Ahhh the holidays! For me the time between Thanksgiving and New Years is always a huge rush. There’s always year end stuff to wrap up for work, on top of all the shopping and traveling. It can really burn you out.

But every year I do look forward to taking a break and bellying up to the bar at Toronado and other bars to sample holiday beers. I enjoy taking the time away from all the holiday stress to chill out and have a couple pints each season has to offer. A Christmas or holiday beer is not really a style of beer, but rather a seasonal one that you start seeing when the weather cools down. The good ones usually run out by February.

There are a few things that I expect from a holiday beer, for it to fall into this category. It must have enough alcohol to warm you up, and to take off the holiday edge. It should also have a hint of holiday-inspired spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger etc.). That’s not to say there are not a ton of other great winter seasonal beers out there, but without these qualities, I don’t think of them as holiday beers.

Here are a few of my favorites this year:

Anchor Brewing Company – Our Special Ale 2010

I live less then a mile from the Anchor Brewery and I am not usually a huge fan. This year is an exception. Anchor’s Our Special Ale 2010 is a great beer and really nails the holiday aromas and flavors. It is very dark brown in color and smells of ginger, nutmeg, and burnt sugar. The spices are balanced and it has a nice dry roasty malt finish.

Anderson Valley – Winter Solstice

The Anderson Valley Winter Solstice makes my list because it’s a holiday beer that’s really easy to drink! Usually, you really only want one or two of these holiday beers at a time. This one pours deep amber, but still clean enough that you can see through it. It has a wonderful flavor of caramel malt and cinnamon.

Delirium – Noel

I’ll never forget the first time I had this beer– my Uncle brought it to our family Christmas party when I was 17 and I loved it. It is probably one of my first great beer experiences. It’s a strong Belgian dark ale that smells of dried fruit and has a really nice deep malty, cherry flavor with hints of spice. It packs a big punch and will fuck the scrooge right out of you.

Try to stick with a trusted retailer when you buy this beer. Make sure it has been kept refrigerated and looks like it’s in good shape. Since it has traveled a long distance to get here I have found it to taste different depending on where I buy it from.

[Sorry no picture of the pour on this one. I am saving it for tonight so I'll update the picture after I drink it.]

I would have liked to get an east coast holiday beer on the list but have not been able to get one that I liked out here in SF so far. That said, I’ve heard good things about Harpoon Winter Warmer.

-CJ

At some point very soon you’ll feel like you’ve filled your noggin with too much nog from all the holiday parties throughout the month. Before you reach the point where the three letter word ‘egg’ begins to conjure four letter word thoughts, I’d like to share with you a few recipes for delicious egg-based relatives of the classic Egg Nog that are just as appropriate during this time of year, but involve less than a tenth of the labor. You won’t need a blender and you won’t have to separate and beat egg whites until your arm falls off. All you’ll need is your trusty shaker and strainer to make these drinks. What’s more, you won’t have to throw a party and invite guests to have an excuse to make them, because the recipes are for individual portions. This should certainly please you holiday hermits and Scrooges out there.

Folks I’m talking about the Flip, a category of egg-based mixed drinks that were hugely popular at one point in American history, the 19th century to be exact. You see, before there was the Flipmode Squad, there was a squad of talented American bartenders (led by the preeminent Jerry Thomas) who mixed Flips to the delight of their patrons. So popular in fact were these eggy elixirs that they appear to have been the original Breakfast of Champions; long before coffee ruled the day’s early hours, Americans preferred to kickstart their day with an egg-based tipple or few. It’s no wonder the turn of the century temperance movement gained enough steam to initiate Prohibition.

Initially Flips were made simply of sugar, ale, and rum, and heated by taking a hot iron from the fire and inserting it in the cup until it frothed. Eventually with the help of the aforementioned Godfather of Mixology, Jerry Thomas, egg found its way in the drink along with ice, and a cocktail shaker replaced the hot poker–with the shaken egg being of course the critical froth-producing element in the drink.

I view the Flip as essentially a downsized Egg Nog. I say that not so much as a statement of official mixological taxonomy, but rather as a practical observation of a few differences between the two drinks. The primary difference has less to do with the ingredients as it does with the preparation of those ingredients. With the exception of cream, most Flips require the same cast of characters as an Egg Nog: egg, sugar, spirit, nutmeg.

However whereas Egg Nog recipes usually require the multiple steps of separating the whites and yolks, beating the yolks with the sugar before adding the spirit and cream, then beating the whites until stiff before finally folding in the whites with the yolk mixture, the Flip is a relatively hassle-free affair because it requires none of that. Simply combine all the ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake away. That’s it. Although it can get a little (or a lot) more fancier from there, at its core it retains that simplicity of process.

Bourbon Ginger Flip (pictured at top)
1 1/2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
1/2 oz rum cream liqueur (basically a rum version of Baileys)
1 tsp caster sugar (or simple syrup)
1 egg (can’t beat farm fresh eggs with their rich yellow yolks if you can get ‘em)
nutmeg and powdered ginger to top

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail or flip glass

Dissolve the sugar with the liquor in a cocktail shaker. Crack the egg in there and dry shake (meaning without ice) for about 20-30 seconds. Add ice and shake vigorously again until shaker is nice and frosty. Strain into your glass and top with a bit of powdered ginger (go easy) and grated nutmeg.

You don’t have to dry shake if you don’t want to, but I like it because it produces a slightly richer froth. You can also double strain if you like, in order to catch any stray ice pieces from ending in the final product, and I do it based on my mood at the moment. Again it’s not critical unless you’re looking for the cleanest looking final product.

For the rum cream I used Crisma brand, which is made in Barbados and nearly impossible to find outside the island. However Cruzan makes a decent product as well.

Rum Apricot Flip (above)
1 1/2 oz aged rum
3/4 oz apricot brandy (Rothman & Winter is great if you can get it)
1 tsp caster sugar (or simple syrup)
1 egg
nutmeg to top

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail or flip glass

As with the first recipe, dissolve sugar in the spirits before adding the egg and either dry shake or not, per your preference. Strain into your glass and top with a bit of grated nutmeg.

Jupiter’s Flip*
1 oz absinthe
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp caster sugar (or simple syrup)
1 egg
Peychaud’s bitters

Tools: shaker, strainer, toothpick
Glass: cocktail or flip glass

You know the drill by now, except this time after you strain into your glass, place a few drops of Peychaud’s bitters on the top of the drink; then take a toothpick or equivalent tool and lightly whisk around the bitters to simulate Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

*This drink is the result of years of extensive collaborative research with NASA’s special Intergalactic Moon-Based Initiative for Booze Exploration (I.M.B.I.B.E.), and is best served in zero-gravity conditions. Moon boots and space suits not required.

As you can easily see from the above recipes, making a Flip does not involve nearly the same exhaustive procedures as making Egg Nog. The greater effort level in making Egg Nog is probably what makes it more sensible to serve to a large group, which conversely makes the Flip so suitable for solo or small-group imbibing.

Flips are also fantastic for you procrastinators out there. Whereas good Egg Nogs often require a few hours of advanced refrigeration to enable the flavors and spices to mingle and become well-acquainted, the ingredients in a Flip on the other hand only get the equivalent of a speed date before they have to get down to business.

Hopefully these recipes provide a glimpse into the myriad of different directions you can take a Flip, so you can take a breather from the gluey store-bought Egg Nogs you’re probably used to being served at every holiday party this season. However if you’re interested in actually making a good traditional Egg Nog you can check out this really tasty recipe here.

Hang in there soldier, you’re almost at the finish line! As for me, I think I’m going to have the Breakfast of Champions–the throwback kind.

Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below!

Paystyle was born in Tehran and grew up in Los Angeles (aka Tehrangeles) before moving to Brooklyn with his wife and co-pilot Vanessa Bahmani who provides the stunning photography of Pay’s concoctions. Return every Wednesday for his weekly Happy Hour column.

I was supposed to go to Wallse for Christmas Eve dinner, but stupid me told Nate that I will definitely do tasting menu of $80 with wine paring. “It’s recession, honey” is something I’ve been hearing from him daily, and me saying I will have the most expensive menu at the restaurant didn’t go too well. So instead, I decided to cook as usual. I’ve developed this phobia or dissatisfaction of going to restaurants. Except for Babbo’s foie gras ravioli with balsamic reduction sauce, I haven’t been impressed by notable restaurants much.

Though I didn’t even take pictures, I made fillet mignon on Sunday, Lobster on Monday, and this is Wednesday that I am cooking wonderful meal for four. Since it’s holiday, I wanted to take extra effort for this meal.

First course – two seafood appetizers. Crabmeat salad in cucumber circle on tomato consomme sauce. Halibut ceviche marinated with yuzu pepper, vinegar and oil on a bed of greens .

I’ve seen shows on food network using sliced cucumber as a mold to put salad and various items in, and I used the method. Since it’s recession, instead of lump crab meat, I bought Jonas crabmeat, which is about half the price. Mixed it with chopped red and yellow peppers, parsley, bit of mayo, mustard, and rice wine vinegar and sugar. It’s sort of crabcake without bread crumbs. For the sauce, I peeled tomato skins (by blanching it in boiling water), then cooked them in consomme, then blended everything, shived through to get rid of seeds. Easy pie. For halibut, I mixed yuzu pepper, EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper, and marinated thinly sliced fish (the best way to slice fish is to freeze it till it’s firm enough, then you can slice them very thinly), and marinated it about 30 minutes before dinner time. I didn’t want to cook the fish too much by marinade.

To plate them, I put blanched chives in the center as a divider, poured tomato base on one side, then placed cucumber circle. To make cucumber circle, buy English cucumber, and use your peeler, go through it length wise, hope for the best even slices. It looks pretty darn good, don’t you think?
I was craving for good duck, so I bought nice duck breasts for main course. I knew my favorite Western Beef won’t carry fancy meat like duck, so I went all the way to Whole Foods, but they didn’t carry them either.. Is it the same concept as lobsters at WF? Inhumane way of raising or whatever the crappy reason is, they should get over it. We are animal eaters, and no matter how humane or inhumane the way they are raised, they taste damn good, so let’s just eat them.

I found an wonderful and totally fool proof way of cooking duck, and followed it. First you cut the fat so that it renders and become crispy when cooking, and sear them until fat side is totally crisp. Put them on baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil and put it aside until 10 minutes before you are ready to eat them. While eating your first course, put them in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, and they are the best medium rare duck ever! The sauce is the complete utter brilliance I created. I’ve had sauteed foie gras with apples before, and they are quite good. So I made sauce with that concept. Though I still need to improve it (especially the color was a bit too barfy), here is the recipe. Since I was so proud of this sauce, I still remember how I made it (which is very rare for me).

3 apples, peeled and sliced
one tub of duck liver pate (I used one without any vegees or other ingredients)
brandy
1 shallot minced
about 1/3 cup of red wine
salt and pepper
butter to cook apples

Cook apples and shallot in butter, when they become tender add brandy (I think I used about 2 table spoons or so), cook till alcohol evaporates. Add red wine and duck pate. Cook till pate is smoothly melted. Add salt and pepper. One way is to pour it over the meat as is, but I wanted smooth sauce, so I blended the whole thing (which might be a mistake, since the color became too gray and barfy). Although they didn’t look too appetizing, it was one of the best sauces I’ve made.

For dessert, I made Japlava. I cleaned out my pantry, and found a bag of red beans. So one day I made red bean paste. I also had a pack of phyllo dough in the freezer, so I’ve decided to combine them together and make into baklava Japanese style. Maybe using butter was a bit too animally for bean paste, and if I make this again, I will probably use regular oil. (Or is it ok to use oil instead of butter? Any Greek people here to give me an advice?) It was more like Glaktopouriko (the one with custard), than baklava, but it’s easier to call it Japlava, than Japaktopouriko..

Next day, we went to my friend’s house for Christmas dinner, and had 1982 Chateau Margaux. It was not until next day when we googled and found out it costs $3,500 a bottle… We had two of them with dinner, followed by 1983 Sauterne, finished with 1976 Port. More than $10,000 worth wine was consumed. If I knew, I wouldn’t have had 3 huge cocktails before dinner.. I remember it tasted like wine, but that’s about it.. Shameful.. Also if I knew father collected wine, I didn’t bring wine at all.. 2005 Rioja and 2007 Montepulciano looked such rejects next to dust covered wines from long time ago….

Final note, 2008 is almost over!! This year was pretty pretty crappy, and let’s hope 2009 is going to be a better one.. Happy New Year!

It was quick, simple and easy- my three favorite words! This is what you’ll need, per Bonnie’s instructions.

- 1 (11 1/2 oz) package of Nestle Toll House milk chocolate morsels (chips)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons almond flavored liquor (Amaretto)
- 2/3 cup finely chopped toasted almonds (I just chop up Blue Diamond salted almonds that come in a can)

I stole some Amaretto from a friend, which is what’s in the tupperware. I used semi-sweet chips instead of milk chocolate. Oops!

“Melt morsels over hot, not boiling water. Stir until smooth.”
This was my first time melting chocolate “over hot water”- I guess it’s important not to use boiling water or the chocolate burns. It definitely got a little messy, but I eventually got the hang of it.

“Remove from heat.”

“Blend in sour cream. Add liquor: mix well.”

“Transfer to a small bowl. Chill until firm.”
Look, the spoon stands up!

“Drop by well rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper lied cookie sheets. Shape into balls.”
This definitely got a little messy when the chocolate started getting a little melty.

“Roll in almonds.”

“Chill until firm. Makes about 21/2 dozen truffles. These freeze very well.”
I rolled half the batch in almonds, the other I sprinkled with cocoa powder. Next time, I will try sprinkling with sea salt and cayenne pepper.

I bought the little cups and boxes at a craft store for really cheap.

My little valley of truffle boxes! I’ll be distributing these to friends-within-proximity in the next few days.

This project literally took no longer than 2 hours. Simple, lovely, and easy on the wallet. Thank you, Bonnie for a fantastic recipe!!!

Happy holidays to everyone!