There are lots of things during the holiday season that you would just not normally do on any other given time of the year.
Like, sit on the lap of a strange, giant man dressed in a red suit (okay, we wouldn’t actually do that — or would we?). Situate ourselves into a long, potentially not very structurally sound piece of plastic and hurtle down a hillside at top speed in the snow (if we ever get any again). Sign up for that two-for-one beer-and-pretzel of the month club subscription you saw on Instagram (one for your brother-in-law; one for you!). Eat and drink things with wild abandon that we might normally look at and say, “Oh, no, thanks — I’ll just have a little Hornitos and club.”
Decadent cocktails that double as dessert can fall into this category. But, come on, it is the holidays! And if you’re going to drink your treats, Ram’s Head Inn‘s head mixologist Krista Poreca has got something that will put a smile on the face of the grinchiest of grinches.
The secret sauce here is Poreca’s clever marshmallow syrup, made by toasting and then cooking them down into a creamy syrup. Of course, she’ll be more than happy to make it for you — especially if you happen to be heading over to the dreamy destination inn for this weekend’s tree lighting festivities. But she’ll be mixing these up all winter and, if you like, you can try your hand at it, too.
Rams Head Inn S’mores cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz toasted marshmallow syrup
- 1/2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
- crushed graham crackers
- 3 mini marshmallows, toasted
- 1 small square dark chocolate
Marshmallow cream syrup
- 6 regular sized marshmallows
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Directions
- Place the crushed graham crackers on a flat plate. Using a damp cloth or paper towel, gently wet the rim of your coupe glass and roll the sides in the graham crackers.
- Skewer the marshmallows on a long toothpick. Using the flame from a gas burner or a kitchen torch, gently toast one side of the marshmallows. Using the shard side of the toothpick, pierce the chocolate onto the end.
- In a shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, toasted marshmallow syrup and Baileys.
- Shake well until chilled and frothy, about 10 seconds.
- Strain into the coupe glass. Garnish with the trio of tiny roasted marshmallows and chocolate. Find yourself and fire pit and enjoy!
To make the marshmallow cream syrup
- Torch six regular-sized marshmallows.
- In a small pot, combine the marshmallows, sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat until the marshmallows and sugar melt and dissolve, and the consistency is creamy. Allow to cool and, using a fine mesh sieve, strain out any toasted bits that are left over.
- Store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
