Holiday drinks with a tropical twist: A top tiki bar shares its cocktail recipes

The holidays are coming fast and you could probably use a good cocktail. Whether it’s for yourself or something to hand to your guests as they arrive, we’ve got you covered. And instead of a boring old hot toddy or similar, we thought we’d go the route of stellar tiki cocktails.

So we reached out to our friends at Three Dots and a Dash, one of the best tiki bars in the land. The Windy City establishment is known for its well-structured tropical drinks, which so often reflect the season in addition to tiki culture.

Read on for some great original holiday cocktails with recipes from the lauded Chicago bar.

Mistletoe Mai Tai

A classic Mai Tai cocktail in the mold of the holidays? Sold. This one blends infused rum with Curacao, apple tea, orgeat, and more for an amazing drink.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce cranberry-infused Jamaican Overproof*
• 1 ounce aged Jamaican rum
• 1/2 ounce orange Curacao
• 1 ounce cranberry apple tea*
• 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce almond orgeat
• 1 teaspoon falernum
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 3 drops Bittermens cranberry bitters
• Cranberries, edible orchid, and mint for garnish

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin with 8 ounces of crushed ice.
2. Flash-blend for 5 seconds and pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
3. Garnish with mint bouquet, three cranberries skewered, and an edible orchid.

* Cranberry-infused Jamaican Overproof ingredients:

• 2 liters Jamaican Overproof rum
• 1 pound fresh cranberries

Method:

1. Combine together in a sous vide bag, seal, and cook in sous vide at 175 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours.
2. Remove from the water bath, carefully open the bag, and strain through the chinois into a clean container.
3. Allow to cool before bottling and refrigerating.

*Cranberry apple tea ingredients:

• 1 liter filtered water
• 35 grams Rare Tea Cellars Autumn Harvest Cran-Apple Tea

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat, add tea and let steep for 7 minutes.
2. Strain through chinois into a clean container and allow to cool before bottling and refrigerating.

Hot buttered rum

If you’re going to make a hot buttered rum, we suggest following the guidance of Three Dots and a Dash. This one involves a little more leg work, but the results are purely captivating.

Butter spice tea ingredients:

• 1,000 ml water
• 30 grams whole cinnamon sticks (cracked)
• 10 grams whole black peppercorn (cracked)
• 10 grams allspice berries (cracked)
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 grams grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Warm the dry spices in a medium saucepan until fragrant.
2. Add 1000 ml water to the saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside for later.

Butter syrup ingredients:

• 800 grams butter spice tea
• 800 grams demerara sugar
• 600 grams Nordic butter
• 13 grams kosher salt
• 10 grams Ticaloid 210s*

*Ticaloid 210s is a combination of gum arabic and xantham gum. It stabilizes the syrup, which allows the butter to stay emulsified without separating. While it can be omitted, the butter will separate from the rum when heated or stored, which makes for a less-than-ideal hot buttered rum experience. It can be found at modernistpantry.com or other specialty culinary sources.

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, slowly melt butter,
2. Add sugar, spice tea, and salt to the pan. Stir well until sugar is incorporated,
3. Slowly feather in Ticaloid and stir well, ensuring no clumps remain.
4. If storing, cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator.

Hand-whipped cream ingredients:

• 200 ml heavy cream
• 20 ml cinnamon syrup (1:1)

Method:

1. Combine in a small glass bottle
2. Shake hard until thick but still pourable

Hot buttered rum ingredients:

• 250 ml overproof rum (Plantation OFTD)
• 250 ml aged Jamaican rum (Appleton 12 Year Old)
• 750 ml butter syrup
• 500 ml water

Method:

1. Combine in a large container and stir well.
2. Use a double boiler or sous vide bath and heat gently to 170 degrees Fahrenheit and hold for serving.
3. Pre-warm small glasses and fill 3/4 full with hot buttered rum.
4. Gently top with prepared hand-shaken cream poured down the back of a spoon.
5. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

No Business Like Snow Business

Combining tequila, blood orange, citrus, and spiced cider, this cocktail slaps in a festive kind of way. Bonus points if you can serve it up in a glass as cool as the one above.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila
• 1/2 ounce Elsewhere Blood Orange Aperitivo
• 1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2o ounces good quality, non-pasteurized spiced apple cider*
• 1 ounce spiced cider syrup*
• Cinnamon stick, edible orchid, and mint for garnish

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a mixing tin with 8 ounces of crushed ice.
2. Flash-blend for 5 seconds and pour unstrained into a ceramic mug or 16-ounce glass.
3. Garnish with mint bouquet, cinnamon stick, and edible orchid.

*Spiced apple cider ingredients:

• 1 liter quality, non-pasteurized apple cider
• 8-10 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cloves
• 10-12 allspice berries
• 1 lemon (cut into wheels)

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, add the cider, slowly bringing to a boil.
2. Drop heat to a simmer and add in cinnamon, clove, allspice, and lemon, and let this cook for 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let it steep for an additional 10 minutes as it cools.
4. Strain, bottle, and keep refrigerated for up to two weeks.

*Spiced cider syrup ingredients:

• 2 cups spiced apple cider
• 2 cups white sugar

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, add the spiced apple cider.
2. Over medium heat, slowly pour in the sugar — stirring until fully dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Bottle and keep refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Try out the above this holiday season when you’re hosting guests or just looking for a festive beverage to clutch in your palm.