5 Days of Cocktails – Day 3: Widow’s Kiss

Let things get weird with an old flame at the holiday office party as you sip this one under the mistletoe. The Widow’s Kiss is an old cocktail but those just learning to drink can take comfort in its gentle, supple, and smoothly spiced aromas. What’s old is new again and with its generous doses of herbal liqueurs and French brandy, you’ll feel first-class as you lean in for another nip of this feisty elixir.

Make no mistake, this is a hard edge cocktail but it’s subtle undertones of apple, honey and saffron add the allure of a feminine touch.

Cocktail recipes are regularly adapted depending on the personal preference of the mixer and the drinker, and as such, you may find countless variations for the Widow’s Kiss. The standard from what I can tell, includes Calvados, Yellow Chartreuse, and Bénédictine. Almost always, these three ingredients are represented in different proportions. Though I love herbal liqueurs, Bénédictine included, I thought I’d like to provide a variation that leaves it out and replaces it with Green Chartreuse, partly because I’m on a bit of a Chartreuse tear, but also because I thought it’d be nice to provide an option that doesn’t have you stocking your bar with ingredients you’ll seldom be using. Green Chartreuse is more powerful than the Yellow both in flavour and in alcohol – I love it but sometimes it doesn’t love me back – and thus works as an adequate substitute for the Bénédictine.

The orange peel garnish is another variation and completely optional. In the winter and especially around Christmas, I like the flavour an orange peel provides in my drink and if you wanted to go all out for your party, you could flame it as directed below.

Widow’s Kiss

makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
orange peel, for garnish (optional)

In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the Calvados, Yellow and Green Chartreuse, and bitters. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the glass before tossing the peel in the drink.

If you wanted to get a bit showy, you could flame the orange peel by pinching the peel above the drink while holding a match close to it, creating a quick and dramatic flame as the orange oils catch fire before hitting the drink.

Huge thanks to the hilarious Sara Hennessey for taking on the persona of the Widow’s Kiss for us! You can check out Sara’s tour schedule here. Go see her live! She’s a terrific woman!

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 2: Black Manhattan

The Black Manhattan is the Megan Draper of cocktails. It’s the younger, darker-haired variation of its predecessor and wholly enchanting to someone a bit old-fashioned and fixated on all things whisky. It feels both familiar and a little exotic, best suited for those seeking something new and chic that can play the part situated high atop the city in a penthouse suite, hanging above the social turmoil and counterculture happening on the busy streets below.

This is really a great cocktail for those just getting into serious cocktails. It’s dead simple to put together as it’s basically just two types of alcohol and unlike a regular Manhattan, you don’t have to worry about finding a quality sweet vermouth, which is a near impossible task in Ontario. Amaro Averna is what’s typically called for in this cocktail. It’s thick, sweet and herbal, lending a deliciously complex flavour to the drink. If you have trouble finding it, you could substitute in another type of sweet amaro. I’ve become fond of variation that uses Vecchio Amaro del Cappo though it’s lighter in colour, creating a cocktail that looks more like a traditional Manhattan.

Black Manhattan

Makes 1 cocktail

2 oz bourbon
1 oz Amaro Averna
1 dash Angostura
1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
2 bourbon-soaked cherries, for garnish

In a mixing glass filled with ice add the bourbon, Amaro Averna, and bitters. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with the bourbon-soaked cherries.

Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

50g granulated sugar
50ml cold water
125ml bourbon
100g good quality dried cherries

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the bourbon and cherries. Cover and leave to plump for approximately 30 minutes. Once plumped, pack the cherries into a resealable jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

5 Days of Cocktails – Day 1: County Nog

In honour of all of those Christmas office parties cluttering up your social calendar this month, we’re celebrating inappropriate boozy get togethers with our ultimate Mad Men-stlye booze fest and the 5 Days of Cocktails! These are our favourite cocktails to celebrate the end of the year. Some drinks we have all year-round and others, like the County Nog, we only bring out for Christmas parties when we’re pining for spiced Christmas flavours.

For those not accustomed to especially boozy cocktails (I prefer mine to come in at 3 ounces), here is a little reminder of restraint coming from Dorothy Parker:

“I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I’m under the table,
after four I’m under my host.”

With that out of the way, let’s get on to the party!

County Nog

Eggnog enthusiasts have all but ruined eggnog for everyone else. To them it either has to be a heavy custard affair that’s more appropriately eaten with a spoon or it’s the cartons of the prefab stuff, sometimes without booze and even worse, though I admire their greedy-passion for it, steamed into their morning latte.

When I think of drinking eggnog, I think it’s got to be cold, boozy and in small doses so that it leaves me wanting more. It’s what to drink when you’re not really feeling like Christmas because of it’s powerful ability to evoke the Christmas spirit. It’s what Clark Griswold pours into his Christmas moose mug in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and is the iconic drink for taking people past the point of Christmas cheer and into something a bit merrier. This Christmas sipper is for the well-intentioned Christmas romantic.

This recipe is based almost exactly on a recipe that appeared in the Globe and Mail two years ago and it comes from one of Toronto’s best mixologists, Aja Sax, currently bar manager of The Huntsman Tavern. It was created while she was working at The County General restaurant, hence the name “County Nog”.

Makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz bourbon (I use Bulleit)
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
3/4 oz Earl Grey tea, steeped and cooled
1/2 oz cinnamon simple syrup
1 egg yolk
dash of Scrappy’s cardamom bitters (optional)
whole nutmeg for grating

In a shaker add the bourbon, Grand Marnier, Earl Grey tea, cinnamon syrup, egg yolk and bitters. Shake for 10 seconds, then add ice to fill the shaker and shake for an additional 20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and using a microplane or other fine grater, grate the nutmeg over the top for a garnish.

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

makes 500ml syrup

250ml cold water
250g granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring a little to ensure the sugar dissolves evenly. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove from the heat and cover for 20 minutes to allow the cinnamon to further infuse into the syrup. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.