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Traditional Hot Toddy with a Twist – 12 Days of Cocktails Day 7

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Sometimes you get home from work after a long cold-ass winter’s day, and all you want are 1) a cocktail; and 2) something warm.  Usually for me these two things don’t go together.  This ends in one of two ways:  either I double fist with a cup of tea and a cocktail or glass of wine, or I turn to this spectacular Hot Toddy cocktail that covers both bases at once!

I went to one of my favorite bars in Reno one time called Chapel and it was one of the nights that a Hot Toddy was probably the ONLY thing that was going to satisfy me.  But when I ordered one, it came with a bit of a surprise: a ghost pepper floated at the top of the glass.  At that point, I was wary of spicy things, but I decided to try it anyway.  It turns out, the pepper in the glass just blew the whole flavor out of the water!  The addition of the pepper made this cocktail warm me up in ways I never imagined.

Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll ever again make a Toddy without the Cayenne Pepper.

Happy Cooking!

Traditional Hot Toddy with a Twist - 12 Days of Cocktails Day 7
 
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Ingredients
  • 8 Oz. Water, boiled
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon Cayenne (or to taste)
  • 1½ Oz. Bourbon (I prefer Four Roses)
Instructions
  1. Boil the Water.
  2. Add Lemon Juice and Honey and stir well.
  3. Add Bourbon.
  4. Top with sprinkling of Cayenne.
  5. Enjoy!

 

Wassail – 12 Days of Cocktails Day 10!

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***The following is a guest post by Russ Reyes of Kilt and Cork.  www.KiltandCork.com

Wassail is truly a beverage to be shared with friends and family. A medieval Christmastide tradition from the cider producing counties of South West England, there are many ways to make it and many ingredients to start with, but the way it is consumed it the same. Traditionally served in a “wassailing bowl”, the warm mulled punch is passed around and everyone sips from the same bowl. Of course, modern day punch bowls all have individual service, but if you want to enjoy wassail in the traditional method, find a medium sized bowl that would allow the person to hold the bowl and sip from it!

The tradition of Wassail ritual at Christmastide, was to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year, or later, under the Christian influence, to thank God for his blessings and ask for a bountiful apple harvest the following year. Whatever the reason for sharing the communal bowl, it was a time of celebration and great joy, and shared with all of those who were loved!

Because it is a communal drink, it was inspired by the song “Welcome Christmas”, which the Who’s all sing around the tree at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That spirit of community and celebration is what the Wassail is all about!

This wassail is the ale based version because the earthiness of the ale compliments the spices and fruit, but it is highly customizable, and a nice dry hard cider can be used in place of the ale.

Wassail - 12 Days of Cocktails Day 10!
 
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Ingredients
  • 6 Small Fuji Apples, cored
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 8 12 Oz Bottles of English Ale or Dry Cider
  • 10 Whole Cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Allspice
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Put the apples into an  glass baking dish. Drizzle the brown sugar onto each apple, dividing the sugar evenly among them. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake until tender – about 45 minutes.
  3. Pour the ale into a large slow cooker or large pot. Mix in the cloves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set the slow cooker to medium heat or, if using a pot, set the stove to medium to low heat.
  4. Bring the mixture to at least 130 degrees F, but do not boil. Once brought to temperature, you may strain the wassail through a sieve to remove the excess spices and make it easier to drink.

 

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