Ice + Clink + Drink

‘Tis the season for gifts and travel and I am benefiting from both. My friend Lizzie over at Corkscrews & Curls travels for work and oh so kindly brings me back bottled treasures.  Most recently it was a bottle of Bénédictine, another lovely liqueur originally created by monks (the monasteries must be party central; I’m convinced monks take a vow of silence because they would otherwise be slurring), and previously it was a small bottle of Becherovka from the Czech Republic.

Where Bénédictine is light and soft, Becherovka is a bitter liquor and has been more challenging to use in cocktails. But as luck would have it, the latest issue of Imbibe Magazine features a great seasonal drink using both, AND takes its name from A Christmas Story, my favorite holiday movie.  I’ll bet it was created for me but the mixologist is too shy to say so.

Careful, it's fra-jee-lay!

You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out*

2 oz aged rum

1/2 oz Becherovka

1/2 oz Bénédictine

1/4 oz cinnamon syrup

3 dashes orange bitters

Orange twist garnish (optional)

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Cinnamon Syrup

1 c sugar

1 c water

4-5 broken cinnamon sticks

Bring sugar and water to boil to make simple syrup. Reduce heat, add cinnamon and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain well once cooled. Bottle and refrigerate for a few weeks

This cocktail is flavorful and the not-in-your-face cinnamon accents are seasonally festive. The recipe suggests serving it up or in a rocks glass with a single large ice cube (I used my ice ball molds), and I prefer the latter.  Unlike some drinks that fall apart as the ice melts, this one changes in a pleasing way.  I’d even theorize that this would make an elegant small punch if displayed with a large ice block to slow melting. Both Bénédictine and Becherovka are also available at some local liquor stores.

Cheers, ICE 

*created by Mathias Simonis at Distil in Milwaukee, and included on page 42 of the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Imbibe Magazine.

As always, check out my Glossary of Spirits page for alcohol and mixer definitions and details.