With its crackling fires and holiday cheer, winter is a warm and fuzzy time . What better to match it than a wintry cocktail that makes you warm and fuzzy inside? Dylan O’Brien is a longtime bartender and East Bay lifer who, along with wife Polly Hancock, runs the Prizefighter Bar in Emeryville , California, plus its new sister business Prizefighter Bottle Shop . O’Brien recently discussed what he loves drinking during the colder months, shared strategies to follow when you’re throwing a holiday party and shared three favorite recipes for this time of year.
Q: What cocktails make you think of winter and the holidays? A: There are flavor profiles that work well in colder months. I think of things that are heavily spiced and also certain kinds of wines that go with holiday meals, like beaujolais nouveau and riesling – which is a little lower alcohol, always a good move during holidays. Then also warm drinks, because it’s cold outside.
At the bar, we make mulled wine and our own “butter batter” with ice cream and spices for hot-buttered rum. Q: What’s the “new wave” of holiday drinks? A: For what we do, we apply the same kind of techniques for holiday cocktail-making that we do for everything else. We do a couple of clarified-milk punches at the bar, one that’s a brandy-sherry milk punch with citrus and chai tea, which has those baking-spice flavors.
We’re using a little science in it, like you’re milk-washing the cocktail and then clarifying it, so you.