Food & Spirits Magazine #15 | Page 36

Cold Weather Drinkin’ by Dylan Thaemert I t’s that time of year again when the cold weather adds extra incentive to warm the bones with some tasty spirits. I’m a whiskey guy, but we all need some variety to break up the monotony of the fall and winter months. This issue marks this publication’s fifth year. In honor of that milestone and in keeping with its numerical significance, here is a lineup of five delicious cold weather drinks sure to brighten the long dark hours ahead. Since it’s still early we’ll get started with a True Irish Coffee. I’m not sure who all in town does it this way but when our (Jake’s) owners came back from a trip with the recipe for a “real” Irish coffee, it was love at first sip and instantly replaced the staid CoffeeJameson-Bailey’s combo on our menu. In a warm glass mug, add Irish whiskey (we use Jameson) and coffee (we use locally roasted Beansmith) to a packet of raw sugar and stir until it’s dissolved. Then in a shaker “vigorously” shake (is there any other way?) heavy whipping cream and drizzle over the underside of a spoon to float about a half inch of cream on top of the coffee. 36 On first sip, the taste and sensation of the sweet hot coffeewhiskey coming through the thick cold cream is one to be savored and offers something that the pleasant and comforting other version just doesn’t have. As you sip, the cream starts to get mixed in and the drink becomes cooler and creamier. Whether you’ve got to go grocery shopping, watching sports on TV or studying, this drink is a great way to start your day. Pair with bacon and eggs, birthday cake or a cigar. Next on the menu is stout. Whether it’s Guinness, the old dry Irish standby, or one of the many varieties of delicious stout being made by America’s mighty microbrews, the dark, toasty flavors of stout are a great companion on a cold day. In addition to the warming sensation the alcohol in stout provides, many are brewed with familiar, comforting ingredients like cocoa, coffee, milk and oatmeal. Some are aged in oak barrels, which provide additional woody, vanilla flavors. Though some consider Guinness a heavy beer because of its malty flavors, it’s actually low in alcohol by volume compared to most American stouts on the market.