Peychaud’s Cocktail Bitters

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Honestly, what the hell are bitters? I am not going to give the history lesson here, but they go way back (maybe to the ancient Egyptians?? And also medieval times??) and were used first for medicinal purposes.

But now for cocktails, they’re – SPOILER – bitter, which means they just lend another layer of flavor for certain cocktails. I have just started appreciating bitterness in drinks in the past few years, so I’m enjoying learning about them. They’re super BoTaNiCaL, and sometimes I don’t know what the hell that means but I sort of understand innately the flavor profile they bring to the table.

Peychaud’s bitters have a really anise-forward flavor. It’s critical to making a Sazerac, which I have somehow never had?? I’ll correct that sometime soon for sure and report back.

Margaritas | 1.13.22

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What: An apple cider margarita (?!) for me, a passion fruit margarita for B.

Paired with: Some queso fundido and chips + tacos! We had to get out of the house for a few for an appointment, so we camped out at a place up the street since it was between meals and pretty quiet. The drink sounded kind of weird, but I felt like I should try it because this restaurant does a lot of things really well.

It was good, but I don’t know that I would call it a margarita.

Where: Paraiso, home of the best refried pinto beans in DC.

Pepper Creek Farms Hot Chocolate | 12.29.22

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What: Pepper Creek Farms Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

Paired with: I realize that just about everything I publish here is alcoholic, but the whole point of me starting this blog was to keep track of what I had in my glass … or in this case, mug.

During a Christmas Eve morning trip to the local kitchen supply store, we saw this brand of hot cocoa. One of the employees recommended this toasted marshmallow flavor, and it did NOT disappoint. I say that as someone who doesn’t historically love hot cocoa … but this might have changed my mind.

Where: Purchased at Hill’s Kitchen

Cosmopolitan | 12.25.22

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What: A Cosmopolitan

Paired with: Count the Cosmopolitan as a cocktail that got ruined for me early on. I think I just had a few subpar ones, and when they hit peak trendiness with Sex & the City, I didn’t live anywhere with an outstanding cocktail bar (Tennessee lol) because that just wasn’t a thing at that time. Where did we go for cocktails? TGI Friday’s, and it ruined us all! Or we went to fancy bars or restaurants that might be using some okay ingredients, but they were most certainly also using mixes in their drinks. WHY.

But I couldn’t help but wonder … what if we called the Cosmo a holiday cocktail (hey, it has cranberry juice in it) and gave it a proper shot? It turns out that when I make something from scratch and with good ingredients, it’s actually pretty delicious and not at all like the fluorescent fuchsia “drink” I had a couple of times in oversized martini glasses.

And just like that, the Cosmo is back on my radar. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

Where: Definitely NOT at an upscale bar in Manhattan

Brandy Alexander | 12.24.22

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What: A Brandy Alexander

Paired with: Keeping up the campaign of making holiday cocktails, we stumbled upon the Brandy Alexander. I guess you could call it a dessert cocktail since it’s brandy + crème de cacao + heavy cream topped with a dusting of nutmeg, and I suppose that’s how we enjoyed it the first time. But then I started craving it all the time! It’s sweet although not overly so, and you can go with cream or even something like a creamy oat milk (half & half ended up being my favorite).

This one was a favorite to recipe test with, and it was the only choice for me on Christmas Eve. These could get dangerous in a hurry, that’s for sure.

Where: The North Pole or something

Rusty Nail | 12.23.22

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What: Rusty Nail

Paired with: We started watching some YouTube videos to find some seasonal cocktails other than our usual Sidecar. One of the drinks listed in the list of “holiday cocktails” was a Rusty Nail, which I’ve never had. FURTHERMORE, I saw that Drambuie is one of the ingredients, and I’ve never tried that either! Aside from some low-quality liqueur-filled chocolates I had decades ago, but I don’t think that counts.

The drink was good, but wow – much sweeter than I thought it would be. Scotch can deliver a little sweetness on its own, but the Drambuie kind of put it over the top. I had to drink it slowly enough to let the ice temper it (I’m sure Scotch aficionados are rolling their eyes right now – fuck them!) because it was so honeyed. I’m glad we tried it, though!

Where: Hooooooome