Frostbite

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, the bitter chill of winter is giving us one final jab in the side as it exits the building. This brought to mind one of the few Tequila drinks in my repertoire. It's not that there aren't a lot of tequila drinks out there, just that for some reason there are very few that I think reflect the culinary sensibilities that I am always looking for in a cocktail.

Cocktails aren't about disguising the base spirit, but celebrating it. Tequila has a unique and distinctive flavor and it deserves to play a visible role in the cocktails that use it. This doesn't mean it has to slap you in the face, nor does it mean that you should feel tempted to grab for a wedge of lime and start dancing around a sombrero. I think the Frostbite is an example of a tequila drink that, at first, you might not expect to be made from this famous Mexican spirit.

Frostbite

• 1 ounce tequila
• 3/4 ounce white creme de cacao
• 3/4 ounce cream

Shake hard with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

It's creamy, with a slight chocolate nuance, and sitting there in the background is that distinctive flavor of tequila. Now I'm not one to normally collect creamy dessert style cocktails, but this drink really works well. The tequila flavor really works well with the other ingredients, and since tequila doesn't have the sweet nature of spirits like brandy or rum, the overall profile of this drink doesn't come across as being dessert.

Give it a try, and let us know if this doesn't just slightly change your notion of what a tequila cocktail is all about.