It was supposed to rain today, but instead it is windy and icy cold—in short, unpleasant without even the beneficial aspects of precipitation. Thus I am inside tending the fire, enjoying a hot beverage and working on finishing up a few more Christmas treats. This particular hot beverage is a personal favorite, being as it is both soothing and warming with the added bonus of holiday spice.

It isn’t complicated to make and has a passing similarity to eggnog, though without the extra fat and extra work. And, though the recipe here calls for rum—taken as it is from Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide, Revised—you could easily make this with brandy, whiskey, or even applejack. I’m pretty sure it’d be okay with a little slug of amaretto, Kahlua or créme de noyaux too, but then again when it comes to cocktail variations I’m a rebel and I ain’t no good.

6 oz very hot milk
1 oz light rum
1 tsp bar sugar
2 dashes vanilla extract
dash Angostura or Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters

Heat the milk in a small saucepan and add the rum, sugar, vanilla and bitters. Stir to incorporate and pour into a warmed mug. Garnish with a healthy grating of fresh nutmeg.

Because I was making a single serving, I followed the recipe as Trader Vic printed it. For a larger batch you could very easily simmer a split vanilla bean in the milk as you would in a créme anglaise for a fuller vanilla flavor, especially if you were keeping a pot of milk warm to make these in quantity. If you are using a milk alternative, I recommend almond or rice milk here. The bean-y flavor of soy will compete too much with the vanilla and light rum, and this would be a great place to use a homemade nut milk for an even richer flavor. If you’re not afraid of some fat, fresh macadamia milk warmed with a whole, split vanilla bean is absolutely divine.

As for the drink itself, even made very quickly with vanilla extract and a couple dashes of bitters, a mug of this is heavenly. I used a heavy hand with the nutmeg with excellent results, giving this a spicy, aromatic nose to complement its soothing, soporific effects. It’s absolutely hot milk for grown-ups, and I’m sure Santa wouldn’t mind finding a cup of this next to his cookies this year!

Like this? We also suggest:

• Green Tea Toddy — cocktail, ginger, hot, lime, orange, rum, tea
• Chartreuse Swizzle — chartreuse, cocktail, dionysos, falernum, lime, mint, nutmeg, pineapple
• Sleeping Giant — cocktail, halloween, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, orgeat, pineapple juice, rum
• 21 Hayes — bitters, cocktail, cucumber, gin, lemon, Pimm’s
• Bumble-bee Cocktail — baker, bitters, cocktail, honey, lime, orange, rum

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