Staring down his second winter in the North as Pour Kitchen & Bar’s cocktail guru, Louisiana native Jonas Sevin is battling the Petoskey cold the best way he knows how: with hot toddies and cutting-edge coffee drinks. He shares his favorite hot cocktails and offers wisdom for building up your home bar arsenal.

Cocktail Recipes

Jonas takes a culinary approach to cocktail creation wherein drinks orbit a balance of salt, acid, heat and sweet. His coffee drink drives out the chill with smoked rye whiskey and spicy cayenne while a riff on the classic hot toddy uses allspice-infused syrup.

Campfire Coffee Cocktail

For the S’more Garnish 

Ingredients

  • 1  graham cracker square
  • 2  squares milk chocolate
  • 1 marshmallow

Method

Stack chocolate and marshmallow on a graham cracker and toast the marshmallow using a small kitchen torch.

For the Cocktail 

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces High West Campfire Whiskey
  • 3/4 ounce Creme de Cacao
  • 1 ounce brewed coffee
  • pinch of Himalayan salt
  • whipped cream
  • cayenne pepper

Method

In a pre-heated glass coffee mug, combine whiskey, Creme de Cacao, coffee and salt. Stir and garnish with whipped cream topped with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Serve s’more garnish on top.

Hot Toddy

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces bourbon whiskey (Knob Creek Bourbon or Buffalo Trace)
  • 1 ounce allspice simple syrup
  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 lemon wheel
  • 3 ounces hot water

Method

For the allspice simple syrup combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of allspice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. In a pre-heated glass coffee mug combine bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, bitters and lemon wheel. Add hot water and serve.

Stock Your Winter Bar Cart

Essentials for après-ski swilling in the comfort of your own chalet.

  • Tools: A crockpot is essential for mulled cider and hot batch cocktails while single-serving cocktails can take on a smoky dose of campfire essence with a smoking gun and glass dome.
  • Glassware: Keep snifters on hand to enable a splash of cognac or small batch bourbon and clear glass-footed mugs for toddies and spiked coffee drinks.
  • Syrups & Liqueurs: Jonas likes an arsenal of homemade spice-infused simple syrups, Creme de Cacao, bitters, of course, and chile-infused liqueurs like Ancho Reyes to add some heat.
  • Spirits: It’s brown liquor season so make sure your cabinet is stocked with bourbon, rye, scotch, dark rum and brandy.

Photo by Dave Weidner

Photo(s) by Dave Weidner