Category Archives: recipes

Hot Buttered Rum

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hot buttered rum

I remember the first time Mrs. Simple Cocktails and I made Hot Buttered Rum – it was a disgusting disaster. I’m not sure where we found the recipe, but we ended up melting a stick of butter and basically just pouring the rum in and sipping it. Nasty! Well, like the Hot Toddy, a Hot Buttered Rum is similar to tea in that the primary ingredient is boiling water: clearly the missing element from our original attempt at the drink. Here’s a proper recipe for Hot Buttered Rum. Enjoy!

Hot Buttered Rum

  • in a mug, add:
  • 1 sugar cube
  • a pat of butter
  • 2 oz rum (I used spiced rum)
  • top with boiling water and stir well

Hot Toddy

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hot toddy

I’d always heard of Hot Toddys, but have never made one until just recently. Hot cocktails are a rare treat, and they usually only make up about 5% of the big cocktail books. Now that my town’s already had a snow or two this year, it’s time to try some classic cold weather cocktails. The best way to think of a Hot Toddy is it’s like tea, but with whiskey instead of tea. Yes please!

Hot Toddy

  • in a mug, add:
  • 1 sugar cube
  • a dash of nutmeg
  • a dash of cinnamon
  • 2 oz whiskey (I used Jim Beam Black)
  • top with boiling water and stir well

Jose Cuervo Cinge (Cinnamon Tequila)

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jose cuervo cinged carmel aple cocktail

Jose Cuervo Cinge is a new cinnamon-infused tequila that retails for about $18. As you may know, Cuervo is the top-selling tequila brand in the world, and since vodka and whiskey have embraced the flavored liquor trend, it’s no surprise to see tequila flavors, too.

Cinge is sweet and spicy, though mostly spicy, vaguely reminding me of a Fireball candy. Because Cuervo isn’t a 100% agave brand, the mugginess of tequila is eclipsed by the cinnamon burn, and your lips will be left sticky and sweet. Cinge has a unique flavor that makes for some fun cocktail recipes, and since tequila mixes well with apple, here’s a recipe for you to try:

Firey Cinged Apple (by Greg Mays)

  • 2 oz Jose Curevo Cinge
  • 2 oz apple juice
  • 1 oz caramel liqueur (I used Lovoka)
  • stir and serve on the rocks

Honey Paddy Cocktail

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honey paddy cocktail

The Paddy is a classic cocktail which is a bit like a Manhattan with Irish whiskey. Since I have a bunch of honey whiskies to work with because of the Bees vs. Trees series, I decided to put it to use and substitute Bushmills Irish Honey in the place of the usual Irish whiskey in a paddy. It’s a great cocktail:

Honey Paddy Cocktail

  • 1 1/4 oz honey Irish whiskey
  • 1 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
  • 1 dash bitters
  • stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Mark Twain Cocktail

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“Livy my darling, I want you to be sure and remember to have, in the bathroom, when I arrive, a bottle of Scotch whisky, a lemon, some crushed sugar, and a bottle of Angostura bitters. Ever since I have been in London I have taken in a wine glass what is called a cock-tail (made with those ingredients) before breakfast, before dinner, & just before going to bed.”

Mark Twain’s birthday is November 30th, and this year would have been his 178th. There may be no better way to celebrate his legacy than with his favorite cocktail – a real old-school treat which he describes above in a 1874 letter to his wife.

Mark Twain Cocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz of scotch
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • crush the sugar with a muddler in a cocktail shaker
  • add ice, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

T.N.T.

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tnt cocktail

I was browsing Mr. Boston’s Cocktail book recently, and discovered a cocktail I’d never heard of. This drink ends up a cool, bright yellow because of the mixture of the two ingredients. This is a potent drink – it clocks in at a meager 2 oz – and it’s a great excuse to use you old-timey cocktail coupes:

TNT Cocktail

  • 1 oz absinthe
  • 1 oz whiskey
  • stir with ice and strain into a small, chilled cocktail glass

Fall Cocktails + Bitters on The Morning Brew (Video)

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Here’s the video clip from May 14th of my live segment on The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens in Albuquerque. Remember you can find the recipes that I made on the show (Mapple Punch and Scotch/Soda/Cranberry) here.

Tequonic Cocktail

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tequonic cocktail

Tonic water isn’t just a handy mixer with gin (though that’s the most common). You can substitute any base liquor for gin and see how it works with tonic water. This cocktail is a fun variation on a margarita, as the tonic water takes the place of the sweet triple sec. Enjoy!

Tequonic

  • in an old fashioned glass filled with ice, add:
  • 2 oz tequila
  • juice and shell of 1/2 a lime
  • top with tonic water

White Lion Cocktail

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white lion cocktail

I promise this cocktail’s name precedes the amazing hair metal band of the 1980s and 90s. But every time I make it, I still think of them anyways.

White Lion Cocktail

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tsp powdered sugar
  • 2 dashes bitters
  • 1/2 tsp grenadine
  • 1 1/2 oz white rum
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Orange Blossom Special

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orange blossom special cocktail

“Look a-yonder comin’
Comin’ down that railroad track
Hey, look a-yonder comin’
Comin’ down that railroad track
It’s the Orange Blossom Special
Bringin’ my baby back…” ~ Johnny Cash, Orange Blossom Special

Gin and orange juice make a great flavor combination, and I’ve begun to regularly prefer gin over vodka in my Screwdrivers. A while back, I had a spicy gin that made a particularly great combination with orange: Seattle’s Big Gin. Here’s an awesome, simple, tasty gin-and-orange cocktail you can try at home:

Orange Blossom Special

  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 tsp powdered sugar
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with a tiny orange wheel (I used a Cutie)