Recipe: A Cocktail For Your Holiday Sweet Tooth

Dec 16

A cocktail AND dessert all-in-one? Tell me more...amirite?! Woo your guests with a holiday twist on a classic comforting cocktail recipe with a sugary twisty.

White Russians were all the rage in the 90s...in fact, my first alcoholic beverage was a White Russian (before I found out I'm allergic to Vodka and thought I had alcohol poisoning when I broke out in hives, but we'll save that story for another day).

This seasonal version of the classic cocktail, requires spicing up your vodka with some wintery notes like anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla. The accompanying cream also gets a touch of vanilla and the coffee gets brewed with a festive cinnamon stick.

To top it all off, you'll use a French macaron as garnish. You can get the macarons anywhere you prefer (and if you'd like to take up macaron baking, be my guest), just make sure to keep them in the fridge before using them, so they're firm and won't crumble into your cocktail.

P.S. - If you're using Vodka as directed (I substitute with Vanilla Infused Gin, Whiskey or Rum since I'm allergic to Vodka), you’ll need to let it infuse overnight, so be sure to plan ahead. The infusion makes all the difference!

Spiced White Russians & Macarons
Serves 1

To infuse the vodka:
1 small bottle of vodka (about 400ml)
5 cardamom pods, crushed
2 star anise pods
2 cinnamon sticks, whole

For the rest of the cocktail:
1 ½ cups of water
3 tbsp ground coffee (to use with a french press)
1 cinnamon stick, crushed in pieces
1 cup cream or coffee creamer milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp maple syrup
Ice
Macarons (vanilla, coffee or chocolate flavored)

Instructions:
1. Place all of the vodka infusion ingredients together in a beaker with a lid or on a glass container. Cover and let the vodka infuse overnight or for a full day. After it’s infused, strain and set aside.
2. To make the cocktail, first bring water to a boil and prepare a french press with the ground coffee and the 1 crushed cinnamon stick. Pour hot water over it and let the coffee press for a couple minutes. Press to filter the contents, strain the brewed coffee and let it cool down.
3. Mix the cream or milk with the vanilla and maple syrup, stir until combined

Grab an old fashioned cocktail glass, fill it with ice, pour coffee about ¾ of the way, then add a 1 ½ oz of the infused vodka and stir for 10-15 seconds. Add a splash of the vanilla cream and either mix or let it mix by itself.

To garnish with the macaron, cut a little slit on the side of the macaron and stick on the side of the glass. You can also serve them on the side on a little plate.

Enjoy!