You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can´t make it out alone
I´ve built my dreams around you
And the boys of the NYPD choir’s still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day.
–Shane McGowen “Fairytale of New York”
There are two things that signify Christmas time for me. The first is having my alarm clock go off the day after Thanksgiving and hearing Wham’s “Last Christmas” playing on the radio. The second is gathering with some fantastic friends and indulging in more bitters and booze in one night than I do in one year. Happy 4th Annual (HOLY SHIT!!) Obscure Holiday Cocktails, kiddies.
The mood was festive as we all had a pretty damn good year in 2012. For us, I received a promotion at work over the summer, that very morning the Missus had officially finished her graduate school program and Maine became the first state to recognize marriage equality via popular vote this past November. We’ve spent the past month partially dreaming about our ceremony and fretting over where we were going to host about 100 friends and family..and how we would pay for it all.
But, this was not a night to worry, this was the night for all of us to drink beyond the boundaries of moderation. Except for Vrylena, whose due any day. Dave drank her share and she got to sit there, eat cheese and watch as some of us wore our drunk a little more pronounced than others.
To start the evening was my darling Kate, who had a rough go of it in her choice of drink last year. This year she poured:
Ice1 ounce apple brandy3/4 ounce rosé vermouth3/4 ounce Spiced Honey Syrup (See Note)1/2 ounce fresh lemon juiceDash of Peychaud’s bitters1 ounce chilled cava or other dry sparkling wineFill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the cava and shake well. Strain into a large chilled coupe and top with the cava.Notes Spiced Honey Syrup: Wrap 1/2 cinnamon stick and 2 green cardamom pods in a kitchen towel and crush with a mallet or heavy pan. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup honey with 4 ounces water. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger and the crushed spices and simmer over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the syrup darkens and the spices are very aromatic, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled and infused, at least 8 hours. Pour the syrup through a fine strainer into a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 6 ounces
“Wash” a martini glass with a splash of Laphroig single-malt scotch
Pour 2 ounces of Bulleit Rye into a martini shaker full of ice
Add .5 ounce of Cherry Heering
Add .5 ounce of Carpano Antica
Add .5 ounces of Campari
Add 2 dashes of orange bittersShake, pour into martini glass. Then, put flame to an orange peel to slight smoke. Add to drink.
Burny. Tangy goat cheese brought up more sweetness in the drink.
I’d suffice to say that I am in no way up to Dawn’s level of spirit appreciation. But, while the drink was a little too stiff for me, the cheese smoothed it all out. Though it was too young to start being influenced from it’s swathing in chestnut leaves, the cheese was probably my favorite of the evening. When eaten in small bites the paste, dense and cakey, did coat the tongue enough to buffer against the burn of the Rye. But, take too big of a bite and the acidity, naturally found in a goats milk cheese, seemed to turn up the flame on my tongue. Both called for restraint and moderation, which was good because there was still a bit of cheese and drinks ahead.
Professor A. followed next and his drink was the most anticipated of the evening (at least for me). Because a name was demanded, he went with “Cider House Rules:”
3 oz ice cider, Eden single varietal barrel aged
1 oz single barrel Jack Daniels.5 oz ice extracted tower shot from Speckled Ax2 dashes walnut bittersOrange twist
exact recipe is in progress but basically, its an eggnog made with spruce infused vodka.ingredients: cream, egg, vodka, spruce needles, pinenuts, frangelico, nutmeg.
could call it the ‘i’m dreaming of a white russian christmas’, or since we’re celebrating on dec 7, it could be called the ‘pearl arbor’.
Our cheese finale was:
Winnimere, from Jasper Hill Farm and homemade dark chocolate fudge.
So, um..yea. Spruce needle infused vodka. I have to tell you, it was a bit of a mindfuck. You would think that it would smell very much like Lysol. But, it smells like mint. Yet, tastes of pine.
I love Adam, but I did not like this at all. I think I drank about a 1/4 of my share and called it good. There was just too much happening and to end with this, after so many different alcohols and sugar (on top of more sugar) were consumed. I just couldn’t.
I could, however, enjoy some cheese and chocolate. This would have been a better pairing with Professor A.’s drink for the coffee, nut and chocolate layers in it. With this being the first Winnimere batch of the season, you can see that it’s not terribly ripe. So, the usual notes of smoke and meat were tame. It was, however, buttery and rich with umami. The fudge, while basic, was a nice note to end on.
And so we end this chapter of Obscure Holiday Cocktails. Let’s have a toast to Vrylena and Dave and the little fellow to soon join them. A toast to having health, love, family and good friends. Cheers to you and yours.