Robertino

Today’s delight comes, once again, from the Bar Hemingway.  It is sure to please all members of the fairer sex that you may be entertaining, as well as any gentlemen who stop by.  The Robertino has just the right amount of sweetness to it, the balance impeccably perfected at the esteemed establishment of its birth.

Once again there is not a depth of history involved , it was created in 2005 by one of the bartenders at the Ritz for a regular who frequently brings models, actresses and rock stars into the bar. It is obviously influenced by the Cosmopolitan, but the flavor seems more balanced and enjoyable.

To me this is a drink meant to share with someone, so this will make enough for two.  Start by placing a sprig of fresh mint in a shaker, add two ounces of Grey Goose vodka, and muddle slightly.  Add one ounce of fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice and an ounce of Cointreau.  Lastly add six ounces of cranberry juice.  Fill the shaker with ice and mix.  Pour the contents into two ice filled old fashioned glasses, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.  Serve while Labelle's Lady Marmalade plays suggestively in the background.

Robertino

2 oz vodka

1 oz mandarin orange juice

1 oz cointreau

6 oz cranberry juice

2 springs of mint

Add vodka and a sprig of mint to a shaker, muddle.  Add orange juice, Cointreau  and cranberry juice.  Fill with ice and shake.  Serve in an ice filled old fashioned glass with a sprig of mint.  Serves two.

Hot Buttered Rum

To stick with our theme of winter drinks, here is one that will make your cardiologist cringe.  But as we all know, anytime you are using butter in a cocktail, good things are going to happen!  The Hot Buttered Rum is one of those gluttonous pleasures that would not cross your mind eleven months out of the year, but when candy canes and cookie trays constitute a balanced breakfast a Hot Buttered Rum is the perfect drink to end a long day.

While I have found no evidence to support his creation of the drink, Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr., also known as Trader Vic, definitely made it popular.  It appeared in “Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink,” published originally in 1946.

To make this delightfully decedent treat you need to make a batch of butter batter first.  Place one stick of butter at room temperature into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, add a quarter teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Beat until the butter is creamed and the spices are well mixed.  Slowly, add one pound of brown sugar and continue to mix.  Store the batter in the refrigerator.  When ready to make the cocktail place one to two heaping teaspoons into a mug, add two ounces of dark rum (I’m currently using Myer’s), and fill with boiling water.  Serve with a cinnamon stick and an angioplasty tenth one’s free punch card.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb brown sugar

¼ lb butter softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

a pinch of sugar

dark rum

Cream the butter, salt and spices in a mixing bowl, add sugar and mix.  Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.  For each drink place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the butter batter into a mug, add 2 ounces of dark rum and fill with boiling water.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Coquito

I have recently come to the conclusion that Christmas should either be white or tropical, nowhere in between.  Fortunately whether you are sitting by a roaring fire watching the snow accumulate by the foot or stretched out with your feet in the sand enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the beach this drink has you covered.

The Coquito is a traditional holiday drink from our island neighbor Puerto Rico.  History is pretty sparse, but as it is similar to eggnog, I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that it evolved due to the abundance of indigenous ingredients.

As this, once again, is a cocktail made for celebrations, the recipe here is for a crowd.  Start by warming eight cups of coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.  When the milk starts to steam add three quarters of a cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Meanwhile place sixteen egg yolks in a mixing bowl add four tablespoons vanilla extract and whisk until well blended.  I do not use much spiced rum, but this is a circumstance where I think the spice adds to the drink.  Stir in two cups of Captain Morgan’s and then slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan stirring constantly and using caution not to let the mixture boil.  Remove from heat when completely mixed.  While the Coquito is traditionally served cold, I enjoy it hot as well.  To serve it cold, place the mixture in a glass container and refrigerate until ready to serve.  This recipe also makes for a lighter libation appropriate for all of your guests, I personally like to add another ounce (or more) of rum to my cup when serving.  To finish it off, top the mixture with fresh ground Ceylon cinnamon before serving.

Coquito

8 cups coconut milk

¾ cup of sugar

16 egg yolks

4 tbl vanilla extract

2 cups spiced rum

Gently heat milk over low heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs and vanilla, add the rum.  Slowly mix the egg mixture into the milk, stirring constantly.  Serve with freshly ground cinnamon over the top.

Wassail

Seeing that our list is a little short on classic holiday drinks there will be at least a couple appearing this week.  Here is a classic from Jolly Olde England that is sure to warm your soul and fuel your caroling long into the cold night.

Wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition that was originally performed with the intention of ensuring a good crop of cider apples for the next year's harvest.  It evolved into the yuletide tradition of caroling door to door with a bowl of sherry-soaked warm cidery goodness.  The name comes from the Middle English salutation ‘Waes Hail’, meaning ‘good health’ or ‘to your health’.  The revelers would go door-to-door singing in exchange for a refill.

To make this cold weather cocktail, warm two quarts of apple cider over medium heat until it starts to steam.  Add one half cup of brown sugar and two teaspoons ground nutmeg.  In a tea ball place, approximately six cinnamon sticks, a dozen each cloves and allspice berries, and a vanilla bean.  Drop the tea ball into the cider and let simmer for 30 minutes while enjoying another of our holiday favorites.  Remove the tea ball and add one cup each of fresh squeezed lemon and orange juices.  Pour in one and a half liters of dry sherry.  Find the worlds largest roady cup and head out into the cold with your band of musical merry makers singing this:

            Wassail! wassail! all over the town,

            Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;

            Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;

            With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.

Wassail
2 qts apple cider

½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp ground nutmeg

6 cinnamon sticks

12 whole cloves

12 allspice berries

1 vanilla bean

1 cup orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1 ½ liters dry sherry

Heat cider over medium heat until steaming.  Add sugar and nutmeg.  Put remaining spices in a tea ball and set in the cider.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove tea ball and add the remaining ingredients.  Serves six to eight.