We just had our first snowfall of the season! I know I will get to a moment during this long, cold, dark winter, when I am thoroughly sick of snow and long for the fresh greens of spring and summer. But today is not that day. We are all thrilled with the gorgeous white blanket of one inch of fresh-fallen snow! And the perfect way to celebrate is with the snowflake martini!
For this week’s cocktail tasting, I really wanted to capture the beauty and freshness of the first snowfall of winter. Many holiday cocktails contain peppermint schnapps or creme de menthe, but I often find these liqueurs overly cloying or too strong in their flavors. (Homemade creme de menthe is another story for another day.) I found a better way to enjoy the fresh taste of peppermint in your holiday cocktails: using a peppermint horchata, a rum-based cream liqueur! Total Wine has a delicious Bravacha Horchata Peppermint Cream liqueur, which is a blend of traditional Caribbean rum, fresh cream, and natural flavors of peppermint, vanilla, and clove. Bravacha comes from one of the US’s oldest family-owned spirits companies, and they hit this liqueur out of the park. You could drink the peppermint horchata on its own, but why not pair it with a smooth French vodka and make a Snowflake Martini? The drink is ice cold and a lovely bright white color, reminiscent of the first layer of new-fallen snow. And the taste! Fresh, pure, just a bit minty, and a wonderful celebration of winter!
You can do other fun things with peppermint horchata too, like a take on Spruce Eats’ Snowshoe Grog by combining a delicious cognac with the minty cream liqueur. Raise a glass to the first snowfall of the season!
Snowflake Martini
Ingredients
1 oz vodka
½ oz peppermint horchata*
Method
Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill and strain into a coupe or martini glass. Cheers to winter!
*Note: You can play with these proportions and make them your own! (That’s allowed in cocktail making.) My husband preferred a 2:1 vodka to horchata ratio; my mother preferred a 4:3 ratio (so, 3/4 oz of horchata to 1 oz of vodka); and my sister preferred a 1:1 ratio (half and half!). Find your perfect snowflake martini and drink it proudly.