THE POUR

Cocktails aren’t just about the spirits and liqueurs. Especially in the colder months when a little boost of richness or sweetness can help you slide through the less than ideal days, maple syrup cocktails and other mix-ins might be just the kind of treat to satisfy your desire for a drink with something different.

What’s even better than using an array of many options from cocktail mix-ins highly regarded around the world? How about local Minnesota-made ingredients that elevate a drink to just the right degree?

Check out these cocktail recipes with local Minnesota syrup and jams. Plan to pick up some fine honey, preserves, syrups, and other products from our fine state to add an extra burst of flavor to these cocktails.

With the ebb and flow of the seasons, you might be feeling like it’s time to put away any road trip lists until the warmer weather returns. But you’d be missing out on a great opportunity that the great state of Minnesota offers like few others: wineries in the winter.

Many Minnesota wineries are open and ready to welcome you this winter. You may even discover that wintertime visits to wineries offer a change of pace and a change of place you’ll enjoy as a new yearly tradition. Even better? Many of the wineries on our list feature wine along with cider, beer, and some even have their own distillery!

Cure your cabin fever and come along on your very own winter winery itinerary.

You might be planning to reach for peppermint schnapps, Kahlua, or other common cocktail ingredients with the arrival of colder weather, but maybe this is the year you reach for Louisa's Liqueur.

Cocktail Recipes with Louisa’s Liqueur

Good news: Louisa’s Liqueur is ready for your home bartending practice. Start easy with the liqueur neat or over ice in a rocks glass, providing a sweet and smooth way to ease into the evening after dinner. Or go for a decadent dessert by pouring it over vanilla bean ice cream or adding a shot of it to your cup of afternoon coffee.

Louisa’s Manhattan cocktail recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Bourbon
• 1 oz. Sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Louisa's Liqueur
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• Luxardo cherry
• Ice

How to make a Louisa’s Manhattan cocktail:

1. Place all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice.
2. Stir the mixture, then strain it into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Add a free-floating or speared Luxardo cherry as garnish.

Typically one of the more acquired tastes among spirits, Scotch is the Scottish cousin in the prolific whisk(e)y and bourbon family. Smoky, peaty, intense, sultry – however you describe it, Scotch tends to conjure up classy vibes of sturdy people sipping the strong stuff.

What are the Scotch basics?

Single malt Scotch is superb on its own, while blended Scotch is best suited in cocktail recipes. Earthy and leathery notes accompany the peaty smokiness. Where does that peaty flavor come from, by the way? American and Irish distillers use other substances to dry the malted barley, but Scottish producers stoke the kiln with peat (dried plant matter), which in turn adds robust smokiness to the Scotch.

There are five recognized regions for Scotch: Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown. 

Bold flavors, honey tones, and dryness characterize the Highlands. Grassy and lighter-bodied high alcohol content marks the Lowlands. You'll notice Speyside has deep complexity from light and grassy to rich and sweet. Islay is the peaty and salty powerhouse of the bunch. The small Campbeltown region offers Scotch of intense smokiness and sometimes savory territory (or to some people, wet dog).

When you hear “spicy,” you might think of dried poblano peppers and the cuisine of the Southwestern United States. But, if you’re looking for a spicy twist on your cocktails, look no further than Ancho Reyes chile liqueur.

Made using — no surprise here — ancho chile, those very sun-dried poblano peppers, this liqueur is not for the faint of heart. If you want to cozy up in the cold weather and survive the season with the spark of desert heat, you need cocktails with chile liqueur. So buckle up, set up your home bar, and explore these devilishly delicious cocktails you can make using the unique and fiery Ancho Reyes chile liqueur.

Seeing ghosts in your future? Hopefully — because fall is rounding the bend into everyone’s favorite offbeat holiday: Halloween.

Usually, the teenagers get all the attention with their haunted house-themed school dances and children dress up to go door-to-door gathering candy. Well, we think it's time the adults have some fun, too!

Whether you're passing out candy or hosting a costume party, here are some recipes for liquor-infused candy.

You’ve probably tried tea, essential oils, medication, sleep, and chicken soup—but have you tried alcohol remedies for colds?

It may sound like the liquor lobby’s covert marketing pitch, but if you take a second to consider it, you might find more than you expect from the power of alcohol for not just cooking, mixing, and drinking, but also remedying a cold. As we transition into chilly weather and the coughs and sniffles that often accompany it, be prepared with knowledge—and alcohol—to combat sickness.

One obvious note before you seek sweet healing through spirits: consuming more than a small to moderate amount of alcohol while you’re sick will make things worse, so be smart about what you consume in your illness.

If you look closely, you’ll find liqueur in the liquor section of your favorite specialty shop or grocery store. Wait — they’re not the same thing? That’s right, it’s liquor vs. liqueur, two overlapping but distinct terms.

Let’s walk through the basics.