This rich and luscious cocktail is a festive take on the classic Whiskey Flip cocktail. The sweet, spiced notes of amaretto combine with nutmeg and bitters to create traditional flavours that scream Christmas, no matter what hemisphere you are in – or even what month. It doesn’t have to be Christmas to enjoy it – in fact, the base of Scotch whiskey will be sure to warm the cockles, so it’s an excellent drink for winter. The rich and creamy texture is thanks to the addition of a whole egg, and it makes a delicious dessert cocktail for a Christmas (or Christmas-themed) dinner party!
Flips are a traditional category of cocktails that have been around since the 1600s. They consist of any fortified wine or spirit, shaken with an egg and sweetened with sugar. They are very similar to eggnogs, the difference being eggnogs contain cream or milk, while flips do not. These drinks were originally served hot, warmed up using an old iron tool called a ‘loggerhead’, which had a long handle and round end that was heated in a fire and then plunged like a poker into the drink. Today they are generally served cold, in a short glass or coupe. Another flip cocktail we love is the Spiced Rum Flip.
This recipe’s hero ingredient of amaretto is an almond-flavoured liqueur that hails from Italy and is now produced all over the world. Though it tastes unmistakably like almond, it is actually often made from apricot kernels, or a combination of the two. It has a sweet taste with a slight underlying bitterness, giving it the ability to balance many cocktails, and making it an excellent ingredient to keep in your bar cart. It’s also the star of the show in the Amaretto Sour, a very popular sour cocktail.
