I'd rather be socked in the face with spice in the winter though. Summer is the time for clear, cool, and fruity. Now is the time for dark, zesty, and rich .Beverage trends are on point, too, with the heavy use of liqueurs like Velvet Falernum, Frangelico, Becherovka. Anything with a tinge of baking spices, really.
Huddled inside under a soft blanket with a good book, though, I turn my mind to whiskey. I have a couple of go-to spirits when it's cold outside: Boubons, ryes, and Canadian whiskys.
Canadian whisky is something of an odd beverage. Among whisky drinkers its...well, let us be kind and say it has its place. And that place is drowned with a can of Coke at the office Christmas party because the open bar only serves well alcohol and the only beer they have is Miller Lite.
Couple that with the fact that even the label is misleading. Pick up a bottle of Canadian, and you'll see the word RYE jump out at you. You start to get excited, thinking about a vivacious snap of flavor along with a happy burn as it warms the belly. And then you taste it. The problem is that Canada's laws don't require that something called rye actually has any rye in it at all. There could be a liquor made of one hundred percent corn and wheat (and most of them are), and it will say rye on the front. Recently, there have been some Canadian producers that are pushing up the rye content, or advertising the fact that they never moved away from the grain in the first place. Caveat emptor is pretty much the rule, though; it you want a good rye experience, stick with American.
That's not to say that Canadian whisky can't be good. It can. It's just lacking the pedigree of a single malt Scotch, or a barrel-aged American bourbon. It's blended, light gold in color and mild on the palate. A perfect vehicle for some additives.
Spicebox is a relatively new "modified" whisky (first released this August as far as I can tell) bottled in Montreal, and it blends the craving for dark liquor with the season's penchant for spice. It's Canada's answer to Captain Morgan, maybe.
Pouring it into a glass, it retains the gold color of most Canadians, but there is where the similarity ends. Take a taste, and it's bursting with vanilla, caramel, allspice and orange zest. There's even a slight edge of coffee lurking around. It's sweeter than you would expect a whisky to be, but it has a nice raw alcohol burn when you quaff it straight. This is something I would definitely put into a flask for standing around on a freezing Parade of Lights-watching night.
To really make it come alive, though, let's fall back on the office party staple and mix it with some Coca-Cola. For most highballs I will substitute Coke Zero as a mixer, but I think it is important here to go with the genuine article due to the flavors involved.
Mixed together, the orange comes much more to the forefront, and the vanilla blends seamlessly. Amp it up with an orange twist. The cola's raging cinnamon is toned down. The whole package is like Jack & Coke times 10, and it is perfect for winter drinking. Grab yourself a piece of pie, hunker down and watch the snow fly from somewhere warm.Fill an Old Fashioned glass with ice.
1 1/2 ounce Spicebox Canadian Whisky
Fill with Coca-Cola
Garnish with an orange twist (I used a Clementine here, because I am a fancy pants. And that's all that was in the refrigerator)
Spicebox Canadian Spiced Whisky
Product of Canada
$17, on sale, at Applejack
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