Warm Up With These Cold Weather Cocktails

When most Missoulians want to warm up during the cold days of November, they often grab a bowl of soup, a fuzzy throw, turn up the heat or stoke the fire and cuddle up on the couch. When I want to warm up, I do all the above, plus I make myself one (or a few) of these cozy, warmth inducing drinks. Fortunately, they are fairly simple to make and can most likely fit your budget even after all the holiday gift shopping. In fact, the best time to enjoy these beverages is after a long, stressful day of Christmas shopping. I bet your Thanksgiving guests will even enjoy one of these tasty treat. It beats an after dinner mint!

Hot Buttered Rum

Who doesn’t enjoy this classic chilly weather drink!? I love to throw bonfires and make this concoction for all my guests. You can make this treat more special by caramelizing it. All you have to do it build the ingredients as explained below and then plunge a red-hot poker into the glass for about a minute. I’m drooling just thinking about it!

Yield: 1 cocktail

• 1 small slice of soft butter
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• optional spices to taste: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and allspice
• vanilla extract
• 2 oz. dark rum
• hot water

Preparation:

1. Place the butter, sugar and spices at the bottom of a mug.
2. Mix well or muddle
3. Pour in the rum and hot water
4. Stir and enjoy!

Rusty Nail

This drink is traditionally made with blended scotch. Experiment with different brands of scotch until you find one your taste buds prefer, and add just enough Drambuie (scotch based liqueur) to flavor the chosen scotch without destroying it’s unique personality.

Yield: 1 cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz. Scotch
• 3/4 oz. Drambuie
• lemon twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour ingredients into a glass with ice cubes
2. Stir well
3. Garnish with the lemon twist and enjoy!

Sneaky Pete

This is my favorite drink, period. I often enjoy this one in both cold and warm weather. It’s
just that good!

Yield: 1 cocktail

• 1 oz. Kahlua
• 1 oz. rye whiskey
• 4 oz. milk (I think whole milk is best)

Preparation:

1. Pour the Kahlua into a glass with ice cubes.
2. Add the milk and rye whiskey
3. Stir well and enjoy!

So, next time you happen to get a chill, put on your flannel pajamas, flip on the tube and
make yourself one of these awesome concoctions. I promise it won’t fail to warm up your
belly and put a big smile on your face!