4 Warm-You-Up Cocktails

Happy Friday, folks! You might have noticed the weather is getting FRIGID AF in Montreal. Not exactly ideal for ice-clinking cocktails. Instead, cheat the system and treat yourself to a heated boozy beverage. (Or several!)

Here are four well-known warm-you-up drinks -- perfect for when it's too cold for Moscow Mules and hot chocolate simply won't do the trick.

For your reference, each cocktail is linked back to several recipes :)

 

HOT TODDY

Made with lemon and honey, Hot Toddies are basically a home remedy for the common cold but... y'know... with whisky lol.

Crucial ingredients: Whisky, honey, lemon, and hot water.

Variations: Steep a tea bag in the drink (the only way I've ever had these). Switch to bourbon. Soak cinnamon and/or star of anise into your cup.

MULLED WINE

Mulled Wine reminds me of Nuit Blanche in Montreal. Specifically: Staving off frost bite by finally acquiring the stuff and fusing my hands to its warm cup. (For the record, regarding Nuit Blanche, it still blows my mind that some cruel person decided to hold a city-wide, overnight, and largely outdoor event IN THE DEAD OF WINTER. What?)

Crucial ingredients: Red wine (something sweet and fruity is ideal), star of anise, orange juice, and a cinnamon stick.

Variations: Add brandy or rum to the wine-based concoction. Maple syrup or honey, too.

 

IRISH COFFEE

Truthfully, I'm not the biggest fan of Irish Coffee. The combo of caffeine and booze makes me gag (how charming). However, I know when to give credit where it's due, and this cocktail is a crowd-pleasing classic.

Crucial ingredients: Irish whisky (Jameson is an easy choice), freshly brewed black coffee (hot obviously), brown sugar, and whipped cream.

Variations: Sub maple syrup for sugar. Try Bailey's instead of whipped cream -- or use both, depending on your sweet tooth.

HOT BUTTERED RUM

Hot Buttered Rum is the only drink on this list that I have yet to try! Which is odd because all its components are right up my alley.

Crucial ingredients: Dark or gold rum, brown sugar, cinnamon, hot water.

Variations: Some recipes call for actual butter. You can also add cream (heavy, whipped, or ice) (pretty much all the cream).

*

So, which one are you making tonight? :)

Image credit (top): The Dyrt

Image credit (drinks): Hot Toddy, Mulled Wine, Irish Coffee, Hot Buttered Rum

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Spruced Up Gin & Tonic

There's loads to love about a classic gin and tonic: Its mild flavor is always refreshing, and it's composed of such basic ingredients that you can get a decent one practically anywhere.

Recently, I've been doing an easy twist on the standard cocktail. My version doesn't call for extra steps or, frankly, any additional effort whatsoever. You'll need an ounce of Madison Park Pink Dry Gin, one small bottle of Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water, ice cubes, and a tall glass. Combine, kick back, drink up.

 

Cute packaging, right?

I arrived at this combination by total happenstance. The gin was an impulse purchase while waiting in line at the SAQ. Although it's certainly interesting that Madison Park is distilled in Montreal, the truth is, I was only really drawn to it because of the color lol. As for the tonic water, my sweet friend Erika gifted me a four-pack, saying it would change my G&T game. She was right! (This hidden treasure is sold at Rachelle Béry.) Maybe these bottles were destined to be in my kitchen at the same time -- they work so well when mixed together!

The flavors are a touch more... unusual... than your standard version of the drink. Fragrant, herbal, fairly sweet and light. And yet, there's no mistaking it for anything other than a gin and tonic! I find the unique taste of these somewhat off-the-beaten-track ingredients elevates the cocktail, making it special without really changing the recipe. 

For those who appreciate a good garnish, this drink would be lovely served with a sprig of lavender. Or, if you feel like channelling your inner Martha Stewart (and have time to prep in advance), try freezing edible flowers or berries into the ice cubes.

Let me know when you give this drink a whirl! And, as always, I'd love to know what you've been sipping on lately :)

Image credit (top): World's Best Bars
Image credit (products): Google

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Do You Ever Have A Drink Solo?

Tuesday night, I had the apartment ALL. TO. MYSELF. Josh was out having a socially distant dinner with friends in the park. Was I already ordering veggie sushi and opening a bottle of rosé before the guy was out the door? You better believe it.

This was only the second time in four months that I was home alone. I'll repeat: Four months!!! My love language might be Quality Time, but I'm also a major introvert, so sometimes that QT needs to be spent with myself. Kicking back on the sofa with a frosty glass of wine, take-out in my stomach and Curb on the television, with zero requirement to socialize (or even stay awake) -- frankly, it's an act of self care. No talking, no self-consciousness, no pressure whatsoever :)

People can get touchy about drinking solo. I totally understand the stigma. Some friends of mine won't even open a beer unless they are hanging out in a group. To each her own! Depending on the day, I look forward to unwinding at home with some wine (and junk food duh). Sometimes, being alone makes things even more relaxing. It's like having a very silent date with myself.

If you're looking forward to imbibing this weekend -- solo or otherwise -- feel free to browse the blog for drink recs. I'm still a big fan of this retooled Paloma, and have recently started trying different craft beer from a nearby shop.

As always, I love getting your input! Do you enjoy a solo drink every now and then? Would you go to a bar on your own? I can do an airport bar alone while waiting for a flight home, but that's the extent of my comfort zone lol.

TGIF pals! xo

Image credit: Glamour

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Ready-To-Drink Spritzes

Back in April, I wrote about my new obsession with Aperol Soda -- a take on the Aperol Spritz, made with sparkling water and (in my case) a local brand of the namesake orange aperitif called Amermelade.

Not long afterward, my beloved friend Kat told me the same brand actually makes a pre-mixed canned cocktail that you can buy at the SAQ. WHAT?

Turns out, ready-to-drink Aperol-esque spritzes are a huge thing! How had I never heard of them??

  

Les Iles (great logo) and Spritzol are two more options available in Quebec. Obviously, I had to try one right away. As previously discussed, I can be devoutly brand loyal, so Amermelade was the obvious first choice.

Full disclosure: I wanted to LOVE the product. Think about all the open-bottle-of-prosecco-related headaches it could solve.

Overall, the drink was good enough. The taste is much sweeter and more syrupy than a homemade version -- it would definitely benefit from being cut with sparkling water or (better yet) prosecco. Maybe the cans didn't stay in the fridge long enough and simply needed to be colder. I should go back to the lab (read: my kitchen) and do more research lol.

This isn't a carbon copy of a true spritz, but it gets the job done.

These pre-blended fizzy cocktails absolutely save you the trouble (and funds) of mixing them yourself. If I'm meeting friends for a drink in the park, I'd grab a pack without hesitation. On the other hand, having spritzes at home, I would still spring for the real deal.

Looking forward to eventually trying out the other brands :) what are your thoughts on canned cocktails?

Image credit (top): The Great Jamaican

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Drink Up: Moscow Mule

Happy Saturday! It's totally appropriate to chat about cocktails first thing in the morning, right?

I'm personally very, very down to bring back the Moscow Mule.

I feel like the once-ubiquitous cocktail became uncool and fell off people's radar. Or maybe it was replaced with something trendier? Either way, it's a shame, because a classic Moscow Mule is so insanely refreshing! Sharp ginger, sweet soda, ice-cold vodka... Come on, what's not to love?

The weather in Montreal was unbelievable this week, and the weekend is forecasted to be even nicer. Since I'm basically backyard-bound until further notice, now is a great time to make some Moscow Mules at home.

Like me, you're probably missing ginger beer and will need to go out to buy some. Good news: The soda is available at practically any dep or grocery store. Grab candied ginger too, for a fun and tasty garnish. (I recommend it.) As for booze, everyone seems to have at least one random bottle of vodka hanging around their house, leftover from some long ago party. We have Grey Goose in the freezer and I honestly couldn't tell you how it got there lol.

Once you've gathered all the ingredients, your Moscow Mule comes together with hardly any effort. Take your liquor and bubbles and lime juice, mix, serve on ice. Bonus points if you have copper mugs, but no stress if you don't. Regular glasses get the job done too ;)

Have a safe, awesome weekend! 

Image cred: The 50 Fifty

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Drink Up: Paloma Light

Our Sodastream came back to life last month and I have been on a major sparkling water kick ever since. (My skin is so pleased with the boom in hydration.)

Turns out soda water is (yet again) a fantastic substitute for another favorite cocktail of mine. This time, we're playing around with Palomas.

A Paloma is typically made with tequila, sparkling grapefruit juice, and lime. It looks soft and pretty, but the taste is quite strong, with bitter citrus cutting through the drink's overall sweetness. That bitterness keeps the flavors balanced and super refreshing, never cloyingly sweet. Also, I always give a drink bonus points for being fizzy.

It's pretty much a perfect summer cocktail.

But getting ahold of grapefruit soda can be a huge pain because not every grocery store carries it. Regular, flat grapefruit juice is much easier to find. Mix it with soda water and you have bubbles. Problem solved!

Using sparking water (instead of a soft drink) also helps control how sugary the cocktail gets. You're basically watering down the juice to suit your taste. Since grapefruit juice is already loaded with sugar, and grapefruit soda probably more so, I like being free to ease up on that sweetness and lighten the flavor.

Turns out these tweaks are already a thing and it's called a Paloma Light. Who knew!

I'm very into this cocktail at the moment and will be making them for the foreseeable future (or at least until the grapefruit juice runs out lol). Let me know if you give it a try :)

Image credit: Food & Wine

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Drink Up: Aperol and Soda

Making an Aperol Spritz (or any sparkling cocktail) for one person... sucks.

Opening a fresh bottle of sparkling wine solo, you are faced with two scenarios. You prepare yourself a modest drink or two, letting the rest of the bubbly go to waste because it won't last long in the fridge. Or you finish the whole thing, likely resulting in a mean hangover the next day. I can speak to both outcomes from experience. Neither are ideal.

Sometimes you don't even have sparkling wine handy. Then what!

I might have found a way out of this drink dilemma, and soda water is the key.

Hear me out.

We made Aperol Spritzes the other night, but subbed out wine for sparkling water. Ice, lemon (we didn't have oranges), stir. I wasn't convinced until I tried it. The drink tasted great! And surprisingly strong ;) Never realized the alcohol is sweet enough on its own. And now no bubble-related stress because the water gets resealed and stays fizzy.

Definitely not turning my back on the traditional version forever (sacrilige!) but I foresee see many Aperol Sodas in the summery months to come.

Full disclosure: We used this local liquor, not the name brand stuff. Totally recommend making the switch. The taste is basically the same, it's just nice to try something new and a little different. The bottle is really pretty, too.

Here's to kicking the weekend off right. Cheers!

Image credit: Nuvo Magazine

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