For Day Eleven of the cocktail advent calendar, I created "The Grinch." Every year, I love watching The Grinch with Jim Carrey. I wanted a drink that captured both the spicy and sweet elements of the character. I was able to do this, while also getting the iconic green color using crème de menthe and Cholula hot sauce. I finalized the design using a homemade stencil of The Grinch's face.
For the drink:
-1 3/4 unaged brandy (Tierra Miega Orujo)
-1/4 oz crème de menthe (De Kuyper)
-3/4 oz simple syrup
-1/2 oz lime juice
-10 drops hot sauce (Cholula)
-1 oz egg white
Garnish:
Green water
Glassware:
Martini glass
Find an outline of The Grinch's face online. Print it out on card-stock. Place this under a piece of semi-stiff plastic, trace, and cut it out with an X-Acto knife. Left over plastic to-go food container lids would work well. You can just use card-stock, but it will likely be single use as the paper will become soggy.
Place your martini glass in the freezer. Add water dyed green with food coloring to a cocktail mister or spray bottle. Combine the drink ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Dry shake without ice for 45 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 5-10 seconds until chilled. Pour through a Hawthorne and fine mesh strainer into your glass. Lay the stencil over the egg white foam and spray with the green water. Don't use too much, as you don't want to water down your drink.