Whether it’s a glass of eggnog, a hot buttered rum, or a mug of spicy mulled wine, the winter season is loaded with tasty cocktails. What makes them ideal for the home bartender is their reliance on easily sourced pantry ingredients: spices (cinnamon, clove and nutmeg), fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage), and fruits (mandarins, cranberries and pomegranates). Here are my family recipes for iconic winter cocktails—and a twist or two designed to take your holiday gathering to the next level.
Justin Taylor’s Home Made Eggnog. Lou Lou Childs photo
Best made a few days in advance to allow the flavours to develop.
INGREDIENTS:
6 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp ground allspice 12 oz bourbon or rum 3 cups whole milk 1.5 cups heavy cream 2 whole nutmegs (for garnish)
METHOD: Measure all your ingredients. Add the eggs to a blender running on lowest setting. After 20 seconds slowly pour in sugar and allspice. Increase speed to medium and slowly add bourbon, followed by milk and cream, and blend for one minute. Refrigerate immediately in an airtight container. Stir before serving. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Makes 8-10 servings.
Turn the heat on under this cocktail an hour before your guests arrive and your home will be filled with wonderful holiday aromas.
INGREDIENTS:
750ml bottle red wine 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, pulp removed 0.5 cup granulated sugar 0.5 cup brandy or Cognac 2 tsp whole cloves 3 unpeeled mandarins, washed and cut into quarters 2 apples cored and quartered 1 cup frozen cranberries 4 cinnamon sticks 3 sprigs of rosemary
METHOD: Add wine, orange juice and sugar into a large pot over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Stud mandarins with cloves and add, along with remaining ingredients, to pot. Cook gently for two hours (take care not to boil off the alcohol). Remove from heat and allow to cool, then strain through a sieve, pressing down to extract the juices from the cranberries and mandarins. Store up to one week in fridge. To serve, heat in a crockpot on low, or in a pan over low heat. Do not boil. Garnish with mandarin segments, apple slices, cinnamon sticks and cranberries. Makes 12, five oz. servings.
Justin Taylor’s Main Street “Wide Eye.” Oliver Harden photo
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz. Odd Society East Van Vodka
• 0.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 oz. Walter’s Caesar Mix
• 2 dashes Tapatio Hot Sauce
• Pinch ground pepper
• Pinch brown sugar
• 3 oz. Main Street Pilsner
METHOD:
In a 20 oz. pint glass, add ice and all other ingredients, and stir. Garnish with a stick of celery.
Justin Taylor’s Polynesian Strange Fellow. Oliver Harden photo
INGREDIENTS:
• 1.5 oz. Wayward Distilling Honey Rum • 0.5 oz. orgeat syrup • 0.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice • half a ripe banana • 3 dashes Angostura Bitters • 4 oz. Strangefellows Guardian White IPA
METHOD:
Put the banana into a cocktail shaker and muddle to a paste. Add everything except the beer, add ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain over fresh ice into a goblet. Top with Strangefellows Beer. Garnish with fresh banana slices.
Justin Taylor’s Parkside “Sip ‘n’ Slide” Raddler. Oliver Harden photo
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz. Okanagan Spirits Gin • 0.5 oz. Okanagan Spirits Rhubarb Liqueur • 2 oz. freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice • 3 dashes Bittered Sling Grapefruit & Hops Bitters • 3 oz. Parkside Graffiti IPA
METHOD: Add all ingredients except beer to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard for 15 seconds. Fine strain into a pilsner glass, top with Parkside Beer. Garnish with a fresh grapefruit wedge.
Justin Taylor’s Four-Winds-of-Change cocktail. Oliver Harden photo
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz. Shelter Point Distillery Whisky • 0.75 oz. lemon juice • 0.5 oz. clove-infused maple syrup* • 3 dashes of Bittered Sling Gastown Bitters • 2 oz. Four Winds Pale Ale
METHOD:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 15 seconds. Strain over fresh ice into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with apple slices.
Get crafty at home with these delicious beer cocktails
Local craft beer can provide excellent flavour in mixed drinks. Oliver Harden photo
We are fortunate to not only have incredible local spirits in B.C., but also an abundance of amazing craft beers. As a cocktail maker, this is another great excuse to start mixing — but before you begin that process, you’re just going to have to make the sacrifice and open a few beers to taste.
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