Savvy sippers suggest their favorite festive adult beverages

By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Andrew Potter Nick Brancaleone, general manager and “liquid chef” at Valentine Vodka, mixes a Valentini at the Ferndale-based distillery and cocktail lounge. The holiday-hued drink includes Valentine Vodka, pure Michigan cherry concentrate, a dash of cranberry and a fresh squeeze of lime. Photo by Andrew Potter Nick Brancaleone, general manager and “liquid chef” at Valentine Vodka, mixes a Valentini at the Ferndale-based distillery and cocktail lounge. The holiday-hued drink includes Valentine Vodka, pure Michigan cherry concentrate, a dash of cranberry and a fresh squeeze of lime. Photo by Andrew Potter Photo by Andrew Potter|With a little ingenuity, some core ingredients and some merry mixers, holiday revelers can whip up wintertime drinks similar to Brancaleone’s Valentini, Detroit Cooler and Aspen at home. Photo by Andrew Potter With a little ingenuity, some core ingredients and some merry mixers, holiday revelers can whip up wintertime drinks similar to Brancaleone’s Valentini, Detroit Cooler and Aspen at home.

When snow starts to fall, Christmas carols hit the airwaves and holiday merriment abounds, Nick Brancaleone knows what his patrons at Valentine Vodka will be clamoring for: something symbolic of the season.

Known as the “liquid chef” at the Ferndale-based distillery and cocktail lounge, Brancaleone prepares a rotating slate of vodka infusions weekly, incorporating fresh produce from local markets.

“(Customers) know when they come into our distillery that I’m going to have something seasonal, because I’m able to control that,” he said, ticking off festive flavors that play a prominent role in Valentine’s wintertime drink menu, such as peppermint candy cane, gingerberry and dark coffee. “People are looking for it when they’re coming to our spot.”

Even without the infusions, there are plenty of options for do-it-yourself seasonal sips, perfect for holiday get-togethers and cocktail parties.

One of Brancaleone’s favorites also is among the simplest: the Valentini, a combination of Valentine Vodka, Michigan-made cherry concentrate, a dash of 100 percent cranberry juice and a squeeze of fresh lime.

“It makes a beautiful, dark-red color for the holidays, with the lime on it, so you have red and green,” he said.

The Detroit Cooler — vodka shaken with a half-teaspoon of brown sugar and a dash each of cream and Vernors ginger ale — is another cocktail Brancaleone considers winter-friendly. At Valentine, he serves it in a martini glass, garnished with a dark chocolate Old English “D.”

When the weather turns cold, Brent Stevens thinks hot. For “something a little fruitier, not really heavy,” Stevens, the manager at Vinotecca in Royal Oak, suggests a warm twist on an old favorite: the Christmas Cosmopolitan.

To make a “big batch,” mix a cup of Captain Morgan’s spiced rum, a half-cup of Grand Marnier and four to five cups of cranberry juice, he said. Keep it on the stovetop on low or in a crockpot on high, he said, and serve with a cinnamon stick garnish.

If you’re craving “heartier” fare, Stevens’ Winter Sangria might be the ticket.

Add two cups of apple cider and whole spices — cinnamon sticks, clove, anise, nutmeg — to any bottle of red wine. Simmer for a half hour to “let all the spices meld into the wine,” he said. “That one’s going to fill the room, for sure. Talk about a holiday smell, pretty much, right there.”

For Stevens, the quintessential end-of-the-day Christmas drink requires a coffee component. For a simple but satisfying nightcap, he recommends adding a teaspoon or two of ground spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, or hazelnut flavor to regular coffee grounds before brewing, then finish it off post-brew with a little Bailey’s.

“I think it tastes way fresher and better than anything that’s store-bought and flavored,” he said. “The simpler, the better with coffee. You don’t want to mess with it too much.”

Brancaleone also has a coffee drink in his arsenal: The Aspen.

“I muddle fresh peppermint in a glass, and then I lace the glass with caramel and dark chocolate, and then we add Valentine Vodka,” he said.

At the distillery, he typically relies on one of the vodka infusions, either spiced pear or a Michigan apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and clove, he said. Fresh whipped cream, caramel and chocolate drizzles, and a peppermint sprig top it off.

“It’s a nice, hot, warming, delicious winter cocktail,” he said.

Such drinks go over well with Audrey Walker, co-founder of DrinkMichigan.org, a website promoting Michigan-made beer, wine and spirits.

“For the holidays, my favorite cocktails are any version of coffee/hot chocolate with alcohol, and anything with bubbles,” she said.

On the bubbly beverage front, Walker suggested Tom Swift’s winning recipe in Drink Michigan’s first-ever craft cocktail recipe contest, held earlier this fall.

Dubbed “The Suttons Bay Sex Party” because it incorporates a shot of Sex, a sparkling wine from L. Mawby Vineyards in northern Michigan, the drink also calls for two shots of True North vodka from Traverse City, a shot of Rose’s lime juice and a dash of grenadine.

Walker discovered her new favorite holiday drink recipe in the unlikeliest of places.

She became enamored with a White Russian-like drink while vacationing in tropical St. Lucia. But the concoction, which incorporated rum and nutmeg in lieu of vodka, felt more fitting for consumption against a backdrop of snow banks than sugar sand beaches.

“We bought all the ingredients to make it at home, and we’ve renamed it ‘The Christmas Drink’ because of the nutmeg,” she said. “It seems more like a holiday drink than a tropical location drink.”

Walker and her boyfriend whip it up using a shot each of Bailey’s, Kahlua and dark rum — they usually opt for rum from New Holland Brewing Co. in Holland, Mich. — topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1046.