The Twelve Drinks of Christmas: Volume 2, Drink 6

It is all about the traditions of the season and one of my favorites is baking. There is little better than a day spent indoors baking cookies with the family as the chill wind blows outside. I always want to be one of those people who bakes all kinds of wonderful treats and then shares them with everyone I see. I also want to be the kind of person who remembers to make and send out Christmas cards on time. I fail more often than I succeed, but like they say, it’s the thought that counts. Still, I want to be that person and maybe if I believe hard enough, someday it will be true. So, with a nod toward those best laid paving stones to hell during this busy time of year, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Italian Cookie.

This dessert drink delicacy comes to us from Three Muses in New Orleans. It was created as “an ode to the sprinkle-covered treats found in cookie tins in grandmothers’ homes everywhere.” Even though it is a blender drink, it sounds kind of wonderful to me, plus I just adore its simple garnish, so let’s pull out the heavy equipment and make this one.

In your blender cup combine, 1 1/2 ounces of black spiced rum, I went with Kraken; 1 ounce of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 an ounce of Herbsaint (you could swap absinthe in here in a pinch), 1/3 of an ounce of Creme de Noyaux, 1/3 of an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 barspoons of fig preserves, I added a little flavor with some Bainbridge Figs n’ Berries Preserves. Add a cup of ice and blend till smooth while listening to Band Aid’s classic “Do They Know It’s Christmas?“cause the kind has been singing that one all week and watching that video is a real blast from the past and a timely reminder of problems still unsolved nearly 40 years later. When blended pour into a highball glass and garnish with those little rainbow nonpareils. You know the ones that my grandma will cover her frosted cookies with for Christmas morning, just like she has for my last 49 Christmases. Pop a straw in to bring home the Ramos Gin Fizz visual and call it a day.

Of course, this is lovely. You read the ingredient list, right? It’s a a creamy, tangy, herbal Christmas frappé and there is nothing wrong with that. It has a depth of flavor that is usually missing from blended drinks, since they tend to get watered down quickly. Reminiscent of Christmas cookies in a tin from Grandma, but with a bitter bottom flavor and risk of brain freeze at no extra charge. This is just very nicely done and a great addition to your holiday repertoire.

Speaking of those rainbow nonpareils, the ones that made me choose this drink months ago without even looking at the ingredients. That term “nonpareil” means “without equal” which can also be used to describe my long suffering wife, who not only baked all of the cookies this year, but then put the drink together. I spent the end of the week under the weather and the entire weekend properly sick. Not sort of feeling bad, but in the bed, under the covers, shivering then sweating between trips to the bathroom and reminders to stay hydrated, kind of sick. During this time she took care of me; and you, gentle reader, tending to my physical needs while meeting your informational expectations. She has a worth far above rubies as they say and I do not deserve so fine a partner. I’d write some more, but like Ferris I’m afraid that in my weakened condition, I could take a nasty spill down the conjunctions and subject myself to further school absences, and no one would want that to happen. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay festive, my friends.