Mulled Highland Rogue

Christmastime in the Firewater Water Lounge always calls for family, blood or otherwise. For some of us, blood relation isn’t an option, which means each relationship you craft extends the definition of love. That’s the case for Cindy and I; since we didn’t have brothers from the start, we had to go find some. And, boy, did we ever get lucky that we found the Stoefflers.

Since I was 12, there was always a Stoeffler or two (and likely a Hoffman) to make life easier, more colorful, and just plan better. From pointing the way to Saturn, or joining you in a mosh pit, or putting something broken back together, or taking in a scary flick, or simply tipping back a few cold ones, these brothers are the best sort of guys anyone can hope to call friends- ones that, unquestionably, just give a damn. If you don’t know what I mean here, there’s no way for me to describe it in words; the best way to find out is just to come down and drink with us and the Stoefflers. You’ll just feel it…

This Christmas was extra special because Cindy was able to photograph a number of bottles in Grandpa Stoeffler’s whiskey bottle collection that now adorn Aaron’s bar room. Grandpa Stoeffler was an ardent collector of decanters from the 1950s-to-1980s golden era of molded-theme bottles, mostly from Jim Beam, the distiller who perfected the practice originally as an advertising campaign.

Many of the decanters in Grandpa Stoeffler’s collection are 50 states-themed, animal-shaped, or part of a smaller series like the St. Patrick’s Day bottles. Among our favorites we would like to highlight here in the Lounge are the Bull and Matador, the Castle, and the Black & White whiskey dogs.

Of course, if you are perusing the collection here online, you definitely need a Christmas cocktail to make your holiday viewing bright.

Simon Creek Hazelnut Port - Drinking Notes

If we neglect anything in the Firewater Lounge, it is probably wine. The Badger State is known for beer and brandy which sends the Wollersheims and the Door County wineries to the back burner. It's a shame too, since Wisconsin sports some really stunning wines and meads that deserve wider appeal. One of these overlooked vineyards is Sturgeon Bay's Simon Creek Vineyard and Winery. Less commercial than Door Peninsula, Simon Creek offers a number of interesting selections from muscats to merlots, from  Gewurztraminer to their table wine Untouchable Red.

The bottle that we were most interested in was their Hazelnut Port. Port is a favorite cocktail ingredient because its higher proof and bolder flavor holds up to strong spirits. Simon Creek's Hazelnut Port is no exception - its velvety sweetness, deep fruit and moderate spice holds up in bourbon and brandy well while proving itself eminently drinkable in its own right. We are a bit worried here in the FWL that the Hazelnut Port was a limited bottle for Simon Creek since it doesn't seem to be offered on its website (maybe it is seasonal), however, given the quality of this winery, it is worth your while to stop in post-Packer game to taste-test a few bottles yourself. Their Speakeasy Red table wine (pictured) makes for a wine for cheesecake or a replacement for cocktails that call for Dubonnet.

Captain Trips

The Firewater Lounge threw their annual summer shindig in July; this year’s theme was Stephen King characters. To complement the eerie proceedings, we created an interesting menu that was a decent hit with the crowd. Many of the drinks are spin-offs of classic cocktails, which were a lot of fun to make. We’ll post six of the best from the sixteen-drink menu and point out their original classic as well.