When the weather outside is frightful, reach for a handle of affordable Kentucky bourbon and mix it up with your favorite piping hot beverage. Sure, places around town sell winter cocktails, likely with fancier garnishes and ingredients than you have on hand, but doing it yourself means you won’t splash out $11 on a potentially weak pour and you won’t have to go anywhere in that aforementioned frightful weather outside. Me? I go for Old Forester 86. Affordable. Classic. Local. And good, but not really my go to for me to drink straight. And for the hot part? I say hot chocolate — again, nothing fancy, just some potentially expired Swiss Miss from the back of the cupboard. But you can go wild with cider, coffee, tea — hell, even just piping hot, limestone filtered Louisville tap water and some honey if you’re going the hot toddy route. Now, with your bourbon-y hot beverage in hand, make your way to your couch, switch on Netflix or Hulu or whatever you’ve got and pick out the cringiest looking Christmas movie to enjoy (I’m partial to the “Christmas Prince” franchise on Netflix. “The Knight Before Christmas”is an excellent choice as well.)
Editor’s Note: We’re off on vacation but we left you with some of our favorite things… a lot like Oprah, only you get to spend your own money.
This article appears in December 21, 2022.