Let's have dessert

Dessert cocktails are especially delicious. It's perfect after dinner treat. I love them sometimes before dinner when I have a big sweet tooth. In a summery vibe, I will go for milkshakes. In the winter, I usually focus on martinis and manhattans with dessert vibes. Since we have hit the wintery vibes, I have created a couple winter dessert cocktails for you to try. They are perfect for fire place time or special time with your special someone.

I have chosen three of my favorite dessert cocktails for you to check out. I tend to stick to flavors I know I already like and I always start with sweet alcohol. I feel like when you have already something you like, you have an easier time creating cocktails and enjoying them.

Lightning Strikes Twice

Peanut Butter Whiskey Old fashioned

Now, I could honestly drink Ole Smokey Peanut Butter Whiskey straight. It's super easy to drink. It smells heavenly and tastes so much like peanut butter that you forget the buzz that you are experiencing. I would definitely suggest this whiskey to anyone who likes whiskey and sweet treats. It's a very dangerous whiskey so you have to be careful so you don't overindulge. When I was thinking about what to make a cocktail with this whiskey, I knew it had to be simple and needed to be balanced with a flavor that you already relate to peanut butter. Apples and peanut butter are one of my favorite snacks so that's what I went with. A little peanut butter whiskey and Applejacks liqueur feels like a perfect fall dessert cocktail.

Ingredients

2 oz Ole Smokey Peanut Butter Whiskey

1 oz Applejacks liqueur

3 dashes of Whiskey Barrel Bitters

1 Sugar Cube

Garnish: Apple Slice

Recipe: In an old fashioned glass, muddle sugar cube and bitters. In a mixing glass, pour peanut butter whiskey and applejacks. Stir. Pour from whiskey glass and add ice and apple slice garnish.

Time for Dessert

Chocolate Vodka Martini

Dessert Martinis are a classic addition to dessert cocktails. They are great for after dinner or even before dinner. I like the opportunity to engage in a little sweetness especially as the weather gets a little cooler. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My recipe mixes sweet with a little bitter. I like to mix Campari and Chocolate vodka because it balances nicely and doesn't make your cocktail too sweet. It makes it easier for everyone to indulge and not feel overpowered by the sweetness.

Ingredients

2 oz Dutch Chocolate Vodka

1 oz Campari

3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth

1/2 oz Skim Milk

Garnish: Three Brandied cherries

Recipe: In a shaker with ice, pour dutch chocolate vodka, campari, sweet vermouth, and half and half. Shake until cold. Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cocktail sticker with brandied cherries.

Are you SALTY now?

Salty caramel whiskey Manhattan

Ingredients

2 oz Ole Smokey Salty caramel whiskey

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

1/2 oz Blood Orange liqueur

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Garnish: Orange Wedge

Recipe: In a mixing glass, pour whiskey, sweet vermouth, blood orange liqueur, and simple syrup. Stir. Pour into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with an orange wedge.

PRO Tip: For any dessert cocktail, make sure you like the basic flavors and the alcohol you are using. Dessert cocktails can easily dance the line of two sweet or taste too much like medicine. You want to find the balance that works for your taste buds and enhances your experience. Start with the dessert flavor and then think about how you want to balance that flavor.