Category: holiday menu

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Naughty Charles

The Story

During the holidays it can be fun to have a cocktail that is undeniably interesting. For such a need we present the Naughty Charles. This cocktail starts with a familiar base, with Bourbon and Cherry Heering (our own Wallace and Davis!). Leaning into the sweet side, creme de cacao is then added. You’ve got a pretty straight forward desert Old fashioned here, right?! But that’s when the dry vermouth shows up and throws it’s weight around. Top it off with orange bitters (popular in our house martini).

This drink offers up different flavors from the nose to the finish and every step along the way. If you decide to check it out, make sure to stick to the recipe and consider the OXO Jigger which offers up the rare 1/3oz line, used twice in this drink.

Happy Holidays! Cheers!!

The Recipe

1 ½ oz Bourbon

1/3 oz Cherry Heering

1/3 oz White Crème de Cacao

½ oz Dry Vermouth

2 dashes Orange bitters

The Build

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora

Garnish with a lemon twist

Source: Difford’s Guide

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Wallace & Davis O.F. (A Runaway Anchor Original)

The Story

Originally introduced Dec 23, 2023, this Runaway Original is back for a second holiday season. Kicking off our Menu for the year, enjoy our tasty riff on the old fashioned again!!

The Old Fashioned is a classic. An easy cocktail to make and enjoy at home, or to order from any bar in the world. We thought it would be fun to do a riff on the Old Fashioned for the holidays. This mixture evokes the taste of chocolate covered cherries, but the balance is crucial with this cocktail.

First thing: stick with Bourbon. We tried it with Rye and the spice will quickly overwhelm the delicate balance here (Scotch would also overpower it). Also, abide by the 0.5oz of cherry heering. If you put a full shot in this drink the only thing you’ll taste is cherry. Finally, THREE dashes of the bitters. The last thing you taste should be the chocolate. We hope you enjoy this Runaway Anchor Original Cocktail for the holidays this year (or anytime you’re in the mood for something a little sweet)!

If you’re wondering about the name. This classic cocktail needed a classic holiday movie to go along with it, so we went with White Christmas, naming the cocktail after the characters played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.

Happy Holidays!

The Recipe

2 oz Bourbon

½ oz Cherry Heering Liqueur

3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters

The Build

In a Mixing Glass, add all three ingredients

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain over a single ice cube if possible

Garnish with 2-3 Maraschino Cherries

Source: BC (Co-Founder of the Runaway Anchor Cocktail Bar)

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The Resurrection (aka Agua de Fresa)

The Story

We took some liberties with the re-naming. What was intended to be a hangover cure with the Resurrection name, turned into a mocktail. This was mainly because all hangover cures are either boring (hydrate), gross (drink pickle juice), or weird (rub lemon on armpits). No thank you.

This refreshing mocktail is sure to be a hit by the glass or by the punchbowl. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time for the strawberries to steep in the sugar water.

Cheers! And Happy Easter!

The Recipe

4 cups Strawberries (sliced)

1 cup Sugar

8 cups of cold water

1 Lime, cut into 8 wedges

8 sprigs of mint

The Build

Add the strawberries, sugar and one cup of water to a large bowl; stir to combine

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 4 hours

Pour mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth

Using a large fine mesh strainer, pour the mixture through into a large bowl

Add remaining 7 cups of water to the strawberry mixture and stir to combine

Fill glass with ice and pour in strawberry water

Garnish with lime wedge and mint

Source: All Recipes Mexican Strawberry Water

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The Final Say

The Story

If you enjoy a “Last Word” but can’t find Green Chartreuse, we highly recommend this cocktail as an alternative. We modified the original recipe a fair amount, so you might need to as well. The Violete can quickly overpower the drink, so experiment and start lighter. And stick with a mild gin like Plymouth or Old Tom.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1 oz Plymouth Gin

1 oz Maraschino Liqueur

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

¾ oz Creme de Violete

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake for 10 seconds

Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass

Source: Can’t recall the original source, but the ratios were modified by BC

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Cadbury Creme Egg Cocktail

The Story

Ok. This one is ridiculous. That is not a secret. But while searching for “Easter Cocktails” this thing was impossible not to come across. There were several different options. This one did not require melting chocolate on a stove, so it seemed more accessible. It looks complicated, but it really isn’t when you get into the recipe.

Don’t use chocolate syrup!! You need the thickness of a recently melted chocolate to get the smooth garnish on the outside of the glass. Trust me, I tried the shortcut on a different cocktail, and it was a giant mess!! 10 seconds burst, stir, and do it again till it’s melted.

It’s a sweet monster, so brace yourself. But it’s also a showstopper if you’re having a gathering this holiday weekend. Cheers!

The Recipe

This recipe is for TWO COCKTAILS!!

¼ cup Milk Chocolate (for melting and grating)

3 tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk

¾ cup Half and Half

2½ oz Creme de Cocoa

1½ oz Vodka

Yellow and Red Food Coloring

Top with Seltzer

The Build

Melt Chocolate in the microwave 10 seconds at a time, stirring between (took us 40 seconds to melt it all)

Coat the edges of two coupe glasses with melted chocolate. Shake glass to prevent drip. Transfer glass to freezer

In a bowl, mix one drop of yellow food coloring with sweetened condensed milk

Stir until yellow. Add a tiny dash of red to the mixture and stir until orange

Pull glass out of freezer and add half of the mixture to the bottom of each glass

In a cocktail shaker, add creme de cocoa, vodka, and half and half

Add ice and shake for 10 seconds

Double strain mixture into each glass, leaving roughly an inch for seltzer and garnish

Top glass with seltzer and grate chocolate across the top

Garnish with half of a Cadbury Creme Egg, skewered on a cocktail pin (don’t poke it, spin it)

Source: Delish Cadbury Creme Egg Cocktail Recipe

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Easter 2024 – Mini Menu is Up!!

As we head into Holy Week, the Runaway Anchor has you covered. Head over to the Mini Menu section to check out three tasty cocktails and one refreshing mocktail.

This will be the last Mini Menu available on the Runaway Anchor website, as we will be moving all of our mini and specialty menus to our Patreon Members (all tiers!) starting in May. Our first speciality menu is a double menu dedicated to the tv show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine! Coming in early May!!

For now, whether you’re a church goer or an egg hunter, Happy Easter!!

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Coquito

The Story

If you like the idea of egg nog, but the thought of raw egg in a cocktail kind of grosses you out, consider this cocktail as an alternative. Another holiday drink highlighted by Anders Erickson, this cocktail is a simple build with a bunch of milk, coconut and rum. The time consuming part is making the “spice tea” but even that is pretty easy to accomplish.

The trick to the spice tea is making sure to cool it completely before mixing it into the cocktail, and if you are thinking about skipping the “star anise” because it’s not already in your spice rack, we strongly recommend against it. Just one star is all you need and you can always use it to garnish your Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned if you like!

We hope you enjoy this Puerto Rican cocktail for the holidays or anytime you need something smooth and creamy to sip beside the fire.

Cheers!

The Recipe

8 oz Coconut Milk

4 oz Evaporated Milk

4 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 oz Cream of Coconut

¼ oz Vanilla Extract

2 oz Chilled Spice Tea (recipe below)

Pinch of Salt

4 oz Don Q Gold Rum (it’s 151 proof, so drink responsibly and keep fire at a distance)

Grated nutmeg for garnish

Spice Tea Recipe

4 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)

25 whole cloves

1 whole star anise

1 cup water

Bring water to boil with spices. Continue to boil until the mixture is reduced by half. Chill in the fridge for a couple hours.

The Build

Add all of ingredients to a blender or other type of mixer (preferably with a lid, not an immersion blender)

Blend for 10-15 seconds

Pour into chilled Nick and Nora glass and garnish with grated nutmeg

Source: Coquito Recipe Anders Erickson

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Hot Buttered Rum (single serving)

The Story

Hot buttered rum is usually something made in a big pot for a big group. But what about those random winter nights when you just really want to sip a smooth buttery glass of hot rum? Our Runaway Anchor Godfather, Anders Erickson, once again saved the day with this “single serving” recipe.

Built in the glass, this one is easy to make and oh so smooth. Warm the butter a bit before you drop it into the glass, or you will be stirring to a while before everything is dissolved.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Black Rum (the only booze in this drink!!)

1 tbls Butter (softened)

1 tbls Brown Sugar

0.25 tsp Cinnamon

1 pinch of Clove

1 pinch of All Spice

0.25oz Vanilla Extract

4oz Hot Water

1 Cinnamon Stick

The Build

Temper an Irish Coffee Mug (or any heat safe mug) with hot water

Pour out the water and build

Add Butter, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Clove, All Spice and Vanilla

Add Dark Rum and Top with Hot Water

Garnish with Cinnamon Stick

Source: Anders Erickson Single Serve Hot Buttered Rum

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Brandy Alexander

The Story

This is a tasty classic. Easy to make. A little too easy to sip, so be careful! You can use a pricier cognac or any bottle of brandy, and it’ll be good. I even stay in the cheap end with my creme de cacao.

If you want to get crazy, you can take this, add some vanilla ice cream and blend it into a smoothie, Wisconsin-Style! But my preference is ice cold, smooth sipping.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1½ oz Brandy or Cognac

1 oz Creme De Cacao (white is my preference)

1 oz Heavy Cream (or alternative cream source)

The Build

Combine all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker

Shake with ice for 12 seconds

Double strain into a stemmed cocktail glass (chilled)

Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg

Source: Steve the Bartender Brandy Alexander

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I Saw Three Ships Cocoa

The Story

Ever since coming out of the lockdown period of the Pandemic, my wife and I have been visiting a local wine bar called Ambi. It was our Friday afternoon hangout spot for nearly two years. And if you ever find yourself in Anoka, Minnesota, it is work a visit.

We made an appearance just a couple weeks ago. They had advertised a couple “christmas wine cocktails” on their social media pages, and I went in planning to try the “Jack Frost” featuring a white wine with blue curacao among other things. But alongside that one they offered another that either wasn’t named, or I failed to catch the name. It was a hot cocoa with ruby port. Topped with whipped cream and a Christmas tree cake. I love port, so I had to give it a try, and it was amazingly good. Though the tree cake was a little tricky to manage.

So we present our Runaway Anchor take on this wine cocktail. And since it features “port” we came up with a christmas name that seemed to fit the bill.

Cheers!

The Recipe

8-12 oz Hot Chocolate made with WATER (depending on mug size)

2 oz Ruby Port

Garnish with Peppermint whipped cream and candy cane and some festive sprinkles

The Build

Prepare your hot chocolate however you prefer (use water, not milk!!!)

Pour 2 oz Ruby Port into mug

Add hot chocolate to mug, leaving ½ inch for whipped topping

Garnish with Peppermint Whipped Cream and Candy Cane

Source: Christmas Cocktail offering at our local wine bar, Ambi