Be it be the gentle smell of pine, the subtle silent snow fall, or the warm blanketing fire that embraces all who enter. When its Christmas, you know it. Now, maybe this year’s nog isn’t quite cutting it. Maybe your traditional hot coco, which I’m sure is delicious, needs just a little more kick. Or maybe it’s your turn to host, and the family is traversing their great holiday pilgrimage to your cosy abode for this year’s festivities, and its time to impress. From gingerbread cookies through yule logs, to that unfortunate fruit cake that gets neglected every year.

You and your loved ones have seen and tasted everything this wonderful season has to offer. So why not mix it up a little bit this year for you and your mature attendees. Well my friends, let me introduce you to Saint Nicks Special Cocktail. Saint Nicks Special Cocktail is an exquisite and festive take on the classic Irish Coffee. What makes it special? Thick, melty homemade fudge accompanied by fluffy clouds of delicious whipped cream. Paired with a shot of Baileys, a fresh warm cup of coffee, and a bit of your favourite whiskey? You’ll be tapping your foot and singing along to lame Christmas music before you can say Rudolph!

Now, in my family it’s unacceptable to not have a drink in hand before 11am on the holidays. I’m sure we’re not the only people who share in this ritual. That’s what makes this cocktail simply scrumptious. A deliciously sweet and chocolaty beverage with a perfectly mild bite, guaranteed to set a toasty and cosy ambiance. From shopping, through baking, to waiting in lines that are 3 years long. Holidays can be just as stressful as they are relaxing. That’s exactly why another alluring aspect to this cocktail is its simplicity.

Most of the fixings are likely already in your pantry. If you don’t see it, try looking behind that can of tomato soup from 2002…yeah, there it is. Now you may need to venture out to obtain a few of these items, but your efforts will be fruitful! Let’s build our Saint Nick. Now before we even get to our coffee, I want to talk about the most important ingredient (besides the whiskey obviously).

The homemade hot fudge. If you don’t bake a lot or have a limited schedule, creating homemade hot fudge may seem challenging. Not at all my friends. All you need is a sauce pan and a stove. No baking required! In fact, the whole process only takes about 8-10 minutes. Take powdered sugar, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and dark chocolate (or whichever chocolate you choose) and mix them into a sauce pan over medium heat. Watch you temp, you don’t want your chocolate to burn and crisp.

You want it to have a nice boil for about 10 minutes, then set aside to allow chocolate to cool and thicken. Your fudge is ready to go. If you decide to prep for later, the chocolate mixture keeps very nicely in the fridge. let’s put it all together. Now that your coffee is freshly brewed (decaf for our not-so night owls), you want to mix in the rest of your ingredients. Make sure your hot fudge really blends into the coffee.

The most important part is using a bit of extra chocolate to rim your mug. I’m assuming you’ve been good this year, so you deserve it. Top with a fluffy mound of whipped cream, a few dashes of flaked salt, and a hand full of crushed peppermints to really distil the spirit of the holiday. It’s also great served cold! Just pour over ice and enjoy.

Perfect for that Christmas in July. The Saint Nicks Special Cocktail is the ultimate holiday beverage. Assured to ease you into the pleasures, and stresses of the holiday season. When Christmas is right around the corner, the in-laws usually aren’t too far behind. So, enjoy a sweet and festive beverage with the perfect amount of bite to handle anything this Christmas. And as always, please drink responsibly. Otherwise it might be grandma that runs over the reindeer.

1. Stir together the hot coffee, whiskey, irish cream and a drop of hot fudge in mug until the hot fudge starts to melt.
2. Rim the mug with more hot fudge. Top with whipped cream, marshmallows and crushed peppermints. Sprinkle on some flaked salt.
3. To make this cold, stir together cold brew or cold coffee with the whiskey and irish cream. Pour over ice. Rim the glass with hot fudge, top with the whipped cream.
4. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil and bubble for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring the entire time.
5. Once the chocolate is melted and the mixture is thickened, set the pan aside and let it cool completely and thicken.