Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 24 – Cardinal. We made it! Only one more sleep until Christmas morning and this final cocktail to savour as you do whatever it is you plan to do this Christmas Eve.
I’m fortunate to have my parents here in Ottawa so we can spend Christmas together and cherish our traditions and time together.
Every Christmas Eve my Dad reads The Polar Express and then we open our stockings. Usually over a glass of rum and eggnog. My Dad doesn’t much like Campari so I don’t think I’ll be able to talk him into trying the Cardinal.
This is actually one of my favourite drinks from the entire calendar – saving the best for last. Punt E Mes is a really cool product, the name translates to “point and a half” and, so the story goes, it’s one part vermouth and half a part intensely herbal-bitter quina liqueur. You can source Punt E Mes here in Ottawa at La Bottega.
Combined with the sweetness of the port and the classic bitterness of Campari, the finished product is a dynamic take on the Negroni, I think I might actually prefer this version, and I LOVE negronis.
Since this is our final cocktail for 2020 here on Taste & Tipple, I’d love to know what your favourite drink recipe has been from the past year or just from the advent calendar. Let me know in the comments below.
I’ll be doing my annual round-up of the top 10 recipes of the year next week but in the meantime, I’m looking forward to unplugging for a bit, resetting, recharging, and spending some quality time with my loved ones.
I’m also VERY excited to be cooking for other people (my parents), because 2020 has been decidedly short on entertaining opportunities. If you need me, you can find me in my happy place, the kitchen.
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Cardinal
- 1 ½ oz London Dry gin
- ½ oz Punt E Mes
- ½ oz Campari
- ½ oz tawny port
- Garnish: orange coin
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Stir all the ingredients over ice, then strain into double rocks glass over one large ice cube.
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Flame the orange coin over the drink, then drop it in.
interetsing not really a Campari person either but I do have it in stock so maybe we will try this
My favourites were (in no particular order): Snow Angel, Fireside Bourbon, All Aglow and Santiki Claus. I also really enjoyed Sparkle & Shine. My husband was a real sport, and had every cocktail I made. Thank you for making us discover some awesome local products. In fact I received my Vodkow order a few days ago and will be making the Snowcap Café au Lait today, which I had originally skipped. I am currently putting together a list of takeaways/lessons learned; I will be posting shortly. Thanks again for doing this. You literally gave us something to prepare for and look forward to every day in December (yes I am extending this by a week). Merry Christmas!