David Alan - Tipsy Texan: spirits and cocktails from the lone star state

ABSINTHE EGGNOG

I first discovered absinthe eggnog while attending the annual Fte de Absinthe in tiny Boveresse, Switzerland, near the French-Swiss border. It was a flavor combination so beguiling that I was immediately smitten. The prevailing absinthe in Switzerland is a clear style known as blanche or la bleu e, and that is what Ive recommended here. I advise trying the single cocktail first before committing to the full batchthe flavor profile of absinthe is not for everyone.

ounces Tenneyson Absinthe Royale or other blanche absinthe

ounces heavy cream

ounce

teaspoon vanilla extract

1 whole egg

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass and shake for a moment without ice (alternatively, use a handheld milk frother to emulsify the ingredients). Add ice and shake vigorously to chill. Strain into a punch cup. You can also make this in a blender by blending all the ingredients with a scant handful of ice until thoroughly emulsified.

AMARO MILK SHAKE

Amaro is a category of European drinking bitters that served the function of stimulating the appetite ( aperitivo ) or encouraging digestion ( digestivo) . Traditionally used either by themselves or in a simple highball with carbonated water, they are nonetheless delightful in mixed drinks, such as this whimsical shake. Serves 2

3 ounces Ramazzotti or other amaro, such as Averna or Fernet Branca

4 ounces whole milk

1 pint French vanilla ice cream

Place the liquid ingredients in a blender pitcher, then add the ice cream. Blend until the desired consistency is achieved. Pour into frozen parfait glasses and serve with straws.

GOLDEN SLEIGH

This cocktail is a holiday variation on the classic Golden Cadillac, substituting eggnog for the heavy cream. It is a member of the Grasshopper family, from which I seem to have been separated at birth.

1 ounce Galliano

1 ounce white crme de cacao

2 ounces eggnog

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Combine the Galliano, crme de cacao, and eggnog in a mixing glass and shake vigorously with ice to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

KELLY RAILEAN

RAILEAN DISTILLING

Just southeast of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico lies the sleepy town of San Leon. Self-described as a small drinking community with a large fishing problem, San Leon is home to Eagle Point Distillery, where rum maven Kelly Railean plies her trade.

For over a decade, Railean worked in nearby Houston, distributing fine wines to restaurants and clubs. In the 1990s she and her husband, Matt, caught the sailing bug, and they began sailing extensively on Galveston Bay and eventually throughout the Caribbean. It was on their sailing trips that they began to learn about pirate lore and by extension they began drinking and collecting rum. As their rum collection grew, Kelly had the idea to start a rum distillery in Texas.

In 2006, she went all-in. Their rum releases include both unaged and aged rums, as well as a spiced rum. No colors or flavors are added to any of its products, and all ingredients are sourced entirely from the United States. Furthermore, Raileans is one of very few spirits to carry the Made in USA certification, assuring that every product that carries the Railean label is fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled by hand on American soil from American components. San Leon is home to a colony of monk parakeets, and these green birds grace the label of every bottle that comes out of the Eagle Point Distillery.

HOR-VETTE

San Antonio bartender Matt Moody created this beguiling and contradictory concoction to be a dessert in liquid form. Elegant French liqueur combines with the rustic rice beverage of Mexico. If you dont make the horchata yourself, pick up a quart to go from your favorite taqueria, but make sure youre using a fresh productavoid the powdered stuff.

3 ounces Bartenders Easy Horchata (recipe follows)

1 ounce Crme Yvette

Strip of grapefruit zest, for garnish

Build the liquid ingredients in an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass and garnish with the grapefruit zest.

BARTENDERS EASY HORCHATA

Many horchata recipes require special equipment and advanced planning. For those who prefer to do things on the fly, here is a quick horchata recipe that can be completed in under an hour. Horchata is great on its own, and also makes for a great substitution for milk in coffee drinks, and, of course, plays well with spirits. Makes 1 quart

1 cup white rice

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

cups water

Pinch of salt

cups whole milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ounces

4 ounces

In a large, dry saut pan, toast the rice with the whole spices for a few minutes over medium heat until a nutty aroma emerges. In the meantime, bring 2 cups of the water to a boil in a kettle. Once the rice is thoroughly heated and just starting to brown, add the hot water to the pan. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Once the rice is cooked, remove the spices from the pan and discard. Transfer the cooked rice to a blender pitcher. Add the salt, 2 cups of the remaining water, and 1 cups of the whole milk to the pitcher and blend thoroughly. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another large container. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and cups of whole milk, and the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, orgeat, and canela syrup. Stir the ingredients with a whisk. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week.

IRISH COFFEE

San Franciscos Buena Vista Caf is the spiritual homeland of Irish Coffee in the United States. It is at once one of the most delicious cocktails (when made properly) and one of the most disastrous (when made poorly) in the book. At its best, it is the perfect cold weather warmera contrast of sweet, hot, boozy coffee sipped through cold, rich, fatty cream. When made haphazardlyincorporating Irish Cream, crme de menthe, aerosol whipped cream, or a host of other inappropriate ingredientsit is a tremendous disappointment. One conspirator in the poor manufacture of Irish Coffee is the so-called Irish Coffee mug, that footed glass mug that so many people somehow came to the conclusion they couldnt live without. Whatever they may be good for, Irish Coffee is not it. The traditional tulip-shaped Irish Coffee glass is both proportioned and shaped correctly such as to encourage proper preparation; a small wineglass (the size for white wine) will also suffice. The coffee should be hot, fresh, and strong. The cream should be thickened but still pourable, so that it will sit nicely on top of the hot coffee, allowing the drink to layer, such that the components come together only in the drinkers mouth.