The Book: I have been having so much fun with Winter Cocktails, the new cocktail book from the extremely talented ladies behind Cookin’ and Shootin’. Too much fun, probably, given the fact that based on current trends it looks like I’m going to be drinking my way through the changing seasons. The drinks that Maria and Tara have included here are perfect for cooler weather and cozy evenings at home – some are served hot, others are rich and creamy, and festively-spiced punches and chilled drinks round out the mix. There’s lots of tea, chocolate, cider, and whiskey to be found in these pages. As someone who until recently considered making a drink to be pouring a shot of tequila into whatever I was already drinking, the flavor combinations that are incorporated into these drinks – like kumquat-and-thyme-infused gin, English breakfast tea with cherry bitters and whiskey, and lemongrass-spiked coconut milk with rum – are stepping up my cocktail game quite a bit. I also found the introduction, with info on types of glasses, basic bar-tending techniques, and the liquors that any well-stocked bar should have, to be very useful.

Beyond the drinks themselves, there are also serving tips, party notes, and recipes for accompanying party snacks like Cheese-Crusted Olives and “Pigs on Cushions.” Like other Quirk books, the book is in a nice, small format (I love smaller cookbooks, I read them on the subway like a total food dork), with high quality paper and integrated design. Drinks and glassware are really challenging to photograph, so I especially appreciate the quality and variety of images that Tara has created. One word of caution: some of the drinks are a bit more complicated than shaking and pouring, so expect to set aside 15-20 minutes to prepare most of the drinks in this book. Longer than it takes to open a beer, yes, but so worth it. 

P.S. Check out the cute book trailer Maria and Tara made

The Drinks: One nice thing about drink cookbooks – it’s easy to test a lot of recipes, which is exactly what we’ve been doing. The first thing we tried was the Red Riding Hood, a spiced mulled cider mixed with red wine. We actually found it a little too dry, so we added a shot of Grand Marnier to each glass and then it was pretty much perfect. One of our favorites so far is the Burnt-Sugar Hot Buttered Rum, which we served en-masse at our Halloween party last night. It’s syrupy sweet and boozy, a quick and decadent way to imbibe. And the recipe pictured here, also no stranger to decadence, is a Frangelico-spiked Nutella Melt, served with espresso-flavored whipped cream. It’s a lot like hot chocolate, but with more nuanced flavors and the added benefit of being able to lick the Nutella spoon after you make it. It would be the perfect thing to sip on by the fire after a day playing in the snow. I might secretly stock my parents liquor cabinet with the ingredients so that we can have it there this winter (no fireplace at my house…). Definitely don’t skip the espresso-whipped cream – it’s easy and it really ties the drink together!

Recipe Short-List: Applejack Hot Toddy (with maple syrup, applejack, and cinnamon tea); Liquid Gold (mulled pineapple juice and rum); Pumpkin Bourbon Eggnog; Cherry-Vanilla Hot Chocolate; Chocolate Stout Affogato; Orchard Fête (maple syrup, apple cider, applejack, and rosemary)

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Winter Cocktails free of charge from Quirk, but was not otherwise compensated for writing this review.

Nutella Melt

Recipe from Winter Cocktails. Serves 4.

Note: to toast both the hazelnuts and coconut flakes, you can spread them (do one ingredient at a time) in a dry frying pan over medium heat, and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Alternatively, you can top your drink with chocolate curls, like I did.

• 4 c. whole milk
• 1/4 c. Nutella, or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
• pinch salt
• 6 oz. Frangelico, or other hazelnut liqueur
• 1 c. heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 c. confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1/4 c. toasted hazelnuts, chopped, for garnish
• toasted coconut flakes, for garnish

1. Bring the milk, Nutella, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until Nutella is completely dissolved. Taste for chocolate flavor and body, and add more Nutella if desired. Stir in hazelnut liqueur, and remove from heat.
2. Whip the heavy cream together with the confectioner’s sugar and espresso powder until soft peaks have formed. Ladle the drink into warmed cups, and top with a big spoonful of whipped cream. Garnish with the chopped hazelnuts and toasted coconut flakes.

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Oh, May.  What a month you were.  I flew six different times in May.  That’s a lot of planes.  I also graduated, moved, spent at least 5 hours on hold with U-haul trying to orchestrate said move, hung out in Miami with my dad, hung out in Denver with my cousin, hung out in Boulder with some stellar Ultimate players I know, hung out in Grand Junction with my baby bro, and got pedicures/shot guns with my grandmother within 4 hours of each other.  Busy times, yo.  Hence, not a lot of blogging.  Or cooking for that matter.  Eating, yes.  Cooking, no.

However.  I did take some time to make these super delicious nutella-raspberry mousse hybrid whoopie pie-ice cream sandwich things.  They were kind of an experiment, and an experiment gone right.  See, Ryan and I are still chilling in Colorado, where my Aunt Deanne has very graciously allowed us to use her house (and her car.  I’m totally staying here: everybody spoils me and I have a car to drive with a working suspension system.  Plus my skin loves it here and I can go hiking every day.  Win, win, win.)  So, in a few hour break from Aunt Lynn’s wonderful social calendar (God, Lynn, a gap?  You slacker), I decided to make some dessert to bring along to fajita night at Grandma’s.  Because spending a few hours baking is super appealing if you happen to be me on vacation.

The reasons that the nutella-raspberry combination came about?  One: Ryan and I spent a lot of last week hoofing it from point a to point b with lots of stuff on our backs, and in order to minimize fainting spells due to lack of nutrients as well as overdrafting our bank accounts, we needed snacks.  Portable, cheap snacks.  But, lame, he’s allergic to peanut butter, my favorite snack.  So nutella it was.  (As a side note, I just realized that not once in my two years living in my own apartment at Duke did I buy nutella.  Not because I don’t love nutella, just because I was terrified of how quickly I would eat it if it appeared in my cupboard.  Is that self-control or complete lack of it?)  Two: raspberries cost $1 here.  This is miraculous to me.  I’m tempted to eat raspberries for every meal just because I will probably never be able to afford this many again.

Not to brag, but these were really pretty awesome.  The cookies themselves – decent.  The mousse – pretty tasty.  Together?  Way better than the sum of their parts.  I love it when that happens.  All of the family members present seemed to heartily approve, although to be fair, half of them were teenage boys.  In any case, I would absolutely make these again.  And again.  They’re pretty quick, easy to store in the fridge or freezer, and a good summer crowd pleaser.  And don’t worry, Deanne, I stuck four in your freezer as a tiny thanks for your generosity this week.  Also, we didn’t kill your fish, so there’s that too.

Nutella and Raspberry Mousse-wiches

Nutella cookie recipe from Rock Recipes.  Mousse recipe original.  Makes about 14 sandwiches.

For nutella cookies:

• 2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
• 2 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. nutella
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 2/3 c. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 c. milk
• 6 oz. chocolate chips
• sea salt

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