drink.” The marshmallow on top is completely optional, but definitely makes it more of a luxury.
For larger gatherings, where making many individual drinks could be a drag, nothing beats a large pot of red wine mulled with a few ounces of cognac, slices of citrus, cinnamon sticks and dash of peppercorn. It’s easy, relatively inexpensive and ladles up a dose of antioxidants.
While you want a winter cocktail to warm you up on the inside, you don’t want the drink’s heat to beat you over the head or burn your lips. So think “really, really warm” instead of “scalding hot.” Enright, whose book “Pittsburgh Drinks: A History of Cocktails, Nightlife & Bartending Tradition,” with co-author Cody McDevitt, arriving on store shelves in March, also suggests reaching for the good stuff when making individual cocktails.
“The cheaper the alcohol, the less impressive it will be,” he says.
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O’HALLORAN’S BLARNEY BUSTER
PG tested
This cocktail was the first-place winner of the Jameson Irish Cocktail Contest held in Monroeville, Pa., in March 1983, the whiskey maker’s first event in the Pittsburgh market. It’s a boozier version of the warm drink made famous in the winter of 1943 by Limerick chef Joe Sheridan.
Preheat the mug by pouring scalding hot water into it to prep it, then pour it out.
1 1/2 ounces Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/2 ounce Bailey’s Irish Cream
1/2 ounce Kahlua
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
Hot coffee
Whipped cream and creme de menthe, for garnish
“Build” the drink by pouring the whiskey, Irish cream, Kahlua and Grand Marnier directly into the pre-warmed mug. Give a quick a stir to integrate flavors and add black coffee to fill. Top with whipped cream and color with a little bit of green crème de menthe.
— “Pittsburgh Drinks: A History of Cocktails, Nightlife & Bartending Tradition” by Cody McDevitt and Sean Enright (The History Press; March 20, 2017: $21.99)
THE SPOTTED PIG’S MULLED WINE
PG tested
This classic mulled wine from New York’s Spotted Pig is a spicy, citrusy way to warm up your loved ones. Avoid boiling the mixture — not only will it burn off the alcohol but also can alter the flavor.
4 bottles of red wine
1 orange, sliced into wheels
1/2 lemon, sliced into wheels
4 cinnamon sticks
4 bay leaves
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups superfine sugar
3 ounces cognac
Combine wine, orange and lemon wheels, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, vanilla bean pod and seeds, peppercorns, allspice, red pepper flakes and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add cognac. Ladle into warmed punch cups. Garnish with orange wheels.
Serves 12 to 14.
— “Cocktails for the Holidays: Festive Drinks to Celebrate the Season” by editors of Imbibe Magazine (Chronicle, September 2014)
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