As the holidays grow nearer, we are debunking the myth that bad things happen in threes with a very good third installment of our favorite holiday cocktails. As we continue our month-long homage to seasonal cocktails with round three of We Dig: Holiday Hooch, here’s another festive trio of holiday cocktails for you to make, sip and enjoy.
Vancouver, BC’s La Pentola Della Quercia has crafted a seasonal cocktail inspired by some Italian folklore. On the evening of Jan. 5, or Epiphany Eve, La Befana rides her broomstick from house-to-house, bringing gifts to all the children. Inspired by this fantastical female, La Pentola Della Quercia has made a festive sipper infused with flavors of eggnog, fruit cake and spice.
La Befana
3 ounces of *raisin-infused Jamaican amber rum (try Appleton’s)
1 ounces Ramazzotti Amaro Felsina
¼ cup of white sugar
4 ounces half-and-half
6 ounces milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons of fresh grated nutmeg
Beat the eggs using an electric blender, mixing at low speed. Add the nutmeg and sugar and blend until dissolved. Pour in the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Let chill in the fridge, where it will keep for 3-4 days (a great make ahead for your holiday entertaining). Stir well before serving and sprinkle each glass with fresh ground nutmeg.
*To infuse the rum, pour half a bottle of rum in a hermetic container, preferably a glass jar. Add ½ cup of raisins and let steep overnight at room temperature. Strain the rum through the strainer and be sure to squeeze the raisins to extract additional flavor.
—
Ginger and pear make Cafe Flora’s Duchess of Perth an instant holiday favorite. Set in Seattle, Cafe Flora is celebrating the holidays with robust flavors reminiscent of the season. Simple and elegant, this scotch-based cocktail is perfect for sipping on by fireside.
Duchess of Perth
1 ½ ounces scotch
1 ounce BroVo ginger liqueur
1 ½ ounces pear-quince syrup
2 dashes Scrappy’s cardamom bitters
Combine ingredients and serve in a martini glass with candied ginger slices.
—
Smallwares in Portland is embracing the season with a spirited nod to the entire month of December, with their oolong-infused holiday cocktail. Citrus and black tea come together to make this uniquely crafted cocktail the perfect holiday sipper.
The December
1 ounce lemon hart 151 rum
1 whole egg
½ ounce oolong tea syrup
3 shakes orange bitters
Dry shake all the ingredients first, then shake over ice.
Fine strain into a coup and mist with herbsaint and garnish with grated nutmeg.
