Making spirits … That’s all, just making spirits
The holidays are all about good cheer, bright spirits – and sometimes about good “cheers!” and spirits of a decidedly different kind.
It’s a time of year for parties and meeting up with friends – offering the perfect opportunities to dig into the liquor cabinet and mix up seasonal cocktails.
We asked a pair of local bartenders to help lift your spirits by sharing tips and recipes for making drinks that reflect the winter holidays.
At Dewz in downtown Modesto –1505 J St. – bartender Matt Way created a new drink for the occasion, the Winter Embrace, featuring locally produced ingredients that scream cold-weather holidays, including honey and pumpkin. He used products that can be found at Modesto’s Farmers Market, including Pure Honey and Jars of Delicious pumpkin puree.
Also in downtown Modesto is The Boardroom –1528 J St. – where manager Josh Wilson mixed up two traditional favorites, a hot toddy and an Irish coffee, both crowd favorites for the cold holiday season.
Way, who’s been tending bar in the Modesto area for 20 years, said customer preferences do change with the seasons.
“When the weather gets cold, (it’s) Manhattans, old fashioneds” that customers tend toward. “The brown spirits are requested a lot more than the white spirits,” Way said of the changing seasonal selections. “It goes from bright and refreshing to boozy and bitter.”
Wilson, a bartender for about five years, said customers naturally are looking for warming drinks this time of year. “We make a lot of hot toddies and Irish coffees in the wintertime,” he said. “A hot toddy is perfect for cold season, too, with the lemon and honey.”
For the Irish coffee, he offered up a neat trick to show off to guests – churning your own fresh whipped cream in a cocktail shaker.
Way and Wilson offer their recipes for holiday drinks. (See below.)
Pat Clark: 209-578-2312
Winter Embrace
(Created by Matt Way)
1 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup (2 parts honey to 1 part boiling water, stirred to combine)
1 teaspoon pumpkin puree
2 ounces spiced rum
Ginger beer
Ice
In a cocktail shaker, combine lemon juice, honey syrup, pumpkin puree and rum. Fill with ice and shake to combine. Strain into a cocktail glass (Way used a coupe, an old-fashioned type of champagne glass). Top with ginger beer and garnish with a strip of orange zest.
Hot toddy
(Mixed by Josh Wilson)
1.5 ounces bourbon
2 teaspoons honey
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Hot water
Pour the bourbon into a glass mug, add honey and lemon, then top off with hot water and stir to mix. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and lemon wedges.
Irish coffee
(Mixed by Josh Wilson)
2 ounces Irish Whiskey
2 teaspoons brown sugar syrup or brown sugar
Freshly brewed hot coffee
1 cup fresh cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
Pour the Irish Whiskey into a glass mug. Add the brown sugar, then top off with hot coffee and stir to mix.
For the whipped cream, pour a cup of cream into a cocktail shaker and add the top to seal. Shake with rapid movement for about two minutes until whipped and smooth. Spoon on top of the Irish Coffee and grate a bit of fresh nutmeg over the top.
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Making spirits … That’s all, just making spirits."