Eager to put some fire into hot-drink sales, some mixologists are crafting a new breed of libation that stands above the typical hot toddy or Irish coffee. These "new wave" warmers are based on upscale coffee blends, loose-leaf teas, gourmet chocolates and other upscale products and spiked with premium or superpremium spirits. In true bar-chef style, the beverages often sport unusual savory or sweet ingredients borrowed from the kitchen as well.
Take the brewed-to-order tea cocktails that Tim Lacey, bar manager/beverage director of Spring Restaurant Group in Chicago, devised for the upscale-contemporary Custom House restaurant there. Those cocktails comprise three selections: Dragon Pearl jasmine tea spiked with North Shore Distillery Distiller's Gin #6; Blue Spring oolong tea matched with H.B. Pastis and Mandarine Napoleon liqueur; and Monkey Picked black tea with house-made cherry cordial. Each is priced at $12. "It occurred to me that nobody does tea cocktails," said Lacey. "So in my arrogance, I decided to do them."
Creating the drinks was a matter of mirroring or contrasting the dominant flavors of the teas and spirits, Lacey said. For example, he connected the lavender nuance of the gin with the flowery essence of the Dragon Pearl tea. Similarly, the licorice notes of Blue Spring oolong pointed to the anise-flavored pastis, while the fruity notes of Monkey Picked black tea found common ground with the flavors of the cherry cordial, which Lacey made by steeping the pastry chef's leftover cherry pits in vodka.
Lacey took a similar tack with coffee, choosing high-quality beans, brewing them in French press pots and matching them with appropriate liquors. Thus the fruity notes of El Salvador's Los Inmortales coffee found mates in his house-made plum cordial. The richness of Elmer T. Lee bourbon whiskey and vanilla syrup smoothed the citrusy acidity of Kenya coffee. "At first, some people didn't know what to make of drinks like this, but after trying them, they liked them," Lacey said.
Custom House's offerings aren't the only premium hot specialties surfacing around the country. At BOA Steakhouse in Santa Monica, Calif., the BOA Toddy, priced at $14, is based on a freshly brewed pot of Rooibos Bourbon tea - an herbal infusion from the leaves of an aromatic South African plant - spiked with bourbon whiskey, orange liqueur, honey and fresh lemon juice and served in snifters for two guests. At the Los Angeles restaurant Blue Velvet, the Northern Exposure, at $12, is a mélange of hot java, Canadian whisky, Irish cream liqueur, coffee liqueur and cinnamon schnapps. The elegant Seasons Bar of the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago offers the Mag Mile Hot Chocolate, $12.50, featuring a mug of steamed milk enlivened with dark chocolate liqueur, vanilla-infused Cognac, whipped cream and chocolate shavings. During the holidays the New York City restaurant davidburke & donatella made a bold statement with the Angry Claus, $14, a melding of hot chocolate, cognac, crème de cacao and amaretto with whipped cream and a pepper-encrusted "angry" marshmallow for garnish.
Moreover, premium hot drinks are flowing into the mainstream via casual-dining chains. The drink list of Overland Park, Kan.-based Applebee's includes the Café Magic, $6, a coffee drink made with Kahlua, Baileys Irish Cream, DiSaronno Amaretto and whipped cream.
At Hank's Oyster Bar in Washington, D.C., bar manager Abigail Fellows has a showstopper in the Spiced Pear Hot Toddy, $11. She makes it with Poire William eau de vie; Gosling's Rum, which she infuses with fresh ginger root; simple syrup flavored with Chinese five-spice powder; a splash of lemon sour; very hot water; and a chunk of seckel pear for garnish. Use a warmed mug, Fellows urged, for the toddy must be steamy for optimum flavor and aroma. The finished drink "smells like Christmas," she said. "When I mix one at the bar, the aroma always captivates people."
At Dine restaurant in Chicago, a spell of 50-degree weather early in the New Year put a temporary damper on hot drink sales. "When it's that warm, people stay with beer and martinis," reported general manager Duane Seaton. However, he knew better than to abandon his hot drinks too soon: "It can snow in May in Chicago." A favorite at Dine is German Chocolate Coffee, $9, flavored with Godiva Dark Chocolate liqueur, Malibu Coconut rum and Disaronno amaretto liqueur, crowned with whipped cream sprinkled with coconut and drizzled with chocolate.
Guests expect a spectacle when they order Spanish Coffee, $6.25, at Reedville Café in Hillsboro, Ore. - and they get it. Manager Charles McLaughlin ignites a splash of 151-proof rum in a warmed coffee mug rimmed with sugar. He swirls the flaming liquor around the glass until the sugar caramelizes, tossing in grated nutmeg to create sparkles and topping it off with Kahlua, triple sec and whipped cream. "During the winter, these coffees really spike," said McLaughlin.
-By James Scarpa
