6 Holiday Cocktails for Grown Ups

So in this new space, we have a train that comes by every so often. It's like a gift. It's a surprise. I hate it. Welcome back, friends. It's Anders. Today, we are making some winter cocktails. I've got six here. A list. It's a list video. We need lists as we go into new seasons. Also, I think that the algorithm likes list videos. If you like it, then share it with friends. Maybe I should say this at the end because you haven't even seen it. What else? Oh, this video is brought to you by Bright Cellars, who I've worked with in the past and I will talk about more in a moment. Does that make sense? I will talk more about them in a moment. If you're new to the channel, hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recipes, and let's make some winter cocktails to the bar. Number one, the Stinger. This is a perfect cocktail for the season. Minty, brandy-y, two ingredients. You can have this served up on the rocks or I like it on crushed ice. To make the recipe, take two ounces of cognac and one ounce of white creme de menthe. Give it a quick shake to add air and strain over crushed ice. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint. If you really wanna make this interesting, give it a mist of absinthe over the top. This drink is sweet, strong, little minty, kind of like a winter julep when you serve it over crushed ice. Moving on. Number two, the Elks Own. This is one I've done on the channel before and I think of it as a whiskey sour for winter. It's good any time of year, though. To make this drink, start with fresh egg white or if you want an egg-free option, substitute three quarters of an ounce of aquafaba. Add one ounce of rye whiskey, three quarters of an ounce of ruby port, three quarters of an ounce of fresh lemon juice, and half an ounce of a rich demerara syrup. Give it a dry shake to emulsify everything for about 10 seconds and then shake with ice for about 10 to 15 seconds. Double strain into a cocktail glass. The classic garnish for this drink is a wedge of pineapple, but I like to grate nutmeg over the top. Very festive and fun. The drink is tart, bright, little richness from the rich demerara syrup, fruity undertones from the port. Perfect for winter. Number three, the Alexander Cocktail. Now, you may have heard of the Brandy Alexander because it's pretty popular and it's tasty, but the Alexander Cocktail is the original. Gin, chocolate, cream. And this is an all-equal-parts cocktail so it's easy to scale up or down. Into a shaking tin, combine three quarters of an ounce of gin, three quarters of an ounce of creme de cacao, and three quarters of an ounce of half and half. If you want, you could use heavy cream if you want it richer or use your favorite non-dairy creamer. Shake for about 10 to 15 seconds, double strain into your cocktail glass, and then garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Who knew gin and chocolate could go so well together? You get the brightness from the botanicals, the richness from the cacao, then sweet cream. It's a holiday in your mouth. This just in, Anders has a message about wine. Today's video is brought to you by Bright Cellars. Bright Cellars is a monthly wine subscription. I don't always have the time or mental bandwidth to pick out a new bottle of wine. It's intimidating. There's a lot of vintages, winemakers, regions, bottles. Every time you want to try something new, it's a gamble, and I don't gamble. Gambling destroys families. Bright Cellars takes all of that hard work out of the equation. All you have to do, go online and fill a 30-second questionnaire, flavors and stuff. And 30 seconds is if you're really taking your sweet time. Took me 23 seconds, so top that. And then the almighty algorithm knows what you like. They are gonna start sending you bottles once a month that you are gonna love. In each box, you will find six bottles of wine along with info cards telling you everything you need to know about the wines. For example, I'm drinking the Obscura Petit Verdot, and this card tells me I will be tasting Blackberry, Violet, Black Tea, and Earth. Yep. You can also rate these wines, so every month your box gets better and better. If you use my link, you get 50% off your first six-bottle box of wine. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and let the wine come to you. Thank you, Bright Cellars. Back to the video. Number four, the semester abroad. Sometimes you need a stiff drink, whether it's really cold outside or you're surrounded by people at a holiday party you don't know how to talk to. Yeah, you don't know how to talk to. Sometimes there are people that you just, they're talking at you, and you don't know what to say in response. But if you have a nice stiff drink, it can make that experience a little bit more pleasant. So this cocktail is an original of mine, three ingredients, easy to make, and it's a nice sipper. You're gonna mix two ounces of rye whiskey with one ounce of orange Curacao and half an ounce of Fernet Branca. Stir, because it's all alcohol, strain into a cocktail glass, and top it with orange oil. The drink is a balance of bitter and sweet. You get sweet orange from the Curacao, and you get this cooling bitterness from the Fernet Branca, and it all is engulfed in spicy rye. I love it. I think you will too. Number five, which is the sherry flip. The sherry flip is a flip made with sherry. Flip is a style of cocktail, and it's gonna call for a whole egg. If you like eggnog, try this. You're gonna take a whole egg. Of course, make sure it's a quality egg. Know its source, or, I don't know, just use good eggs. Don't be an idiot here. If you found an egg lying on the street in the sun, don't use it, okay? Use good eggs. So, sherry flip. Take your whole egg, crack that into a shaking tin. You're gonna add two ounces of an Oloroso sherry, or whatever your favorite dry sherry is. It can be in a Montiato, it could be in Manzanilla, and then add half an ounce of the rich Demerara syrup. Those three things, very simple. Give it a dry shake to emulsify everything for about 10 seconds, and then shake with ice to incorporate everything. You're gonna add air to the cocktail, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and cover it with grated nutmeg. You might notice there's a theme here with the grated nutmeg, but it's an excellent choice for the season. And I love this drink. I love sherry flips. I don't drink them all the time because I try not to make a habit of drinking whole egg cocktails all the time. When I have one, man, is it good. Also, make this with a different spirit. You can take out the sherry and add rum. You can take out the rum and add whiskey. A simple flip is flippin' amazing. On to the last one. Sometimes we need a hot cocktail. If it's that cold outside, the fastest way to warm up is to have a hot cocktail and a blanket or a hot shower. I guess there are different ways to heat yourself up, but this is a fun one and a tasty one. I am making a simple single-serve hot buttered rum that you can whip up anytime you want. You don't have to make a big batch for a group of people. This is for you. To make this drink, grab yourself a glass that can withstand heat. That should go without saying, but the drink's gonna be hot. Temporary your glass first with a little hot water. Dump out that water and add one tablespoon of butter, room temperature, one tablespoon of brown sugar, a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground clove, a pinch of ground allspice, a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract, two ounces of dark rum, your favorite, you pick, and top it off with four ounces of hot water. You can garnish this with a cinnamon stick. The drink is rich, spicy, and it's gonna hug your soul. Oh, by the way, if you want any of these bottles, check out my collection over at Curiata. It's a lot of butter, but it's good. Man, is it good. Like and subscribe. Thank you so much for watching. Happy holidays. Happy cold weather days. Happy times. Bye-bye.