Get “Lit” With These Hanukkah Cocktails

The holiday season is upon us with festive decorations, food, and cheer.

There is a slew of libations associated with Christmas like egg nog, coquito, and hot buttered rum, but what about those that celebrate Hanukkah?

The eight-day festival of lights is celebrated by Jewish people to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the Maccabean revolt against the Syrian Greek army.

The holiday is celebrated by exchanging gifts with loved ones and enjoying traditional feasts of potato latkes (pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts), matzo ball soup, beef brisket, and noodle kugel, a rich semi-sweet noodle casserole.

As far as drinking goes, not many Hanukkah cocktails come to mind, so Miami restaurateur, Matt Kuscher, set out to change the Hanukkah drinking game.

Of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent, Kuscher recalls celebrating both holidays as a kid, with Christmas being the more festive. “In my home, Hanukkah was more of a celebration of traditions, but Christmas turned into a monthlong party.”

With that in mind, Kuscher set out to change the way people celebrate Hanukkah. Each weekend in December, the bar at his Kush Hialean restaurant turns into Hanukkah Harry’s, a Hanukkah-themed pop-up bar complete with decorations, free matzo ball soup, music, and a menu of Hanukkah-themed cocktails that Kuscher and his team created. Kuscher describes each drink, along with holiday pairing notes.

Doc Brown Goes to the Deli

Since Kush Hialeah takes its cues from traditional Jewish delis, the iconic Doctor Brown’s sodas are served there. Kuscher says that he found that Doctor Brown’s Cel-Ray soda makes an excellent mixer. “It’s both sweet and bitter at the same time,” he adds. Kuscher recommends pairing the cocktail with either a traditional pastrami sandwich or some potato latkes.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz vodka

¼ oz simple syrup

¼ oz lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters 3 torn mint leaves

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass. Fill glass with ice and top off with Doctor Brown’s Cel-Ray soda. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, lemon round and/or celery stalk.

Manischewitz Punch

Kuscher said he had to have one cocktail with Manischewitz wine. The sweetness of the wine pairs well with the orange juice and vodka. The restaurateur recommends using the punch as a welcome drink for guests.

Ingredients

2 oz Manischewitz blackberry wine 1 oz vodka

½ oz Triple Sec 2 oz orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Pour mixture over ice in a wine goblet. Top with club soda and garnish with a strawberry and/or orange round.

Oy Vey

This dessert cocktail is equally delicious with sufganiyot, a Black and White cookie, or a thick slice of New York-style cheesecake at the end of your meal. Or, just enjoy with some chocolate Hanukkah “gelt”.

Ingredients 2 oz. vodka

1 oz. espresso

1 oz. coffee liqueur

Combine vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso.into shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with mini black and white cookie or chocolate Hanukkah gelt.

Bloody Bubbe

“The Bloody Bubbe” is our version of a Bloody Mary. I named it after my Bubbe (grandmother), since it packs a punch but all she had to do was look at me to get me to cave in,” says Kuscher. Pair the Bloody Bubbe with a traditional spread of lox and bagels for the perfect holiday hangover remedy.

Ingredients 2 oz. vodka

6 oz. Bloody Mary Mix (see below)

Everything Bagel Salt (or black salt)

Combine vodka and Bloody Mary mix in a shaker. Shake and strain into a collins glass filled with ice and rimmed with salt. Garnish with a pickle spear.

Bloody Mary mix 1 lemon wedge

1 lime wedge

4 oz. tomato juice

2 teaspoon prepared horseradish 2 dashes Tabasco sauce

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch smoked paprika