The carol inspiration for today's drink is (It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus by Harry Connick, Jr. Recorded for his 1993 album When My Heart Finds Christmas, the song proved to be a funky and jazzy addition to the holiday repertoire.
When we think of New Orleans (hometown of HCJ), one of the images that pops up is that of fresh pecans (often in pralines!). This pecan "milk" punch fits the bill. We added some southern bourbon just for good measure.
(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus Cocktail
1 cup pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups water
4 dates or figs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cream of coconut
1/4 cup simple syrup (if desired)
1/2 cup bourbon
Toast the pecan pieces in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until fragrant. Turn off the heat; add the cinnamon to pan and toss. After the nuts have cooled, transfer the pecans and cinnamon to a blender. Add the water, figs and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Allow to sit for 3-24 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, discarding the solids. Return the liquid to the blender and add the cream of coconut and blend until thick and frothy. Pour mixture into glass and add bourbon (and whipped cream) if desired.
Cocktail Notes
We, more or less, followed this recipe for pecan bourbon punch. Pecan milk is surprisingly easy to make and there are numerous videos online that give demonstrations of making it (or other types of milk). Straining the milk through only a fine sieve will leave some of the nut particles in the milk. Nut milk bags are available for a relatively low cost (5 bucks) that provide a much finer strain.
We used Buffalo Trace in the punch because, as a smoother bourbon, we thought it would allow the pecan flavour to come through. After we added it, the Trace brought out some of the bitterness in the nuts. In retrospect, we might have tasted a couple of other bourbons with the pecan milk to see which one went best.
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