The Lush Chef

In my effort to get over a cold earlier this week, I was experimenting with various hot cocktails - a lush's true medicine.  I was craving hot chocolate after dinner and I simply love it spiced Mexican style with some cinnamon, cayenne and vanilla...and tequila.  I usually make this version of Mexican Hot Chocolate, but I was feeling lazy and had some of Trader Joe's Spiced Hot Cocoa Mix on hand.  In addition to tequila, I added in some Fernet (it lends that holiday minty taste) and a few dashes of The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters.  Feel free to use any cocoa mix, or the recipe from my regular Mexican Hot Chocolate, and any kind of aromatic bitters (i.e. Angostura) is fine.  Scoop in a little bit of vanilla bean ice cream, and you've got yourself a restorative boozy treat!

Mexican Fernet Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:

• 6 oz milk
• 2 spoonfuls of Trader Joe's Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix
• 1 oz tequila (I used Patrón Silver)
• 1 oz Fernet-Branca
• 3-4 dashes of The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters or any aromatic kind is fine
• 1 scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

- Heat up the milk and stir in that cocoa mix.
- Add the tequila, Fernet and bitters and stir.
- Plop in a little scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

While my family is dealing with light snowfalls and ice in Michigan, I'm still experiencing the occasional hot days in LA.  Which is why this Cider Smash from Miami's relatively new, and now acclaimed cocktail bar, The Broken Shaker, is so perfect.  Located in a hip hostel, the aromatic flavors in this cocktail are reminiscent of a hot toddy and must make travelers feel like they're at home while they're soaking up the rays on those sandy beaches.  That touch of Fernet is curing and the apple cider and rosemary gives it that holiday accent.

Cider Smash 
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz dark rum - they recommend Atlantico, but I only had Meyers
• 1/4 oz Fernet Branca
• 1 oz apple cider (I used Trader Joe's spiced version)
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz agave or rich simple syrup
• 3 rosemary sprigs, saving 1 for garnish
• Lemon wheel, for garnish

- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the rum, Fernet, apple cider, lemon juice, agave and 2 rosemary sprigs.
- Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with ice.
- Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a lemon wheel.

Looking for a sexy cocktail to make for Valentines' Day today?  Or are you sitting at home nursing a drink by yourself, or with your nearest and dearest friends?  Whatever the situation, this classic cocktail is the perfect libation to stir up for today.

The Hanky Panky was created in the early 1900s at the American Bar in London's Savoy Hotel by head bartender Ada "Coley" Coleman for the actor Charles Hawtrey.  I love that a woman concocted such a classic drink during a time when the profession was male-dominated (and still pretty much is).  Here's Ada's account behind the creation and inspiration of this libation:

"The late Charles Hawtrey...was one of the best judges of cocktails that I knew.  Some years ago, when he was overworking, he used to come into the bar and say, 'Coley, I am tired.  Give me something with a bit of punch in it.'  It was for him that I spent hours experimenting until I had invented a new cocktail. The next time he came in, I told him I had a new drink for him.  He sipped it, and draining the glass, he said, 'By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!'"

I've recently become obsessed with Fernet-Branca, like every bartender and rightful lush out there.  I love the small amount added, which gives this drink a saffron and herbal flavor.  It's just enough to stand out and doesn't overpower the drink.  In other words, it has a bit of a punch!

Hanky Panky 
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz gin (I used London No. 3 dry gin)
• 1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth 
• 2 dashes Fernet-Branca
• Orange peel or twist for garnish

- In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet.
- Stir and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with the orange twist.

Fernet-Branca, your favorite bartender's libation of choice at the end of the night.  You've probably seen a ton of them shot this dark brown spirit back and wondered what the appeal is.  Perhaps it's the minty flavor (which actually comes from the saffron), the bracing feel ones gets after downing a shot, or the cure to a hangover, but whatever it is, Fernet-Branca has been having a huge moment over the past couple of years.  It truly became popularized a few years ago by bartenders in San Francisco when there was a huge marketing push in the area, and the obsession has since spread across the country.

This bitter amaro was created by Bernardino Branca in Milan in 1845.  He created this fake persona of a doctor named Fernet to tout it as a cure-all to all sorts of maladies, primarily indigestion.  It contains about 27 different kinds of herbs, plants and roots, which include aloe, gentian root, cinchona bark, cinnamon, galangal, chamomile, myrrh, linden flowers, elderflower, possibly wormwood, and the aforementioned saffron.  Apparently, Fratelli Branca, the company that produced the libation uses 75% of the world's saffron.  The spirit is aged for at least one year in oak barrels and has a very dark brown color.  If you're still new to the world of amari, I wouldn't recommend drinking this as a shot.  Have it mixed in a cocktail, or instead of bitters in your Old Fashioned, put a few drops of Fernet-Branca in there instead.