The Haute Topic
Currently a best seller at Brabo in Alexandria, this cocktail is a doozy. It's a mix between a hot buttered rum, a hot toddy, and a sangria. It comes to us courtesy Emmanuel Pressley, head bartender at Brabo.
1 oz Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
3 oz Ginger Darjeeling Tea
½ oz Suze
¼ oz Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy
¼ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Benedictine
2 bar spoons of maple butter*
1 oz Rhone Red Wine
To make the cocktail you want to combine all the ingredients except the wine and tea into a mixing glass. Start stirring the cocktail and slowly add the tea to dissolve the butter. Once fully mix roll warm cocktail into a serving coffee mug. And float the red wine over top.
*Maple Butter: Melt 16 oz of butter in a double boiler. Then slowly add 8 oz of maple and 2 oz of brown sugar. Let the sugar dissolve into the solution and once finished separate the butter into 2 batches and chill.
Recipe and photo courtesy Emmanuel Pressley