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I measure the arrival of the holidays not by the sales, Christmas trees, or holiday decorations, but by the steady fattening of both my social calendar and my girth.
The last gasp of holiday parties and gatherings with friends spent before everyone scatters to other destinations (near and far to be with family or snow), means the dial on rich and delicious foods gets turned up to maximum. This being the last weekend before Christmas is a good enough reason to swing by Novela for a couple of their holiday drinks.
The space is cozy with birch log lined walls, books, and dark wood that portrays a vintage movie’s idea of luxurious den from Christmas past. Meanwhile, their
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Egg Nog (cognac, rye whiskey, milk, cream, sugar, allspice dram, nutmeg) is traditional in most ways, except for the fact that it comes straight from a draft system.
“The primary benefit is speed, but also keeping it fresh and keeping the serve clean,” says Novela GM Alex Smith. “The keg is refrigerated 100% of the time and there is also CO2 inside the keg to further preserve the integrity of the nog.”
The fresh and fast egg nog comes dusted with fresh ground spices, spiked with enough brandy and whiskey to help you make it through the Christmas present (and presents—you’ve been good, right? Oh.).
Even better, especially on a cold and wet evening, is their
Hot Buttered Bourbon (Marker’s Mark, butter, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, hot water) that comes topped with a festive amaretto whipped cream cap. The secret here sounds like something from Christmas future: the bourbon gets infused with the traditional spiced butter, rather than dolloped into the hot water.
I half expected it to taste lighter, thinking that the process of fat-washing the bourbon would yield a lighter drink. The nicely spiced mixture is rich and warming, and there is nothing diet about this, rather the taste of the holiday spirit in a cup.
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