Spirits of the Holiday Season Not on Santa's List

The calendar has struck 12 and the longest night of the year is looming. People deal with this inescapable astronomical fact in various ways, but all those reactions fall into three basic groups.

Let’s call the first group the “Mariah Carey Joy Brigade.” At the first hint of a nip in the air (or in South Florida, a dip below 85% humidity), they’re ready for colored lights and tinsel, Champagne flutes and candy canes, jostling jingle bells and an unrepentant rewatch of “Love, Actually.” They’ll deck your halls, spin your dreidel and set your solstice hearth ablaze.

The second group, which I’ll call the “Goth Yule Survivor Society,” braces for dark days with hatchet in hand and grandmother’s lamb recipe in pocket, double-checking their supply of mulling spices because a little sweetness in this black, black wine is the only defense against chilblains, frostbite and putting Departure Lounge’s “Christmas Downer” on repeat until New Year’s Day arrives – if it even does. “I bet they’ll cancel it after the year we’ve had,” they may muse, “and wouldn’t that be just perfect?”

But here in South Florida as the solstice draws near, the Biscayne Tippler prefers what the sages call the “middle way.” Neither frantic fa-la-las nor seasonal affective sarcasm. Both peppermint and cloves, thank you kindly. Everyone looks cozy in a turtleneck. A long night without the thunderstorms of summer means it’s easier to sit outside and watch the stars (not to mention December’s Geminid meteor shower) while sipping something a little refreshing, either on the rocks or in a steamy mug.

The most traditional cocktail of the middle way is sometimes called a gin toddy, but its oldest name is a hot gin sling, a drink that goes back to the Colonial era. People who don’t like gin are sometimes shocked to discover how agreeable one of these can be. If you want to be true to your Biscayne roots, try the new barrel-aged gin from Miami’s own Big Cypress Distillery.

“We finish our staple Big Cypress Magic City Gin in three separate barrels: one ex-rye barrel, one ex-rum barrel and one fresh charred and toasted barrel, all of which are American white oak and impart their own nuances into the spirit,” explains Big Cypress’ Evan Lewis. “These barrels are then drained and carefully blended with a touch of fresh gin in order to deliver a well-rounded craft product that has been a big hit ever since its release a month ago.”

HOT GIN SLING

INGREDIENTS

·      1 shot gin

·      1 tablespoon honey

·      2 tablespoons lemon (or sour orange)

·      Boiling water

·      Whole nutmeg

METHOD

·      Mix gin, honey and citrus in a teacup; add boiling water, stir and top with a grating of fresh nutmeg – don’t use the powdered stuff. Take a moment to smell the aromatics before sipping.

Aside from the hot gin sling, Lewis recommends enjoying Big Cypress’ barrel aged in another classic cocktail, a gin Old Fashioned.

“It utilizes maple syrup as a sweetener as opposed to a standard sugar syrup,” he said. “It's been a hit this fall at our distillery and as it's easy to replicate. I'm sure it'll be a hit at home as well.”

And he suggests always making two, because not only is it the season of giving, but “the first one might just disappear!”

BARREL-AGED GIN OLD FASHIONED

INGREDIENTS

·      2 ounces Big Cypress Barrel-Aged Gin

·      1/2 ounce real maple syrup

·      2 dashes bitters (Angostura works beautifully)

·      1 cinnamon stick

·      2-inch piece orange peel

METHOD

·      Combine gin, maple syrup and bitters in glass; stir with cinnamon stick to combine. Add ice and stir again to chill.

·      Express orange peel into a fresh glass of ice; strain cocktail into fresh glass and garnish with the same cinnamon stick.

If the classics still seem too bracingly Goth Yule for your taste, perk up your solstice spirit with something festively tangy, cool and colorful. A cranberry gin and ginger pairs equally well with a turkey dinner and gingerbread cookies.

CRANBERRY GIN AND GINGER

INGREDIENTS

·      1 shot gin

·      1 shot cranberry juice

·      1 tablespoon orange juice

·      Ginger beer (Stoney or DG)

·      Rosemary sprig

METHOD

·      In a chilled cocktail glass, place several ice cubes, gin and juice, and top with ginger beer. Squeeze rosemary needles to release aromatics before using as garnish. (And for any teetotalers, this one’s just as refreshing without the gin.)

Now, gin is made from juniper, which is an evergreen, but gin is not necessarily an evergreen spirit. For those who insist on a drink that’s less crisply medicinal, more earthy and warm, there’s always a dash of whiskey in coffee, a buttered rum or one of those near-lethal eggnogs spiked with whiskey, rum and brandy. Those are time-tested cold-weather classics.

But consider tequila. A product of cactus-like agave growing in the blazing Mexican desert, it’s normally been thought of as a summertime party drink. Lately, though, hand-crafted small-batch tequilas have started making an impression on bartenders north of the border. Or, in Miami’s case, directly due east. Reposado tequila is “rested,” or aged, between two and 12 months in oak barrels, bringing out creamy, vanilla-like notes and a hint of spiciness. Añejo tequila is aged for between one and three years, gaining even more mellow complexity. Both pair well with pastries and do as well as rum in creamy drinks like coquito.

The distillers at Dano’s Tequila recommend a holiday-flavored spin on a simple favorite using a buñuelo, or Mexican doughnut, as a garnish, along with a spiced cinnamon syrup.

BUÑUELO OLD FASHIONED

INGREDIENTS

·      2 ounces Dano's Añejo tequila

·      1/2 ounce spiced cinnamon syrup (simple syrup infused with a cinnamon stick, an anise star and lime oil)

·      4 dashes bitters

METHOD

·      Stir all ingredients and strain into a rocks glass; garnish with buñuelo, or a lime peel. Nibble as you sip.

Consider adding these libations to your holiday drinks rotation, and – however and with whomever you celebrate – know that the Biscayne Tippler is somewhere out there raising a glass and wishing you and yours a dazzling holiday season and a very happy New Year.