Cape Codder

In the midst of one of the coldest snaps to hit Wisconsin in a generation, we came across a tidbit of alcohol trivia on the internet. The claim was that 80 proof vodka freezes at -17 degrees. Sceptical as always, we thought that we might as well do an experiment ourselves, given that we still had a night left of -20-something temperatures.


So we poured Smirnoff into our round rubber molds and placed the tray outside for approximately twelve hours of temperatures well under -17. Verdict? Well, in the end we had four slushie one-inch diameter vodka ice balls. Not really what any Lounge Lizard would call frozen. Using a spoon, though, I could get them in their semi-round state into cranberry juice for a fun Cape Codder. I believe we would have greater success with much smaller cubes or by placing the vodka in a thin layer on a metal sheet pan, but, realistically, vodka frozen at -20 temperatures doesn’t have much practical cocktailing use. If you really need to freeze booze, liquid nitrogen is the way to go!

Cape Codder

Classic Pour

3 parts cranberry juice

2 parts vodka

Usually a Cape Codder is shaken on ice and garnished with a lime wedge. We just dropped our vodka slushie ice balls into cranberry juice and stirred!

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.

Jumbie Toddy

December is here and the first week of the month already looks cold. That’s fine, though, Lounge Lizards, because we are here for you--with warm alcoholic libations. A few years back, we were gifted a bottle of rum liqueur from the now-defunct Dancing Pines Distillery of Estes Park, Colorado from Cindy’s parents. This rum liqueur, also known as Jumbie, is a mixture of rum, citrus, and spices whose secret blends were entrusted to the legendary spirits of the Caribbean who also share the ‘Jumbie’ appellation. Dancing Pines’ version is lightly spiced with a big bitter orange peel nose and acid-front flavors of both oranges and lemons. Frankly, the citrus overwhelms the rum so much it is difficult to tell its quality.

Given the high lemony acid load of the liqueur, and the cold temperatures outside, we elected to treat the jumbie toddy-style.

Jumbie Toddy
Holly's Original

2 ounces Dancing Pines Rum liqueur
1/4 ounce Xtabentun
4 ounces cinnamon-honey syrup

Combine ½ cup water and ¼  cup honey, and 2 2-inch Indonesian cinnamon sticks in a small pot over medium heat. Heat to just boiling, reduce to simmer. Simmer ten minutes.

In the meantime, boil one cup of water in the microwave. Split the boiling water into two 6-ounce Irish coffee mugs to warm the mugs during the remaining time the syrup is simmering.

Once the syrup is ready, pour the water out of the mugs and discard. Place 2 ounces of rum liqueur in each mug, followed by ¼ ounce of Xtabentun (Mayan liqueur), and top with 4 ounces of the cinnamon-honey syrup. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.