Is there anything more alluring than the prospect of cosying up before a crackling fire while sipping on something dark and toasty? We’d wager not, and whether your fireplace is real or imagined, there’s no weather better suited for venturing out of your cocktail comfort zone.
Where summer calls for lighter, zestier spirits, cool weather demands something a little more robust. Dark spirits — think whiskey and bourbon — are the perfect accompaniments for evenings spent indoors, and you don’t need to be a hardcore sipper to enjoy them. Here, we’ve put together two cocktails spotlighting dark spirits in all their spicy, smoky glory, that both the sceptics and the superfans will enjoy in equal measure. Time to light up the fire and pull out the shaker.
Warming cinnamon and star anise put a cold weather spin on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. The addition of ginger beer and bourbon make it the perfect nightcap.
Ingredients (serves 1)
60mL Bowsaw Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
60mL chai concentrate or strong chai tea, cooled
15mL orange juice
30mL Fever Tree Premium Ginger Beer
2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Ground cinnamon and whole star anise, to garnish
Method
1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add bourbon, chai concentrate or tea, orange juice, ginger beer and orange bitters.
2. Use a cocktail stirrer or spoon to mix well.
3. Place a large ice cube in a lowball glass and strain the cocktail into the glass.
4. Dust with ground cinnamon and top with a star anise to serve.
A wintery take on the classic tequila sunrise. This version uses whiskey in tequila’s place to give the cocktail a subtle spiciness and up the warmth factor.
Ingredients (serves 1)
60mL The Gospel Solera Rye Whisky
15mL lemon juice, freshly squeezed, or Lemon Fresh Lemon Juice
15mL orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons Cawsey’s Grenadine
2 or 3 speared cherries, to garnish
Method
1. Place the rye whiskey, lemon and orange juices, and grenadine to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with speared cherries.