A Bitter Spirit

Day 9: Joseph's Admonition

The event in the Christmas Story that we are focusing our cocktail on today is what we are terming Joseph's Admonition.  Joseph figured out that Mary was pregnant with Jesus and was going to quietly divorce her.  In a dream, however, an angel appeared and said to Joseph, "Hold up there, Joseph.  Just calm the eff down.  The kid Mary is carrying is gonna be the saviour soooo just relax and go with it."  (No really.  That's verbatim.)  And Joseph did calm the eff down.  Well, after a drink he calmed down...at least in our minds.

For this cocktail, we envisioned a strong drink because after finding out that your new wife is pregnant with the son of god, you're gonna need a DRINK.  So we started first with a manly drink, a Manhattan with Maker's Mark for the bourbon.  We then added a touch of Art in the Age's Root to give it some bitterness and some complexity and a little Galliano to give some sweetness and accent the vanilla notes.  The result is a taste reminiscent of horehound candy, perfect for a guy who's basically been told, "Shut up and take your medicine."

The Admonition Cocktail

• 1 part - bourbon (we used Makers Mark)
• 1/2 part - Root
• 1/2 part - Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 part - Galiano
• 2 dashes - Peychaud Bitters

Combine ingredients except for bitters in shaker. Shake over ice. Pour over rocks in a rocks glass. Swirl in 2 dashes of Peychauds.

Cocktail Notes

• This went really smoothly. We started with Buffalo Trace bourbon, but it wasn't bite-y enough. So we switched to Makers. Done. Thanks, Joseph.

Day 8: The Annunciation

Our next cocktail in the Christmas Story Events series is the Annunciation. In biblical lore, the Annunciation is when the angel Gabriel visits Mary and breaks the news that she'll be carrying the Messiah. I know pregnant ladies aren't supposed to drink, but you tell me that if Gabriel showed up at the foot of your bed with that kind of news, you wouldn't have a good stiff drink? Jesus can handle it.

We wanted something celebratory (bubbles, anyone?) and also thought that the huckleberry we used in yesterday's drink, the Immaculate Conception, would provide a nice thru-line with the Christmas Story events that featured Mary. So, we've made a riff on a Kir Royale and a French 75. Think of this as a Nazareth 75.

The Annunciation Cocktail

• 1 part - Huckleberry Liqueur (we used Okanagan Spirits)
• 1 part - gin (we used Dillon's Unfiltered 22 - many thanks to Deuce who gave this to Kate as a birthday present this year!)
• Prosecco

Mix huckleberry and gin in a shaker over ice. Strain into a flute glass. Top with prosecco.

Cocktail Notes

• We originally had lemon bitters in the huckleberry/gin mix, but then when we added the prosecco, it flattened it out something fierce. We tried club soda - also terrible. And by this time, we'd had a lot of booze. And I suggested simple syrup. And then Drew called me an AMERICAN FOOD PRODUCER (implying that I think we should just add sugar and salt to everything). And then Rosemary started tweeting our drunken fight. And then Drew popped the top on the Cava (which was semi-sweet vs the brut prosecco). So we had to try that and it was so much better. But we didn't want to use Cava b/c we're using Cava in something later in this series. So we removed the bitters and tried it again with the prosecco. So much better.
• No more notes.

Day 7: Immaculate Conception

With today's cocktail, we say goodbye to the Solstice cocktails and start a group that we're calling the Christmas Story Events.  Basically, we chose a few significant events around Jesus's birth, and we're making a drink to celebrate it. (Drew - We might be a little buzzed from some cocktail testing so if some of this post is slightly incoherent, we're hoping you'll forgive us. #RealTalk | Kate - we did not choose the shepherds).

Today's cocktail focuses on the story of the Immaculate Conception. Many people think that the Immaculate Conception refers to Jesus's virgin birth. Not so! The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary being born without Original Sin. So according to the Bible (well, Catholic tradition), St. Anne and St. Joachim (Mary's parents) totally did it and Mary was the fruit of that union, she was born a pure (sans sin) vessel and could therefore, later in her life, carry and bear the Messiah.

For this drink, we decided we wanted something boozy yet something lady like. Kate had in mind something similar to an American in Paris. We had several of Okanagan Spirits' Fruit Liqueurs lying around and decided to try some of those. Huckleberry seemed to work the best (and such a pretty colour!!). That, mixed with some bourbon and yellow Chartreuse made a delightful sipping cocktail.

The Immaculate Conception Cocktail

• 2 parts - Bourbon (we used Makers Mark)
• 1 part - Yellow Chartreuse
• 1 part - Huckleberry Liqueur from Okanagan Spirits
• few dashes - Dillion's DSB bitters (think artisan Angostura bitters)

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Shake over ice. Serve on the rocks in a rocks glass.

Cocktail Notes

• Tried Aztec Chocolate bitters from Fees Brothers - flattened it
• Tried Heliotrope bitters from Apothecary - good - Drew actually liked this the best
• Tried Latin Lime bitters from Apothecary - flattened it and and takes the good sting out of the Makers
• Tried Lemon bitters from Fees Brothers - takes away the good character

Day 6: Dongzhi Festival

The final festival in this group of cocktails is the Dongzhi Festival.  Celebrated in China and east Asia, Dongzhi is a Winter Solstice festival that celebrates the lengthening of daylight hours and the increase in positive energy.  While not an official holiday, it is a special time for reuniting with family members.

As with many festivals, traditional foods play a pivotal role in Dongzhi. Glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) with various fillings and lamb dumplings are often eaten to recharge energy during the long, cold winter. While lamb is delicious, we decided that a mutton infusion was not the best way to go with this cocktail. Instead, we started off with some Chinese spirits and then added some ginger and orange & summac spirits to come up with a distinct martini that is ready to recharge anyone's failing winter energy.

The Dongzhi Festival Cocktail

• 1 part - Chinese Rice/Grain baijiu (we used Red Star ER GUO TOU)
• 1 part - Ginger Liqueur (we used Giffard's)
• 1 part - Manitou Orange & Sumac Liqueur

Combine ingredients into a shaker. Shake over ice. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a mandarin slice.

Cocktail Notes

• We'll be the first to admit that we know next to nothing about Chinese baijiu. We read up a bit on it (there is quite a good blog about baijiu called 300 Shots at Greatness). But the mysteries of baijiu still proved elusive. When we went to look for something appropriate at the liquor store here in BC (where you think there would be some good options), there were several bottles, usually at one of two price points: around $30 and around $200. We like you guys, but not that much. So, this is probably not the best choice if you're serious about getting to know baijiu.
• The Manitou is delightful and the sumac really brings out the sorghum in the baijiu. But I'm guessing that you could use another orange liqueur like Cointreau for a similar effect.
• Baijiu and lemon do not play together well. At least this particular baijiu.
• One of the other ideas we had for this was an infusion of osmanthus flowers or incorporating osmanthus paste or jelly. We couldn't find any in time, but that's something we'd still like to experiment with.

Day 5: Night of the Radishes

Ah regional festivals.  It's in these settings that you truly begin to uncover the traditions and history of a culture. There's mud throwing in Korea, baby jumping in Spain, or even hair freezing in the Yukon.  All a little quirky, all a little fun to be a spectator at.  One such Christmas related festival is the Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico.  The radish was introduced to the area by the Spanish missionaries and progressively grew in popularity.  During the colonial period, vendors in the local Christmas markets decided to begin carving radishes into intricate sculptures and scenes in hopes of attracting more and more visitors.  Finally in 1897, the mayor of Oaxaca declared the first radish carving competition and the Night of the Radishes had begun.

For this cocktail, we went in what seems a logical direction: radish infused tequila.  That met with mixed results.  First, the radish actually smooths the tequila and lends a nice peppery finish.  However, there is a distinct, ahem, farty smell that is given off as the radishes infuse.  Mmmmm, tasty.  After kicking around several ideas (see the Cocktail Notes below), we decided to go with a Cadillac style margarita.  The Grand Marnier and St. Germaine fill in the gaps and add a nice grapefruit quality to the pepper radish.

The Night of the Radishes Cocktail

• 2 parts - radish-infused tequila (we used el Jimador)
• 1 part - Grand Marnier
• 1 part - St. Germain
• 1/2 part - Fresh Lime Juice

For the infusion: coarsely chop a small bunch of radishes (6-8) and place in 2 cups of tequila. Wait 2 days. Un-cap the jar. Release the Farts of Doom and Hellfire into the room (be careful not the drop the jar). Wait another day. Farts are less potent. Infusion starts to taste like radishes.

For the drink: combine ingredients into shaker. Shake over ice. Pour into cocktail glass. Garnish with thin wheel of lime.

Cocktail Notes

• In a weird "first crack" at this cocktail, we tried our tequila radish infusion and Bols Melon. It brings out the absolute worst in each of the two.
• We then tried it with Aperol, thinking that the bitter in the Aperol might be a nice boost to the radish with a hint of orange. In reality, no orange ..just lots of bitter. In a rando thought, Kate says "Let's add chocolate .. like a mole". Kate may have done too much tasting at this point. We tried Aztec Chocolate Bitters and Gifards Chocolate Syrup. This was not a good idea.
• Finally .. we brought out the big guns .. Grand Marnier. If anything will smooth this bad boy out and tame those radishes, it's Grand Marnier. Like in a Cadillac margarita.