Recipe

How New Orleans Does Thanksgiving Cocktails

Yam it up with a Sweet Potato Sno Buzz

Photo: Jenny Adams Freelance LLC


“What makes a great holiday cocktail is that sense of nostalgia,” says Kimberly Patton-Bragg, the bar director for Palm & Pine, a South American–influenced restaurant and cocktail bar on North Rampart Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter. “We are all gathered together, and at the holidays, we want something symbolically warm and fuzzy, even if it’s served cold; something that takes us back to childhood. Here in New Orleans, childhood is all about the sno-balls.”

Sno-balls, an iconic New Orleans staple, were invented in the city in the 1930s by a man named Ernest Hansen, who crafted a machine that would finely shave ice. Sno-ball stands dot the city today, each serving its own roster of flavor combinations, but that ice is essential.

In fact, want to start an argument real quick-like? Refer to a sno-ball as a snow cone in New Orleans. The consistency of a sno-ball is a thing of beauty, with packed ice that holds a flavored syrup deftly throughout, each bite an icy kiss of sweet almond or tart cherry. No crunchy, sharp snow cone ice will be tolerated.

“The drink I created,” Patton-Bragg continues, “was meant to honor that childhood treat of going to the stand with your family, with a wintery twist. I always think of roasted nuts and sugary desserts at Thanksgiving and in December. Oh, and bourbon. Because we are Southern.”

photo: Jenny Adams Freelance LLC
Kimberly Patton-Bragg.

The recipe uses many of the holiday-time flavors we Southerners adore during the cold months, including roasted sweet potato, sweetened condensed milk, and orange. And while Patton-Bragg couldn’t get her hands on a sno-ball machine for the bar, she says you can easily make the crushed ice at home. “You can work out those holiday moments of frustration with this one too,” she says with a laugh. “I’d say get a Lewis bag and a mallet and pound the hell out of some ice. Or, go over to Sonic and buy a bag. Man, don’t you just love Sonic ice?”

She notes two potential pitfalls when making this drink. “Don’t use a blender to create the crushed ice,” she warns. “It’s going to make ice that melts too fast, and the result will be a watery cocktail. Plus, “Make sure you strain your bourbon after it infuses. You don’t want bits of sweet potato in your drink.”

And if you happen to be in the French Quarter this season, stop in at Palm & Pine to try Patton-Bragg’s take. She plans to put the cocktail on the roster, for the holidays only. 


Ingredients

  • Sweet Potato Sno Buzz (Yield: 1 cocktail)

    • 2 oz. sweet potato–infused Buffalo Trace (recipe follows)

    • ½ oz. Trader Vic’s Macadamia Nut Liqueur

    • 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

    • Sweetened condensed milk

    • Spicy macadamia nuts (recipe follows)

  • For the Buffalo Trace infusion:

    • 1 sweet potato, roasted

    • 1 bottle Buffalo Trace bourbon

  • For the spicy macadamia nuts:

    • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

    • ¼ tsp. cayenne

    • 1 tsp. cinnamon

    • 2 tbsp. sugar

    • 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

    • Pinch of salt


Preparation

  1. Make the Buffalo Trace infusion: Roast the sweet potato, cut in half, and mash the half including the skin. Mix the sweet potato with 1 bottle of Buffalo Trace. Let sit for 24 hours. Strain through cheesecloth. (The infusion will keep indefinitely and also makes for a fabulous Manhattan or old-fashioned variation.)

  2. Make the spicy macadamia nuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brown the butter in a skillet and season with cayenne, cinnamon, and sugar. Combine the mixture with the macadamia nuts and sprinkle with salt. Place on a roasting pan in the oven and roast until golden brown.

  3. Assemble the cocktail: Pack a rocks glass with crushed or Sonic pellet ice. Stir first three ingredients in a mixing glass, and then strain and pour over the rocks glass slowly. (Note: The ice will melt down a bit. Continue to pack more on top as you pour. The top of the drink should be mounded, to look like a sno-ball.) Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk. Top with spicy macadamia nuts. Serve with a long straw and a spoon.


Jenny Adams is a full-time freelance writer and photographer, most often penning pieces on great meals, stiff drinks, and the interesting characters she meets along the way. She lives in New Orleans, with a black cat, a spotted pup, and a Kiwi-born husband. Right now, she’s working on a (never-ending) horror novel, set in the French Quarter.


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