It's easy to get stuck in the habit of making the same few cocktails over and over. We're not saying there's not much to love about a simple G&T or an Old Fashioned, but it's also fun (and rewarding!) to expand your liquid horizons every now and again.
The debut cocktail book by bartender extraordinaire Evelyn Chick, For the Love of Cocktails: The Everyday Guide to Delightful Drinks for Anyone, Anytime, is just the guide a budding home bartender needs to get more creative with mixology.
![Image for Cocktail recipe: Winter in Niagara from 'For The Love of Cocktails'](/sites/default/files/styles/article_freeheight/public/evelyn_chick_for_the_love_of_cocktails.jpg?itok=Qq8Wll6i)
From a breakdown of the classics and essential bottles of spirits and other cocktail accoutrements to have at home, the book offers a wide range of recipes that will have you sipping on a quality drink at any time of the year.
Her Niagara-inspired winter cocktail recipe calls for Canadian whisky, icewine and green chratreuse, among other things, for a final product that is both refreshing and pleasantly wintery.
"The pride and joy of the Niagara region of Canada is icewine. And while it may take more effort to produce, the resulting silky-sweet nectar is totally worth it," explains Evelyn Chick in the introduction to this cocktail recipe in her new book. "Icewine adds body, acidity, and a great depth of flavour to shaken or stirred cocktails...If you’ve not been to the Niagara region in the winter, this drink will definitely transport you there."
The Winter in Niagara cocktail by Evelyn Chick
![](https://eatnorth.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_freeheight/public/evelyn_chick_cocktail_recipe_winter_in_niagara.jpeg?itok=HuY3Tp0q)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 oz Lot No. 40 100% Pot Still Rye Whisky
1/2 oz VQA Vidal Icewine
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/4 oz Odd Society Mia Amata Amaro*
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
Use a lighter to carefully char the rosemary sprig. Place the still-smoking sprig in the center of a non-reactive plate.
Cover the sprig with an upside-down mixing glass, letting the smoke fill the glass until it subsides (about a minute).
Flip the mixing glass right side up and immediately add the rest of the ingredients.
Add enough ice to cover the liquid, plus a bit more. Use a bar spoon to stir for 10–15 seconds.
Strain through a Hawthorne strainer into a 51/2-oz coupe glass.
Garnish with your charred rosemary sprig.
*Author's note: if you can't get Odd Society Spirits where you live, Amaro Nonino will provide a similar nutty flavour, only lighter.
- Yield:
- 1 cocktail