Photos by Gavin Liddell.

When the temps drop low this winter, let these four cocktails warm you up.

Aurum Food & Wine
The Aurum Mathattan
“The Aurum Manhattan is my only lasting legacy on the Aurum menus,” laments Destination Hospitality founder and CEO, Phillips Armstrong. "That drink was born early in the lifecycle of our company – in fact, it was born before the first day of operations at Aurum Steamboat.” Phil was alone behind the bar, tinkering with what he hoped would turn into a few signature cocktails. "I was playing with the traditional Manhattan recipe and added just a touch of green chartreuse,” he recalls. “Boom! This made all the difference in the world.” Chartreuse, Phil claims, is the lemon juice equivalent in cocktails; a few drops brightens all the other flavors in the drink. “Hence,” he says, “the Aurum Manhattan was born and lives on today...thankfully.”

Bèsame
Rosa de Mezcal Negroni

 “Negronis have a moment every year,” declares Bésame’s bartender Liberty Adams. He invented the Rosa de Mezcal Negroni that first appeared on Bésame’s cocktail menu in August. “We were trying to do something that was easy to execute but was still elegant and had a lot of ‘wow’ factor to it,” Liberty says. “We were also trying to bring a more classic drink in here but put some Spanish note sto it.” In this negroni, the mezcal does that. Liberty added rosewater to the drink because of its similarity to mezcal. “Mezcal has a lift,” he says. “It kind of takes over, it’s really thick. And rose is like that too.” He also added citric acid and vanilla along with the classic components of a negroni: Campari and vermouth. It’s quickly become a house favorite.

Mythology
Pear Gin Sour

Crafting whiskey inspired the founding of Mythology, however crafting unique, layered botanical gins is what they are most proud of. The balance of grapefruit citrus, pine and sage in their Needle Pig gin enhances winter cocktail menus around town. In this drink, those flavors are complemented by ripe pear sweetness against a backdrop of a vanilla simple. “It’s one of our most popular winter gin cocktails that we feature at our cocktail bar,” says Mythology’s founder and president, Scott Yeates.

Table 79 Foodbar
As You Wish

When Table 79’s former general manager Jeff Otterson was experimenting with Empress gin, he noticed how the color would change when he introduced citrus to the cocktail, making for what he described as a “cool show” upon presentation. His creation is a riff on the classic – purple! – Aviation cocktail. Many will recognize the name, “As You Wish,” as a quote from the movie “The Princess Bride.” Since the drink was created, it has become a staple. Not only did the staff fall in love with it themselves but they continue to recommend it to guests time and time again.