Do you need an excuse for putting toasted almonds into booze? No, you do not.
Warm Fuzzy
2 oz toasted almond infused Old Overholt rye
1 oz Amaro Meletti
.25 oz cinnamon syrup
Think about how good this drink will taste in three days. Go out and buy yourself a bottle of Old Overholt rye. Go on. It’ll set you back maybe $20. Buy some raw almonds – maybe six ounces or a bit more. Take them home, put them in a skillet on a medium heat. Toss them every few minutes. When they start showing the first signs of getting burnt, it’s time to take them off the fire and let them cool for a few minutes.
You toasted almonds! I recommend celebrating with a drink. Maybe an Old Fashioned. Because that has a LOT of booze. And it’s the holidays. Sort of.
Now it’s time to put the almonds in the rye. Didn’t some guy from the Renaissance point out that putting objects in liquid causes displacement? Or was that just from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead? Oh dear. There’s no room for the almonds in this (unfortunately) full bottle of rye. Let’s consider our options.
1. Pour the offending excess down the drain. Yeah. Let’s skip to…
2. Use the extra rye in the mashed sweet potatoes you have on the stove for Thanksgiving dinner. What could possibly go wrong?
3. Make another Old Fashioned. Or three.
Pro tip: if you’re going to throw it in the sweet potatoes, it’s polite to suggest to the parents at Thanksgiving dinner that they may want to steer their kids away from this dish. Or steer them towards it, if they fancy a really nice, quiet after dinner experience.
Then comes the cinnamon syrup. Grab four or five sticks of cinnamon, a cup of water, and a cup of sugar. Put it in a small pot on low heat until it gets syrupy and delicious – maybe 30-45 minutes. Let it cool off, then put it in a squeezy bottle, if you have one. Refrigerate that bad boy.
You’ve got everything you need! Now comes the waiting part, while the rye and almonds get it on. This takes about three days. Once it’s done, strain it back into the bottle and let the sediment settle for a while. (You don’t want an almond-clouded drink.) Combine everything, stir, and garnish with a swath of orange peel.
Normally, I’m too lazy to consider any of this crap. However, if you’ve done all the above, you have supplies for quite a few delicious Warm Fuzzies. And everyone loves a Warm Fuzzy. Bottle that stuff up for cheap holiday gifts! Next time, I may have to see how this stuff does in an oak barrel.
Finally, here’s the original warm and fuzzy. He gave me more happiness than I can tell.
<3