Whiskey

In 1838, Antoine Amedie Peychaud, owner of a New Orleans apothecary, treated his friends to brandy toddies of his own recipe, including his “Peychaud’s Bitters,” made from a secret family recipe. The toddies were made using a double-ended egg cup as a measuring cup or jigger, then known as a “coquetier” (pronounced “ko-k-tay”), from which the word “cocktail” was derived. Thus, the world’s first cocktail was born!
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Santa’s Ice Tea is a great iced tea drink that could also be served warm.  We preferred it chilled but either way its a great cocktail.  The whiskey and the chai tea really complement each other and the cherry liqueur offset the spice notes and sweetened up the tea.  Yum is all we have to say.  Great winter drink!
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For the Rye drinkers in your group a fun and festive approach to a holiday cocktail is the Salty Caramel Sour.  You omit the candy if you want as the caramel syrup does most of the work but that little hint of chocolate is really quite tasty.  Your preference.Salty Caramel Sour
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While no one seems to know when the Rusty Nail came across the bar I would suspect that it was in the late 30’s early 40’s. It would have been difficult to get Drambuie during prohibition. There is a brief history on the Drambuie  http://drambuie.com/us/#origins”  Made from honey and secret blends http://drambuie.com/us/#secret-recipe the Rusty Nail is equal parts Scotch and Drambuie. A smooth drink that gets better as the Scotch gets better, we tried Johnny Walker Red but Cutty Sark would also be a good starting point.
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The perfect card game drink, Royal Flush is a great get the guys together drink. Don’t let the fruity flavors fool you this one packs a punch.
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The Rob Roy is a cocktail created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The drink was named in honor of the premiere of Rob Roy, an operetta by composer Reginald De Koven and lyricist Harry B. Smith loosely based upon Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor.

Like a Manhattan, the Rob Roy can be made sweet, dry, or perfect. The standard Rob Roy is the sweet version, made with sweet vermouth. A dry Rob Roy is made by substituting dry vermouth for the sweet vermouth, this is not usual. A perfect Rob Roy is made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Overwhelmingly, the Rob Roy is made with sweet Vermouth.

The Rob Roy is usually served in a cocktail glass and granished with a maraschino cherry (for the sweet version). Funniest use of this drink in a move is the 1970’s movie “Turning Pointe” where the heroine goes on stage after being dumped and drinking a half a dozen of these. Drunk ballerinas are always funny. 
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Great winter cocktail this is one for little by the fire and reading a good book or enjoying the company of friends.  A little different it is also made with an extra 1/2 oz of Drambuie for an even smokier flavor.
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Something unique for our whiskey drinkers – Bourbon with a hint of citrus and sweet vermouth.
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The original Old Fashioned recipe would have used whiskeys available in America in the late 1800’s, either Bourbon or Rye Whiskey. The first recipe is from 1895. But in some regions, especially Wisconsin, brandy is substituted for whiskey (sometimes called a Brandy Old Fashioned). Eventually the use of other spirits became common, such as a gin recipe becoming popularized in the late 1940s. The first mention of the drink was for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail in the 1880s, at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Common garnishes for an Old Fashioned include an orange slice or a maraschino cherry, although these modifications came around 1930, sometime after the original recipe was invented. The practice of muddling orange and other fruit gained prevalence as late as the 1990s. In muddling the fruit make sure to muddle the fruit but try not to muddle the peel too much. You want to release the oils and fruit flavor but not a lot of the acid. As with spirit only drinks what whiskey/brandy you make this drink with matters. The fun is in trying to find which one you really like!

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Amazing cocktail with a very complex flavor profile. The smokey sSotch rinse really elevates this cocktail.
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