Here are some wonderful winter cocktail recipes to warm up your February. They all have an element of citrus, which gives the impression that they ‘re therapeutic, and they are – at least in a psychic satisfaction sense. These can be specialty cocktails to serve before a dinner party – especially the Lemon Vodka Smash – which makes a zingy presentation and should have a “Do not operate heavy machinery while using this medication” disclaimer. They’re all made with ingredients you’re likely to have at home, so no special effort is required to enjoy them. (This assumes, as all WASPs would, that you always have vodka, bourbon, and whiskey as basic kitchen staples.) You can easily concoct one of these while standing alone in your freezing kitchen at 10pm in flannel nightgown and slouchy socks, to create a “sleep aid.” Lovely.
So here are my recipes for an old-fashioned Old Fashioned with muddled fruit, a steaming Townhouse Toddy (a recipe my husband remembered from his college bartending days), and a Lemon Vodka Smash. These big cocktails are some of the little silver linings of a long winter. Enjoy!
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup (water and superfine sugar combined)
- 1 healthy slice of a fresh orange
- 2 fresh pitted cherries
Directions
- Put ice into a high-ball glass, and add bourbon, bitters and simple syrup.
- Stir.
- Garnish with orange and cherries and serve.
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bushmills rye whiskey
- 4 ounces hot tea
- 2 ounces fresh orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Directions
- Combine whiskey, hot tea and orange juice in a mug.
- Heat in microwave until very hot.
- Garnish with orange zest and serve.
Serves: 1
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces frozen vodka
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 lemon, cut in half, with a hole poked through the top of one half to insert a straw
- 2 ounces club soda
- ½ teaspoon superfine sugar thin straws, cut to fit glass
Directions
- Put vodka into freezer several hours before serving.
- Mix lemon juice and sugar until well combined.
- Pour vodka, lemon juice and sugar and club soda into a glass.
- The glass should have a wide-enough opening to fit half a lemon when pressed into the top of the glass.
- Poke a straw through the top of the lemon half and press lemon lightly on top of glass.
- Serve. (You may need to adjust the ingredients to fit the size of the glass you’re using. If you want to serve this as a shot, omit the club soda.)
