Dazzle Your Holidays with Locally Made Beverages

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Looking for something outside of beer and wine this holiday season? Whether you’re entertaining or seeking a unique gift, these Milwaukee-based beverage companies have got you covered with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.

Holiday Spirits

Twisted Path Distillery’s Brian Sammons thinks outside the box when crafting organic vodka, rum and gin. The distillery’s new Chai Liqueur has a calculated balance of alcohol, sugar and spice that produces a complex flavor that works in many cocktails beyond a white Russian or a mudslide. twistedpathdistillery.com

Wisconsin’s first distillery since Prohibition, Great Lakes Distillery is known for small batch spirits such as Rehorst Vodka, Kinnickinnic Whiskey and Roaring Dan’s Rum. Their Pumpkin Seasonal Spirit whiskey is flavored with caramel and hints of pumpkin and spice. The company’s Good Land line of liqueurs ranges from 50- to 70-proof alcohol, and it includes Door County Cherry, Coffee, Cranberry or Orange, made with natural and locally sourced ingredients. greatlakesdistillery.com

The Walker’s Point neighborhood’s Central Standard Craft Distillery makes a brandy ideal for a true Sconnie Old-Fashioned—North Wisconsin Brandy. Their Kohler Dark Chocolate Brandy adds a rich, chocolaty-nutty kick to cocktails, and their Mint Chocolate Brandy works well in coffee. The distillery’s flavored vodkas, such as Anodyne Coffee Vodka or Door County Cherry Vodka, add flavorful twists to most cocktails. thecentralstandard.com

Creamy Liqueurs

RumChata has been manufactured in Pewaukee, Wis., since 2009, and it blends rum, cream, cinnamon and vanilla into a smooth liqueur that can be enjoyed on the rocks or in drinks like the Salted Caramel Martini or Cinnamon Toast. Their new FrappaChata blends RumChata with iced coffee. rumchata.com

Milwaukee-based Milk & Honey’s cream liqueur was created by attorney-turned-entrepreneur Justin Lubin, a descendant of a New England, Prohibition-era bootlegger. Made with date honey imported from the Sea of Galilee, Milk & Honey has 30% less sugar than most cream liqueurs and blends well with other quality spirits. realmilkandhoney.com

The Lighter Side

Low-alcohol seltzers are all the rage, and several Milwaukee area companies have put their unique stamps on this versatile bubbly beverage. PRESS (enjoypress.com), created by Amy Wahlberg of Fox Point, Wis., offers unique flavor combinations like Pear Chamomile or refreshing Lime Lemongrass. Sprecher Brewery (sprecherbrewery.com) is always keeping up with the trends, and their Wisconsin Old-Fashioned Press Hard Seltzer captures the key flavors in a Wisconsin-style bourbon (yep, bourbon, not brandy) Old-Fashioned. Circling back to Central Standard Distillery, their new Hard2o flavored vodka water, in berry, citrus, mango or dragon fruit-pear flavors, has only 40 calories per 12-ounce serving and is 5% alcohol-by-volume. Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water, made by MillerCoors, comes in six flavors including blueberry-lemon or pineapple.

Miscellany

Joynt Cannabis Brands, an offshoot of PhiloÇoffia Coffee Company, has a Cannabis Margarita Gift pack available online at jointcannabisbrands.com and includes WildFire hemp extract for flavor, Canna Myst CBD oil for relaxation and visual appeal (there’s crushed cannabis flowers in the oil) and WildFire-infused rimming salt. Bittercube’s (bittercube.com) nine varieties of artisanal bitters, or Top Note’s (topnotetonic.com) tonics and sodas, are flavorful additions to any home bar. Some people don’t consider the holidays compete without eggnog, so Wisconsin’s Sassy Cow Creamery (sassycowcreamery.com) and Organic Valley (organicvalley.coop) make eggnog that’s also good for you, with dairy that’s either organic or rBST-free.

Afternoon Tea and Non-Alcoholic Refreshers

Tea and Tea Drinks

Local tea company Rishi Tea (rishi-tea.com) directly sources green, black, white, oolong, chai and botanical teas from gardens and growers throughout the world. Urbal Tea (urbalhealth.com) blends loose-leaf herbal infusions for medicinal and wellness properties. For a cool twist on tea, try kombucha, a fermented tea known for its probiotic-rich properties. Lovebootch (lovebootchkombucha.com) or Brew City Booch (facebook.com/brewcityboochmke) both brew kombucha in the Milwaukee area.

Local Coffee

Colectivo Coffee’s (colectivocoffee.com) 25-plus java varieties are available at the company’s cafés throughout Milwaukee, along with special holiday packaged seasonal blends, which are ideal for gift giving. Also check out unique coffees and seasonal roasts from Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. (anodynecoffee.com), Valentine Coffee Co. (valentinecoffeeco.com), Hawthorne Coffee Roasters (hawthornecoffeeroasters.com), Pilcrow Coffee (pilcrowcoffee.com) and Stone Creek Coffee (stonecreekcoffee.com), or PhiloÇoffia’s cold brew and barrel-aged coffees, available at area retailers.

Chocolaty Goodness

Local chocolatiers such as Omanhene (omanhene.com) make a rich hot cocoa. Tabal (tabalchocolate.com) crafts a European-style hot drinking chocolate, as well as cacao-flavored tea.

Recipes

Try these quick and convenient recipes featuring some of the locally produced beverages in this article.

Chai Nog (provided by Twisted Path Distillery)

  • 1.5 ounce Twisted Path Chai
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
  • 1/2 ounce heavy whipped cream
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters

In a shaker tin, combine Twisted Path Chai Liqueur, turbinado simple syrup, heavy whipped cream and ice. Shake. Strain the cocktail into one half of the shaking tin and discard the ice from the other half. Add one whole egg to the cocktail, then shake vigorously until the egg has emulsified. Pour the cocktail into a glass, topping with one dash of Angostura bitters.

Spiced Milk & Honey (serves 2-4, provided by Milk & Honey)

  • 8 ounces of Milk & Honey
  • 2 ounces of Jägermeister

Pour Milk & Honey into a saucepan, add Jägermeister and gently swirl ingredients to blend. Simmer on low heat until “coffee hot” (do not boil). Serve in rocks glass, coffee mug or espresso cup. Optional: Mix Spiced Milk & Honey drink 1:1 with coffee or hot chocolate.

Sparkling Kombucha Punch (adapted from The Big Book of Kombucha, by Hannah Crum and Alex LaGory)

  • 16 ounces ginger, hibiscus or lavender-flavored local kombucha
  • 16 ounces sparkling wine
  • 8 ounces sparkling water
  • Orange and lemon slices, for garnish

Chill the kombucha, sparkling wine and sparkling water before combining in a pitcher or bowl. Float citrus slices on top.

The 2019 Shepherd Express Holiday Drink Guide is presented by Discount Liquor.