The Northern Spy Cocktail

The holiday season is in full swing. Our calendars are quickly filling up with festive parties, from elaborate formal events to cozy family gatherings. For those who plan on hosting their own soiree, I’ve asked my friend Jerry LeNoir, one of the men behind the ultra cool Mr. Booze website, for some entertaining tips.

Mr-Booze.com, which is dedicated to creating the perfect cocktail vibe in your home, features numerous drink recipes, historical anecdotes, music suggestions and a how-to guide for setting up your home bar.

According to Jerry, the key to hosting a successful party is setting the mood and prepping ahead. “Especially during the holidays, guests should feel they’re someplace special the moment they enter the door,” he says. “Sure, it’s just a house or apartment, but with just a bit of decorating and set-up, the music on and ready to go for a couple hours, your guests can feel like they’re having a true night out.”

The Mr. Booze website features Jerry’s top Christmas music picks for 2010. He describes the list, which includes tunes from Dean Martin, Ramsey Lewis and Harry Connick Jr., as, “So covered in silver tinsel and December snow that you’ll have no choice but to try a few, mix a fatty, and drift off to a time when holiday parties were called Christmas parties and candle-lit living rooms overflowed with little black dresses, sport coats, cheese puffs and pipe smoke.”

Hosting a party is hard work, and in order to free up your time to mingle with your guests, Jerry suggests creating a set cocktail menu so you aren’t stuck mixing drinks all night long. Then prepare a batch or two ahead so you’ll have more time to socialize. A punchbowl is also another convenient option.

One of Jerry’s favorite holiday drinks is the Northern Spy, a recipe he found in Imbibe magazine. The cocktail, which consists of Lairds Applejack, apricot brandy and cider with a cinnamon sugar rim, was invented by by Josey Packard, a bartender at Alembic, one of San Francisco’s top creative cocktail bars. Its combination of warm flavors makes it a perfect tipple to serve from Thanksgiving all the way through winter.

“It’s a great looking drink for the holidays.” Jerry says. “It smells wonderful as you take your first sip; the cinnamon, applejack and cider combine in fantastic ways. It tastes just like a Christmas drink should taste: rich, spicy and flavorful. The cinnamon and sugar rim lets the drinker know that the season’s well under way.”

While the story behind the drink’s moniker is unknown, Jerry projects a holiday theme into the name. “It sounds Christmassy, “ He says. “Isn’t Santa himself, when he’s spying on who’s naughty or nice…something of a northern spy?”

So whether you decide to be naughty or nice this year, mix up a merry northern spy and enjoy the party.
The Northern Spy

2 oz Applejack
1 oz Apple Cider
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Apricot Brandy

Rim a cocktail glass with lemon juice then cinnamon sugar. Mix ingredients together with ice in shaker until cold and pour into glass. Garnish with fresh cranberries.

Jerry LeNoir will be one of the presenters at the Museum of the American Cocktail’s third annual Holiday Cocktail Seminar, Dec, 12 at PS-7. For more information visit Mr. Booze.com or The Museum of the American Cocktail

Ingredients to make the Northern Spy may be purchased Dixie Liquor located at 3429 M Street in Georgetown.