Christmas Cocktails
Wednesday 20 December @ 21:09:33 |
  by MAX SPARBER
Brandy Blazer
NOTES: Even with the possibility that we won’t see snow this Christmas, December is still chilly in Minnesota, and an ideal time for a hot drink. They don’t get much hotter than the Brandy Blazer, which is actually set on fire. A sweet cocktail with a hint of orange—although not sweet in the buttery nipply, syrupy, powdered sugary style that’s popular among amateur drinkers.
RECIPE: Add the following to an Old Fashioned glass: 2 small (30ml) shots of cognac, 1 sugar cube, an orange twist and a lemon twist. Flambé the mixture, stir well with a long bar spoon, extinguish the flame and strain into a snifter glass. Be cautious
 Snowball
NOTES: The Snowball is a drink typically associated with grandmothers and bachelor aunts, but is due for a revival, in no small part because it is the defining cocktail of an unusual liqueur, Advocaat. This Dutch drink consists of egg yolks, sugar, aromatic spirits and grape brandy with a hint of vanilla; it has a smooth, yellow consistency. The cocktail can be made with lemonade substituting for the 7-Up.
RECIPE: Take a cocktail glass and rub the edge on a lemon, then dip the rim in sugar. Drop ice cubes into the glass, pour a 1/3 advocaat liqueur and fill it up with 7-Up.
 Hot Buttered Rum
NOTES: A warm, comforting winter drink—we recommend making it with a top shelf dark rum, such as Barbancourt, as the rum will be the defining taste.
RECIPE: In a bowl, cream together 1 stick unsalted butter, 2 cups light brown sugar, one teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into each of 12 small mugs. Pour about 3 ounces of dark rum into each mug, filling the mug’s about halfway. Top with boiling water, stir, and serve immediately.
Pennsylvania Dutch Eggnog cocktail
NOTES: It’s important to actually use Pennsylvania Dutch Eggnog in this drink: For those of you who are unfamilar, unlike storebought nog, which is made of milk, eggs, and spices, the Pennsylvania Dutch version also contains rum brandy and blended whisky, giving an added, and quite tasty, kick.
RECIPE: I Takes 3 ounces of Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog, 1 1/2 ounces vanilla vodka, and 3/4 ounces of Boulaine hazelnut liqueur. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with fresh-ground nutmeg.
AND FINALLY: An original cocktail creation from Pulse of the Twin Cities, The Albion
NOTES: Pulse is proud to present our own invention, an entirely new seasonal cocktail that we have decided to dub the Albion, for reasons we’ll explain in a moment. The drink is a warm one, perfect for our frigid winter, and consists of hot mulled port wine and Dr. Pepper.
All right, we know, we know: There is something essentially disgusting about the idea of combining wine and soda; it seems fundamentally unpalatable. Unless you happen to be from Spain, where one of the most popular mixed drinks is Calimocho, which is about half red wine and half Coca Cola. Come to think of it, almost exactly the same drink is popular in Cuba, where it is called Jote. And in Croatia, where they have dubbed the drink bambus. And, the Czech Republic, of course, where it’s named houba. So, there you are, it’s not so weird after all.
We’re going to mull the port wine with cloves and cinnamon, and, believe it or not, this makes Dr. Pepper an ideal mixer. While it’s popularly believed that Dr. Pepper is meant to taste like prunes, in fact it was designed by a Victorian druggist to taste like Victorian drug store smell. And far from the antiseptic odor of modern pharmacies, the soda fountains of ancient apothecaries were stocked with an intoxicating variety of herbs and syrups. So Dr Pepper is essentially a spiced soft drink, and blends quite well with spiced wine. Additionally, for years Dr. Pepper tried to market itself as a soft drink that can be served hot. It’s terrific that way, but the idea of hot sodas proved too alien for the general American population. But blend it with hot mulled port and you have a recipe for deliciousness.
And now, an explanation of the name. We bandied about ideas that would mark the cocktail with our imprimatur—the pulsmopolitan, the pulstini, etc.But they all seemed a bit embarrassing. Instead, we decided to mark the cocktail with a name that would brand it as uniquely Minneapolitan—and Albion, believe it or not, was one of the first named for Minneapolis. It was, in fact, the officially selected name for the city, until a school headmaster named Charles Hoag decided to bully through a name created from an unwieldy mix of Dakota and Greek. So we give you the Albion, a simple cocktail perfectly designed to strip the chill off a winter night. Enjoy!
RECIPE: Three parts Dr. Pepper to one part fruity port wine. Add two whole cloves and one stick cinnamon. Heat and serve. ||
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