Guides
Six Warming Spices to Use in Your Cocktails
Your next sip is about to get even cozier!
There’s hardly anything that hits the spot more this season than the rich warmth of spices. You’ll often find us mixing with these ingredients in our cocktails this time of year since they bring a comforting vibe similar to fresh fall baking in sippable form!
Whether infused into a syrup or kept whole as a garnish, the complexity is sublime, where sweetness perks up our mood, acidity brightens the profile, and spice creates depth that settles the palate after a taste. With so many to choose from, let’s go over a few staple spices that you should be using for your next pick-me-up!
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1. Cinnamon
A forever fave, and for good reason! Cinnamon has a straightforward mix of soothing warmth and sweetness that not only feels like a comforting hug for your tastebuds, but also pairs well with a variety of flavours.
@marissamakes__ mixes one of our favourite seasonal combos of cinnamon and apple in her Empress in the Orchard!
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin
- 1¾ oz Cinnamon Honey Syrup*
- Sparkling Apple Cider, to top
- Apple Slices and Cinnamon Sticks, to garnish
Method
In a balloon glass filled with ice, add the syrup and gin, then top with sparkling cider. Stir to combine, and garnish as desired. Enjoy!
*To make the syrup, combine ¼ cup honey, ½ cup warm water, and ½ tsp ground cinnamon and whisk until fully dissolved and incorporated.
2. Cloves
Cloves can be divisive due to their pungency, but used sparingly, they’re a worthy ingredient to keep in your cocktail toolkit. It’s not dissimilar to the likes of cinnamon in how it also has a comforting heat, though the woodsy and peppery notes introduce even more nuance!
The clove spice from falernum makes @jfdesfosses’s Storm & Sail a true autumn delight! Recipe serves 2.
Ingredients
- 4 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 1½ oz Strong Black Tea
- 1 oz Falernum
- 1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- Pinch of Maldon Salt
- Lime Twist, for garnish
Method
Pour the ingredients over 100 ml of coconut milk and filter through a double layer of cheesecloth until clear. The first few drops will be cloudy, so switch vessels when drops run clear and re-filter cloudy liquid. Bottle up and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Add about 100ml of the cocktail to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with an expressed lime twist.
3. Nutmeg
If you want to ring in the festive vibes early, top your cocktail with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg! We find that this aromatic sets itself apart with a nuttiness that particularly lends itself well to a more decadent cocktail, which is why you’ll often see it in recipes like eggnog or even some sours.
Top off the Autumn Gin Fizz by @itscocktailhour_ with a sprinkle of nutmeg!
Ingredients
- 1¾ oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ½ oz Amaretto
- ½ oz Heavy Cream
- ½ oz Demerara Syrup
- ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Egg White
- Club Soda, to top
- Ground Nutmeg, to garnish
Method
In a cocktail shaker, combine Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, Amaretto, heavy cream, demerara syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a large egg white. Dry shake with no ice for 1-2 minutes, then add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a glass, then add little bit of club soda to the shaker to get the last bits of foam. Slowly top your drink with the club soda until the foam rises above the rim. Sprinkle with nutmeg & enjoy!
4. Ginger
Whether you use fresh or ground ginger, the versatility of this spice is unmatched! Noticeably hot with an edge that cuts through sweetness well, ginger is perfect for when you want to liven up the overall flavour profile.
Ginger and pear marry together for a heavenly sip of fall in @thegandmkitchen’s Pear Ginger Mule!
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 2 oz Pear Ginger Syrup*
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- Ginger Beer, to top
- Lime Wheels & Pear Slices, for garnish
Method
Fill a glass or copper mug with ice. Add the gin, lime juice, and ginger pear syrup. Stir gently to combine and top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wheels and a mint bouquet.
*For the syrup: Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup chopped pear and ½ cup peeled and chopped ginger to a saucepan over medium heat, and stir frequently until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain and store refrigerated in a sealed container.
5. Star Anise
A very unique spice, if you want to add a certain je ne sais quoi to a cocktail, star anise is a great way to go. As the name would suggest, not only does it have a depth like many of our other favourite spices, but it notably has a liquorice quality that’s truly remarkable. Boasting a scent that illuminates the senses, you can often find us garnishing our cocktails with a star anise pod!
Add a touch of warm aromatics to the Autumn Sun!
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin
- ½ oz Simple Syrup
- ¾ oz Lemon Juice
- ¾ oz Orange Juice
- 15g Piece of Fennel, muddled
- Fennel Frond and Star Anise, for garnish
Method
Add simple syrup and fennel to a shaker tin and muddle. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a fennel frond and star anise.
6. Cardamom
While there is green and black cardamom, we’ll be focusing on the former for its wider range of uses. Often used in Indian cuisine, this is a very different type of spice compared to the others on this list, with its sharper and more bracing finish. With an intriguing mix of floral and citrus notes, we love how it pairs with any of our gin expressions! You may wish to err on the side of “less is more” since the flavour can be potent.
The piquancy of @cooking_with_wine’s Fig & Cardamom Gin Old Fashioned makes for a wonderful nightcap!
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ½ oz Fig Cardamom Simple Syrup*
- 2 dashes Lemon Bitters
- Meyer Lemon Twist & Fresh Figs, for garnish
Method
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Pour over a large format ice cube into an old fashioned glass. Express the zest from a meyer lemon peel over the drink and garnish.
*For the syrup, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan with 10 dried figs (halved) and 6 whole green cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the sugar has dissolved completely. Let cool, then pour syrup through a fine sieve (discard solids) and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months.
The next time you’re making a cocktail and need to add an extra cozy touch, take a look at your spice cabinet and see what sparks your inspiration. One of our favourite things about spices is the ability to mix and match different types to create layers of complexity! After all, it’s no wonder they say that “variety is the spice of life.”
For more cocktail ideas, you know where to look – head on over to our Instagram, Cocktail Page, or Blog!
Sip responsibly!
