Can you feel the cold? For many of us, it has arrived. And that’s persuading us to accept things like soup recipes, stews, winter vegetables and thawing fall and winter cocktail recipes.
Lynn House is the national spirits specialist and portfolio mixologist at Heaven Hill, a company that looks after bourbon houses like Old Fitzgerald. We looked her up for some wisdom regarding the cold weather classics.
“During the colder months of the year, people start to crave spirit forward cocktails,” House says. “People also start to gravitate towards richer foods – roasts, stews and other hearty dishes. This creates a sensation of warmth and comfort. Cocktails like the Boothby and Black Manhattan satisfy this desire. Both have a wonderful rich mouthfeel that highlight the season, and their simple ingredients have stood the test of time.”
Darker cocktails
As House says, it’s all about weight. We want a little extra in the offseason and that’s a natural inclination, whether we’re drinking, eating, or both. That does not mean you have to give up, say, tequila, but it might mean dressing it up a bit with an amaro or something along those lines.
We have two cold weather classics below that you can put together at a pro level. These are tried-and-true drinks that just don’t need any improvements. That’s because they win us over time and time again.
This time of year, we might be looking for some refreshment, but we’re also looking for those familiar and soothing flavors. And that doesn’t mean throwing everything but the sink at a cocktail glass. Less is so often more.
Less is more
“Quality ingredients are important because life is too short to not enjoy the best that you can,” House says. “When I am teaching my Cocktail 101 class, I speak to how a great cocktail is like an equilateral triangle. Each side has the same value. In a cocktail, each ingredient has equal value with its contribution to the end result. For the cocktail to be successful, each ingredient has to have integrity and be well crafted. This means starting with a great bourbon like Old Fitzgerald, and having exemplary secondary ingredients, like Carpano Classico Vermouth and
Sometimes, things get overlooked. “Too many times, the garnish is an afterthought,” House says. “As someone who loves a great spirit forward cocktail (I rarely drink sours) the garnish is the icing on the cake. Again, it goes to my equilateral triangle analogy. It does not make sense to have a cocktail with great ingredients and then finish it with a mediocre garnish. Amarena Fabbri Cherries are the perfect garnish to a great cocktail – their history dates back to 1915, overlapping with Old Fitzgerald’s history. These cherries have stood the test of time and have become iconic in their own right.”
The magic of amaro
With amaro, you’re injecting complexity. So many of the age-old Italian recipes incorporate dozens of botanicals and do especially well with darker spirits like aged rum, bourbon, and rye. You get a balancing punch of bitter and often some other intriguing elements, from herbal notes to dried fruit and nutty elements.
For the cold weather classics, having a little on hand is key, whether that’s Averna, Amaro Nonino, Montenegro, or the like. You can go Spanish with something like Amaro del Capo Caffo Vecchio or, increasingly, look to domestic U.S. producers making some quality options. To use them is to be part of a rich chapter in aperitivo and cocktail culture.
Time tested ingredients
“What makes these cocktails iconic is while they are rooted in simple builds, they have evolved with us over the course of time,” House says. “The Boothby dates back to the 19th century – it is a perfect mix of bourbon and vermouth layered with a hint of sparkle. The Black Manhattan is more of a modern twist on the original classic. Amaro takes the place of vermouth, thus leading to a cocktail that has great depth of flavor, warms the heart and is a perfect way to forget that it is getting colder outside.”
House adds that Old Fitzgerald has been part of the culture since the 1870s. “Using the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Seven-Year-Old in the Boothby and Black Manhattan feels like coming full circle: you’re reviving vintage recipes with a bourbon that carries forward that same craftsmanship and authenticity. It’s a way to honor the past while inviting today’s drinkers to experience that 19th-century magic in a modern glass,” House says.
Read on for the recipes.
Black Manhattan
A little Averna can go a long way, especially with a good whiskey, as this drink beautifully shows.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Old Fitzgerald 7-Year-Old
- 1 ounce. Averna® Amaro
- 1 dash Angostura® Bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Brandied cherry
Method:
- Add the whiskey, Amaro, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a brandied cherry.
Boothby
What brings this cocktail all together? I think it’s the crisp and dryness of a sprightly sparkling wine.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Old Fitzgerald 7-Year-Old
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 ounce Brut Champagne
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Maraschino cherry
Method:
- Add all ingredients except champagne to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 15-20 seconds until well-chilled.
- Strain into chilled coupe glass, and top with Champagne and garnish with Maraschino cherry.
