Winter Whiskey Recipes - Wine and Country Life (2024)

Most wine lovers are familiar with “terroir,” a word used to describe a sense of place that is singular to beverages made in a particular corner of the world. The temporal correlate of terroir—a sense of time—is equally important. It may be a bit of an understatement to say that I am inspired by the time of year. A good year in my life looks like this:

January: Make Seville Orange Marmalade
February & March: Forage Black Birch
April: Pick Strawberries
May: Pick Spruce Tips
June & July: Pick Peaches
August: Get Melons from Local Farmers Markets
September & October: Forage Pawpaws, Pick Hardy Oranges, Make Pumpkin Butter, Make Elderberry Cordial
November & December: Make Gallons and Gallons of Egg Nog

While foraging is outside of the interest of most, there are some common-sense ways to drink seasonally. (This fall, I just found North American passionfruit for the first time, and I’m using a centrifuge to clarifying a gin-infusion while writing this!) In our corner of the world, many folks trade their clear summer spirits for dark ones as the air chills. Whiskey is, of course, the king of the dark lords, and there is some evidence—plenty of it anecdotal to be sure—that a nip of whiskey can sooth a sore throat as well as tame a cold. This is indeed a comforting prospect to a planet facing a global viral pandemic.

A straight up shot of whiskey can be a little bracing! If you have sat at my bar, you’ve probably heard me prattle on and on about how the bracing taste of spirits can be smoothed out with the addition of a little sweet, and a balancing ingredient of something either assertively bitter or acidic. Sometimes you need a cold whiskey drink that warms you from the inside out, and sometimes you need a hot whiskey drink that warms you from the outside in. I’ll leave you with two whiskey co*cktails, one hot and one cold, that will hopefully keep you healthy and happy as the cold weather sets in and as we fight through this pandemic.

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Keyword co*cktail Recipe, Hot Toddy, Whiskey Recipe

The Orange Artichoke

What is Cynar?

Cynar—pronouncedchee-nar—is an Italian amaro that is made with artichokes as well as among 13 total herbs and botanicals. The name Cynar comes from the botanical name for the artichoke, Cynar scolymus, and was created in the 1950s.While it is made with artichoke leaves, Cynar is not an artichoke-flavored spirit. Rather, its overall flavor is bittersweet, making it somewhat easier to sip.

What is Vermouth?

Technically, vermouth isn’t a spirit but a fortified wine—a flavored, aromatized wine that’s had its ABV boosted with some kind of neutral alcohol (e.g. clear grape brandy) and been flavored with a variety of herbs, botanicals, and spices.

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Keyword co*cktail Recipe, Orange Artichoke, peach drink recipe

Looking for more wine country recipes to enjoy? Check out our Recipe Section, where you can find seasonal dishes and drinks, desserts and more.

For local ingredients like Vermouth, bitters and whiskey, or a copy of Micah’s book The Imbible stop by the Wine & Country Shop in Ivy. ~

MICAH LEMON,bar manager for The Alley Light and author ofThe Imbible, has firmly established himself as the leading craft co*cktail expert in Virginia.

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