With Blizzpocalypse 2016 upon us (otherwise known as Superstorm Jonas, Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla, and, surely, countless other portmanteaus), many people up and down the eastern seaboard will be homebound the weekend and maybe longer. Because we at The Manual wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing our readers may not be properly equipped to wait out the storm with the right booze, we’ve put together a guide for how to get drunk while homebound. For those of you not snowbound, tape some computer paper to the windows, queue up Netflix Yule log, and pretend.
The first step to Blizzpocalypse preparedness is having your bar stocked. It may be too late for some people, but if you’ve got time (as in, right after you finish reading this piece), head down to your local liquor dispensary and stock up. That way, you can drink for hours on end binge-watching Making A Murderer without the fear that you’ll run out of alcohol (We saw what it did to Jack Sparrow when he ran out of rum, after all).
The Winter Weather Alcohol Preparedness Kit:
The standard spirits: vodka, dark rum, light rum, scotch, bourbon, gin, tequila (100% agave), Cognac
The standard liqueurs: Cointreau, Amaretto (such as DiSaronno), Vermouth (sweet and dry), Campari
The standard mixers:
*
Now that your bar is stocked, it’s time for the fun part—making drinks. There’s a wide variety of things you can do with just a few ingredients, and sometimes you may be running low on one thing or another (who remembers to pick up hot cocoa when you’re trying to punch and kick your way to the bread and milk?), but that’s the joy of cocktails—you can improvise. Check out the cocktails below, then have it. When you run out of one ingredient, move onto the next drink and try something new. Before you know it, the snow will have stopped and you’ll be nursing your hangover on the way back to work.
Related: The Best Cocktails for Winter Weather
For Warming Up
Hot Toddy
- 1 part Dewar’s 12 Blended Scotch Whisky
- 3 parts hot water
- Honey and lemon juice, to taste
Method: Mix ingredients in a mug. Add honey and lemon to taste.
(A classic cold weather drink, the hot toddy is perhaps one of the easiest drinks to improvise when you’re down on ingredients. Check out our history of the hot toddy, as well as multiple other recipes.)
The BaE (Baileys and Espresso)
(Created by Mixologist Jessie Laino, Miami)
- 2 oz Baileys Espresso Crème
- 4 oz. Hot Cocoa
- Top with Peppermint Whipped Cream*
- Mint Leaf
Method: Combine Baileys Espresso Crème and hot cocoa in a mug and stir gently. Top with peppermint whipped cream. Garnish with a mint leaf.
*Peppermint Whipped Cream
- 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tsp Peppermint Extract
Method: Add heavy cream to mixing bowl and mix on low to medium speed. When the cream starts to thicken stop the mixer, add in the powdered sugar and resume mixing. When it starts to peak, add in peppermint extract. Mix on high speed until the cream is thick and stiff.
Chocolate Fire
(Created by Damian Windsor, Power House, Los Angeles)
- 6 oz Patrón Añejo
- 2 oz Patrón XO Café Incendio
- 3 cups Milk
- .75 circle of Chocolate Abuelita
Method: Heat milk and Chocolate Abuelita in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix continuously with wire whisk until mixture is frothy and starts to simmer. Remove from heat and add Patrón Añejo Tequila and Patrón XO Café Incendio to taste. Pour into a warmed mug; float thickened cream on top and dust with fresh grated cinnamon. (Serves 4)
For When You Absolutely Need To Get Out of The House
Boozy Snow Cones
For anyone who grew up in a place where snow was a common occurrence, this one is probably no surprise. Once you’re tired of being cooped up inside, head out with a cup, scoop of some fresh powder, and drizzle with your favorite spirit or liqueur. You can’t go wrong with a Bourbon Snow Cones, but don’t be afraid to place around with the sweeter liqueurs as well. An Amaretto snow cone or a UV Salted Caramel Apple snow cone offer a nice bite of the snow cones of old.
Of course, the simple way to make these is to just drop a shot on top of the snow and enjoy. If you’re looking for a more in-depth recipe, however, check out The Bourbonista’s recipe for Bourbon Ice Cream.
For The Next Morning
The Bloody Mary
As always with day drinking, the next day may be rough. If you’ve got tomato juice and some spices on hand, try your hand at a Bloody Mary to ease that hangover into a sweet, snowy oblivion.
Brass Monkey
- 1 part vodka
- 1 part dark rum
- 1 part orange juice
Method: Mix and serve in a highball glass over ice.
(Think of it as the Screwdriver’s older, stronger sibling.)
For When You Want Others To Do The Work For You
Cocktail Delivery
If you happen to live in LA or NYC and you need your cocktail fix, you can have cocktails delivered to your door in under an hour. An hour, people. Thanks to Instapour, this dream is now a reality. You may not need to worry about snow in LA, but we can’t stress enough—these are cocktails delivered to your door, lovingly crafted with Caliche rum. What more could you ask for?
