Cozy Up wit​h Holiday Cocktails ​from Los A​ngeles

Mezcal Eggnog
By Dave Kupchinsky of The Eveleigh

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs (separated)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 qt milk
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 18 oz of Mezcal
• 12 oz of Cardamom infused Amontillado Sherry
• 1 whole nutmeg for grating (half in the mix and the rest for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Beat the egg yolks well until they turn light in color.Add 1/2 cup of sugar as you beat the yolks.
2. Add milk, cream and booze. Mix well.
3. Take the rest of the sugar and egg whites, mix until you have a firm peak.
4. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mix.
5. Grate fresh nutmeg on top and mix again.
6. Served chilled and garnish with nutmeg to taste

Dave Kupchinsky’s daily inspiration comes from the team he works with at Eveleigh, where he is among the best mixologists in Los Angeles. In a recent interview, LA Magazine noted Kupchinsky’s unique approach as “unassuming and enchantingly disconnected from the [bartending] scene. He seems to channel spirits in his cocktail making and relies on his intuition more than trends.” In his day to day operations, Kupchinsky demonstrates himself as a man of many talents training fellow barmen, prepping all house-made syrups and infusions and always devoting the majority of his time developing and creating new cocktails with only the freshest and most innovative ingredients.

Mulled Wine
By Nikki Sunseri from Little Dom’s

Ingredients

• 300 grams of Sugar
• 15 pods of cardamom (crushed)
• 20 whole cloves
• 10 star anise (crushed)
• 3 cinnamon sticks (crushed)
• 1 pod of nutmeg (grated)
• 1 bourbon vanilla bean
• 4 oranges juice and peels
• 2 lemons (just the peels of these)
• 4 bottles of dry Italian wine (chianti)
• 1/2 c cognac

Instructions:

1. Put all the sugar, spices, peels and juice in a pot with 3/4 cup of wine.
2. Make a syrup by bringing it to a boil.
3. To know it’s ready the syrup should coat the back of a spoon.
4. Then you add the rest of your wine and it should just get hot enough to scorch your wrist.
5. DO NOT BOIL!
6. Take off the heat then add the cognac.
7. Strain into a coffee canister to keep it warm for your guests!

Nikki’s thoughts on her Mulled Wine ~ “I think what makes this one so great is that I don’t add a ton of sugar, so the dryness of the wine keeps its integrity. I also add a lot of anise flavor which makes this quintessentially Italian. The addition of a lot of citrus gives it a bite and make it easy to drink a few glasses without it becoming cloying or overwhelming. I always loved the idea of mulled wine but when then I would try it and it would never live up to what I pictured in my head. I think we all have foods like this. Foods that seem so great in theory but the execution time after time let’s us down.”

Fireside
By Kris Doyle from Trattoria Neapolis

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tea spoon nutmeg
• 3 cloves
• pinch salt
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 liter dark rum
• 1/2 liter light rum
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Instructions:

1. Combine butter and sugar in slow cooker on medium heat until brown.
2. Slowly add rest of ingredients and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
3. Serve in glass mug.