Mixing Up Magic: Local Cocktails for the Holiday Season

Instructions:

Ingredients:

1.5oz Canadian Club

.5 oz Amaro Nonino

1 oz Lime Juice

.75 oz Grapefruit Juce

.75 oz Cinnamon Syrup

.25 oz Falernum

.25 oz All  Spice Dram

1 dash Angostura Bitters

1 dash Cardamom Bitters.

Shake and strain over ice!

Cinnamon Syrup:

1 cinnamon stick

500 grams cane sugar

500 grams water

Break cinnamon stick in half and add to a sauce pan.  Add cane sugar and water, stir to combine.  Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Strain out cinnamon stick.

Falernum:

1/3 cup sliced raw almonds

30 whole cloves

½ cup light rum

8 limes

2/3 cup water

½ cup cane sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F and toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Watch closely, do not let them burn.  Let cool before using.

Place almonds and cloves in a sealable glass jar and pour in rum. Shake and let steep 2 days.

Zest all 8 limes and add to jar. Shake and let steep for 1 day. Strain mixture through cheesecloth, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Juice 4 of the limes into a sauce pot. Add water and sugar, then bring to a boil.  Cook until sugar is dissolved. Let syrup cool, then combine with the strained almond and clove infusion. Let it all rest for an additional 12 hours before use.

Allspice Dram:

1/8 cup whole allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup dark rum

1 ½ cups of water

2/3 cups brown sugar

Crush all spice berries in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.  Don’t overdo it, you wanted them to cracked and crushed, not a powder.  Put them in a sealable glass jar, add rum and shake.  Let it rest for a day then break up the cinnamon stick and add to the jar.

After 2 more days strain the rum.  Meanwhile bring water and sugar to boil in a sauce pan.  Boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool.  Add the mix to the rum and let it rest another 2 days before using.

Instructions:

2oz fig/orange infused J.P. Wiser’s 12 Year Old Overproof Whisky

.25oz cinnamon/vanilla honey syrup

3 dashes of walnut bitters

Big twist of orange zest

Clove studded orange twist garnish

Add infused whisky, syrup and bitters to ice filled rocks glass.

Stir well on ice.

Zest orange peel  over drink and wipe peel around the rim of glass.

Stud peel with whole cloves and drop on top of cocktail.

Enjoy

Fig/orange whisky recipe

Cut 4 figs lengthwise in half

Peal one large navel orange

Add figs and orange peals to one bottle of Wiser’s 12yr old Overproof whisky in a sealed jar or container.

Let sit for 4 days, shaking the contents at least once a day.

Cinnamon/ vanilla honey syrup recipe

Break 3 cinnamon sticks

Split one vanilla bean lengthwise

Add cinnamon sticks and split vanilla bean to equal parts .5L honey and .5L water

Bring to a simmer on stove and let simmer for 15 min.

Cool and use

Ingredients

• 2 oz Wiser’s 18 Year Canadian Whisky
• ½ oz cranberry gingerbread syrup (recipe below)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters (optional)
• 1 large ice cube
• Fresh cranberries, for garnish
• Orange peel, for garnish
• Cinnamon stick, for garnish

Cranberry Gingerbread Syrup

• ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves

To make the syrup:

1. Combine cranberries, water and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once the sugar dissolves, add molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes, lightly crushing the cranberries to release their juices.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing gently on the cranberries to extract the flavour. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

Cocktail Instructions

1. Add Wiser’s 18 Year Canadian Whisky, cranberry gingerbread syrup and bitters to a mixing glass.
2. Fill with ice and stir for approximately 20–30 seconds until chilled and well combined.
3. Place a large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass and strain the cocktail over top.
4. Express an orange peel over the drink to release its aromatic oils, then add as a garnish.
5. Finish with a few fresh cranberries and a cinnamon stick.

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1½ oz locally crafted Windsor Essex gin
• ½ oz fig syrup (or fig preserves)
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• ¼ oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water)
• 2 oz Local Prosecco or sparkling wine
• Ice
• Fresh fig, for garnish (or dried fig)
• Fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
• Optional: a little honey and gold sugar for the rim

Instructions

• If desired, lightly coat the rim of a coupe glass with honey and dip into gold sugar for a festive finish.
• Add gin, fig syrup, lemon juice and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
• Shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds until well chilled.
• Double strain into a chilled coupe or champagne glass.
• Top with Prosecco or sparkling wine.
• Garnish with a fresh or dried fig and a sprig of rosemary.

HOmemade Fig Syrup (optional)

1. ½ cup dried figs, chopped
2. ½ cup water
3. ½ cup sugar
4. 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
5. Combine figs, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
6. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
7. Cook for 8–10 minutes, allowing the figs to soften and release their natural sweetness.
8. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
9. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, stir in lemon juice and allow to cool.
10. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Serve and enjoy!

IN THE CHRISTMAS BULB:

½ oz Wolfhead Grapefruit Vodka
½ oz Rosemary Simple Syrup
Cranberry Juice to fill

IN THE GLASS:

Ice
2–3 oz Prosecco
Frozen cranberries
Sprig of rosemary

To serve: Place the filled Christmas bulb in the glass and serve for the guest to pour.