Drink in the Details: Hot 'n' Cold

Mulled ale has had many incarnations, including Lamb's wool (accounts of this recipe differ) and Mulled Cider - spiced ale variants. In fact, pre-1800's, without the technique of refrigeration, all beer was served warm regardless of the time of year. But fast-forward to an age of mechanized ice cooling boxes and refreshing cold lagers, when bartenders were able to learn the versatility of these elements in cold and hot versions of mixed drinks. The tradition of temperature flexibility can be a great prism through which to study a favorite, and try out a new variation or deconstruction. For instance, a Whisky Skin is not that much different from a whisky on the rocks with a little water apart from its temperature and a little sugar.

Rum drinks often conjure images of crushed ice Tiki-paradise wonder concoctions. But hot rum drinks have a much older history starting with rum punch and all its deviations made with hot tea as a base. Legendary bartenders Jerry Thomas, Harry Johnson, and O.H. Byron, in their respective cocktail anthologies, all reference the Black Stripe, a.k.a. Black Strap, as a popular drink that can make a chameleon-like transformation between hot and cold. Supremely popular in Colonial New England for its spicy aromatic sweetness, the Black Strap is a simple concoction with Santa Cruz or Jamaican Rum, a tablespoonful of molasses and crushed ice or boiling water with a grated nutmeg garnish. The hot version is more aromatic, an “Island” cousin to other sweet hot spiced rum drinks like the Tom & Jerry or Hot Buttered Rum.

And it certainly doesn’t hurt the soul to sip on Hot Buttered Rum after a snowy ski trip when the wind chill drops into the teens and below. With the classic Hot Buttered Rum, a spoonful of butter is floated on top of the steaming, sweet concoction. As the butter melts, the drink gains its wonderful creaminess. Unfortunately, when the oils in the butter meet the alcohol, they get on like, well, oil and alcohol, separating. Even more so when the drink is not hot. So how would one translate this recipe into a cold summer adaptation? Well, just as modern refrigeration once opened up a world of possibility to bartenders, modern mixology methods can address this question. The unpleasant separation can be avoided by using an infusion technique called “fat washing.” The fat is melted, poured into the spirit to be infused, then cooled. The fat separates so it can be skimmed off, leaving the flavor but not the oils. Essentially, one could add the flavor of butter to rum without the fat, thus eliminating temperature restrictions on preparation.

Hot and cold versions of drinks can take on different personalities and often evolve to a truly different libation from its counterpart. With snow and low temperatures predicted for this weekend, it may be the perfect time to explore the possibilities. Enjoy!

Wassail Bowl
The recipes of yore have been recorded and passed down through classic cocktail books, and we see no need to discontinue this time-honored tradition. So we refer you to this recipe from Accidental Hedonist.

2 pints and 1/4 cup brown ale
3-4 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
zest from 1/2 lemon
4 apples
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup port
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large saucepan, pour in 2 pints of ale. Add the cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and cloves and bring to a simmer over low heat.

3. Score apples with a knife around the circumference of the apple. Place in a baking dish. Cover with one cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of ale, and all of the port. Cover baking dish and place in oven, cooking for 30 minutes.

4. While apples are baking, place remaining sugar and spices into the saucepan, ensuring it's well mixed.

5. When apples are done baking, pour entire contents of baking dish into saucepan. Allow to cook over low heat for another 30-40 minutes.

6. Serve hot, with one to two ladles into your favorite mug.

Pisco in Winter - Adam Bernbach
This recipe is a look at the great and historic Pisco Sour with its beautiful velvety mouthfeel perfectly balanced with acid from the pisco and citrus. While the egg white doesn’t translate in this case, we can get that texture in a hot beverage with the butter-infusion.

2 oz Macchu Pisco
½ oz unsalted butter
¾ oz rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar/water by volume)
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 pinch ground cinnamon
¼ oz Bacardi 151 Rum
4 oz water
1 tsp finely zested lime
1 tsp lime juice
1 marshmallow

1. Melt butter and pour into pisco. Put pisco into freezer (a refrigerator will also work) until the butter separates and becomes hard. Skim or pour through fine mesh strainer. If particles of semi-liquid butter remain, repeat cooling.

2. In a mug, combine syrup, infused pisco, and lime juice.

3. Heat the water with lime zest. Be careful not to boil it, but it should still be very hot. Pour through fine mesh strainer into mug. Stir.

4. On a plate or napkin, cover marshmallow with bitters and cinnamon. Then, pour Bacardi 151 slowly over it, covering marshmallow as evenly as possible. On the end of a skewer, toast the marshmallow.

5. Bridge the mouth of the mug with the skewer to enjoy the aroma while you sip.