Warming cocktails work their magic when temperatures drop. See a trio of cocktail with a base of rum, bourbon, and rye that will be a welcome addition to your next gathering. One cocktail included a smoking scenario, for those who like to play with fire.

In charge of the drink program at Bottle and Bine is Moses Laboy, who puts the muscle behind its sixteen draft lines, which change daily, with interesting wine and beer selections. But what he really excels at are cocktails. We tried this trio, and were totally wowed. Luckily we got him to share the recipes with us. So sit back and chill, with a warming cocktail in hand. If you are into fanfare, creating The Smoke Show comes with a small performance and a little fire. Rum lovers will adore the Fun in the Storm and its lemongrass flavors. My Little Butter has bourbon that has been infused with—yes—butter. You may have also sampled some of Moses’ cocktails at: Gotham Bar & Grill, Le Colonial, Los Americanos, Red Rooster and Donatella. [Bottle and Bine has since closed]

The Smoke Show

Smoky flavor is added on the spot.

Make the Smoke:
few sticks of cinnamon
2 star anise
butane torch
cutting board
rocks glass
—
Torch ingredients until they are smoking, then cover with rocks glass to capture the smoke.

Make the Cocktail:
2 oz James Pepper Clove Infused Rye
1/2 oz Demerara
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
smoked rocks glass
—
Stir ingredients over ice till cold and strain into the smoked rocks glass over a large ice cube.

Fun In The Storm

A soulful rum with a tropical touch.

2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
1 oz Lemongrass
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 dashes Angostura and Orange bitters
—
garnish: candied ginger
—
Shake over ice till cold, strain into rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with candied ginger.

My Little Buttercup

This one was served with our dessert, and was off-the-charts, sinfully good! (see the photo at the top of this post)

Make the Fat Washed Bourbon:
1/4 LB butter, melted
1 liter Evan Williams bourbon
—
Add melted butter to the bourbon at room temperature. Let it absorb into the spirit for a few hours. Move to the fridge or freezer until butter solidifies. Skim off hardened butter. The flavor of the butter will remain, even after skimming.

Make the Cocktail:
2 oz Fat Washed Bourbon
2 oz cardamom simple syrup
—

Stir ingredients over ice and strain into a rocks glass over one large cube.