Whiskey Drink – Elvis Sips!

Let’s Stir Up a Manhattan!

There are some classic cocktails that everyone has heard of. The Martini. The Old Fashioned. Gimlet. And, of course, the Manhattan.

This year, for the 2020 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience Competition, I created MY version of the perfect Manhattan. I was picked to go to the regionals in Columbus – and, like so many other events, it was postponed until the fall because of the Covid19.

So, before I share my recipe with you, I want to talk Manhattan. All in all, this is a simple cocktail. Three ingredients. You don’t even have to garnish it. You can serve it in a beautiful martini glass. Or in a double old fashioned glass over a giant ice cube. Like so many of the “Classics” there are no hard and fast rules anymore. You can experiment until you find exactly how you like it – just be sure to communicate clearly with your bartender if you want YOUR perfect Manhattan out at your favorite bar.

Whiskey. Vermouth. Bitters. That’s all there is too it. Traditionally – Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, and Angostura Bitters.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of Rye, I prefer a rich, smooth Bourbon. I used Woodford Reserve. It mixes well, and holds up to the other strong flavors in the Manhattan.

Sweet Vermouth… I’ve liked it, in small quantities. I tend to find it too heavy and overpowering in cocktails. So I used a mix of Rosso and Bianco Vermouth. Bianco Vermouth is a bit sweeter than Dry Vermouth, and has some beautiful floral, citrus notes that help to carry some brighter tasting notes to the front of the Manhattan. If you haven’t found a Vermouth that you love yet, keep trying. Go to a well-stocked liquor or wine store, and just peruse the many brands. Each brand has a distinct flavor profile. Do a little bit of research and pick one or two to try. I like Martini & Rossi and Dolin. (And PLEASE, once you open your vermouth PLEASE store it in the refrigerator!)

Angostura Bitters. They’re great. If those are the only bitters you have, use them! Your Manhattan will still be delicious. If you have other bitters (You can find some great bitters variety packs on Amazon.) play around with the ones you like the best. Cherry Bitters would be great. Or even Chocolate. For my Manhattan I used both Orange and Lemon Bitters. I like highlighting the citrus notes that appear throughout my ingredients in this cocktail.

So, without further ado –

Swanning Around Manhattan

2 oz Woodford Reserve
.25 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso Vermouth
.25 oz Martini & Rossi Bianco Vernmout
2-3 drops Orange Bitters
2-3 drops Lemon Bitters

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients. Add ice. Stir to properly chill and dilute. Approximately 10 seconds. Strain into a Double Old-Fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel. (If you have a Luxardo cherry, through it in there! Those cherries are delicious!) Enjoy!

How do you put your own personal touch on a classic cocktail?

Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate

Who remembers playing outside in the snow as a kid? Sledding? Making Snowmen? Snowball fights? Just staying outside in the crisp, cold weather crunching through the snow until your cheeks were pink and your nose was froze? When it was finally time to go inside the perfect way to warm up was a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate. How did you top yours? Marshmallows? Whipped Cream? Or were you a purist, and drank yours with no garnish at all?

Growing up we had a really good homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. My mom had the recipe in an old church cookbook. It might have been my dad’s mom’s church cookbook, but I’m really not sure. I just remember that it was delicious. I made it a couple of years ago, and it was still good. But not as good as I remember. So I decided to create a new, easy, amazing Hot Chocolate.

I don’t know about you, but as an adult Hot Chocolate is a pretty big treat. My hot drinks tend to stay on the sensible side- coffee or tea. And if I’m craving Hot Chocolate, sometimes the powdered packet is just fine… but let’s face it, even the best powdered mixes aren’t that good. So, if you are going to have Hot Chocolate do yourself a favor, and make it a real treat. A rich, creamy, decadent (SPIKED) treat.

I love this recipe because it’s a little different. It features White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder. You get all of these delicious layers of chocolate and it’s not too sweet. It’s amazing on its own, but even better if you spike it with a little smoethin’ somethin’ it’s even better.

Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate
1 bag (11oz) High Quality White Chocolate Chips
1 ½ Tablespoon Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
8 cups 1% Milk
1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
A couple of drops of Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Kosher Salt

In a heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, about half the milk, the cocoa powder, and whisk well to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir often and keep an eye on the heat, you don’t want to scald the milk. Once the chips are melted and everything is heated through, give it a taste test. Add more cocoa powder, milk, or vanilla as needed.

You can also make this in a crockpot. Follow the same directions, but over low heat stirring every 30 minutes. Once hot, switch to the warm setting.

Serve with marshmallows, whipped cream, or nothing at all in your favorite mug!

This is amazing and child friendly, as is. Now let’s make it adult friendly. Some of my favorite additions are – Candy Cane Infused Vodka (as made in a previous post), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?), Fireball (cinnamon and chocolate for a little extra spice), your favorite bourbon (bourbon and chocolate pair so well together), Rum Chata (for a more mild, extra creamy addition), Kahlua (for a mocha-type drink)….. the possibilities are really endless. Let me know what your favorite is!

My favorite? LOTS of marshmallows and a healthy glug of Maker’s Mark.

Winter Warm-Ups

So, this post is delayed by a few days. I was going to make a nice post about some of my favorite winter warm-up drinks, like hot toddies and how they are not only delicious, but also medicinal… I made my drinks, I took my pictures, and then my throat started to hurt, I began to feel achy and chilled, and before I knew it, I was hit with a cold/flu/nastiness. I have been sleeping as much as possible and drinking lots of hot water/lemon/honey/ginger and I’m already feeling much better.

So, what is a hot toddy? A mixed drink, served hot traditionally made with whiskey, lemon, and honey.

I enjoy a traditional toddy when the weather starts getting chilly but by December, I’m ready to shake it up a little bit. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I love pairing blackberry and whiskey. So, I made a Hot Blackberry Ginger Toddy… it just what I needed. The blackberry and honey mix so well, and with the fresh lemon juice it doesn’t get too sweet. Beam Black is my go-to for a drink like this- big enough flavors to stand up through the blackberry/ginger, but it still blends well into the cocktail. The ginger is absolutely necessary for me, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any or don’t like it. I need the bite of fresh ginger to balance the other flavors, but I understand fresh ginger is too much for many people. (ps – sorry for the not-great phots… this is all that I got before I accidentally drank it in my haze of oncoming sickness.)

Hot Blackberry-Ginger Toddy
1oz Honey (locally sourced is best, thank you Don Popp’s Honey Farm)
.5oz Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Blackberries
¼ – ½ inch piece of fresh Ginger, peeled and rough chopped
1.5oz Beam Black
5oz near boiling water

In a heat proof measuring glass combine Honey, Lemon Juice, Blackberries, and Ginger. Muddle the blackberries into the honey and lemon. Add Beam Black. Top with water and carefully stir to combine. Cover the top of the glass and let steep for 4 minutes. Pour through fine mesh strainer into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite take on the Hot Toddy?

Up next… my Favorite White Christmas Hot Chocolate….