I knew I wanted to create a hot drink as part of this month’s programming, something incredibly cozy and comforting. I prefer hot toddies that aren’t citrus-heavy and that read like Cocktails. For some reason, I got it into my head that brown sugar and dates would be the perfect pairing with whiskey, amaro, and woodsy Kukicha tea. Happily, I was right.

This aperitivo cocktail is a hybrid of a Negroni Sbagliato (bitter liqueur, sweet vermouth, prosecco) and a spritz (bitter liqueur, prosecco, soda). Fortified with a small measure of aged gin and winterized with a dose of citrus, it’ll have you embracing January’s chill with flavors of pine, citrus, and apple.

This is the “root cocktail” for this month’s programming, i.e. the drink that determined the core of our supply list. I came up with the original Tyrolean Negroni at Gigantic a couple years ago: super piney gin, Carpano Antica and a split measure of Braulio and Sfumato. This updated version comes together beautifully and does a great job of showcasing the blanc vermouth.

Sours are a perennial favorite, but there’s something extra special about them during the winter. This version of an amaro sour gives the drinker a choice between alternating sips of the sour and a shot of amaro, or pouring the amaro on top and drinking the two elements together. I channeled Emily Dickinson for the title.