Holiday Sipping

Sip and savor: Our favorite local cocktails — and one dessert — to enjoy this holiday season

The holidays are almost over, and while gift-giving, music, merriment and parties dominate these last few days of December, cocktails have always been a main staple of the holiday season. Wondering where you can indulge in some boozy holiday potions? We scoured the city to find a few of our favorites.

Hot Toddies at Contigo
Every winter when a chilly breeze blows in, Austinites get a craving for winter-centric drinks like egg nog, hot chocolate, apple cider and hot toddies. Contigo is perhaps the top local destination for such booze-laden Christmas beverages. Featuring a enticing toddy menu, the restaurant boasts a lineup of drinks you won't find anywhere else in town, like the Pimm's Cobbler (Pimm's, elderflower, orange, ginger and lemon) and the Teacher's Pet (applejack brandy, apple cider and cinnamon).

Irish Coffee at The Tigress Pub
For many individuals, Irish coffee is a perfect pairing for all those guilt-inducing holiday desserts. The original Irish coffee was made popular during the mid-1900s when a travel writer from San Francisco was inspired to recreate the drink after gulping it down in Ireland. The Tigress Pub shakes up a near perfect interpretation of this historic beverage. The local bar whips Tullamore Dew whiskey, brewed coffee, brown sugar syrup and real whipped cream together to create this caffeinated cocktail. For those looking for additional winter drinks, The Tigress Pub also features a delicious hot butter rum toddy.

Happy Hour at W Austin Hotel
After engaging in exhausting retail therapy, guests can indulge in a perfect holiday pastime: cocktails. The W Austin Hotel's Primetime Happy Hour features half-priced drinks and a selection of delicious bites from 7-10 pm. Edibles like brisket sliders, lamb kebobs and fish and chips are partnered with drinks like the Blind Pig (a bourbon-based cocktail) and Tamarind Margarita (tequila with cointreau, lime and Jarritos Tamarind Soda). The affordable, filling happy hour is perfect for those heading downtown during the holidays.

Eggnog from Pleasant Storage Room
What better place to sip a glass of eggnog than at a rum bar? Pleasant Storage Room opened its doors earlier this summer with a menu filled to the brim with an assortment of rum-rooted drinks. During the holiday season, the downtown bar features a decadent interpretation of the creamy holiday booze. Sip slowly though — the temptation to power through several glasses of this dessert drink is strong.

Winter Specials at drink.well
Void of the hustle and bustle of downtown, drink.well offers patrons an enticing, well-rounded cocktail menu without the burden of rowdy patrons and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. In the spirit of Christmas, the North Loop bar compiles a handful of winter-inspired cocktails. Creations like the Winter White (Beefeater London Dry Gin, rosemary-infused Cointreau, fresh lemon and egg white) and the sellout favorite — spiked drinking chocolate — are prominent during the holiday season. Check out the bar’s happy hour specials from 4-6 pm, Tuesday through Friday.

The Grinch at Hopdoddy
Okay, so The Grinch milkshake at Hopdoddy isn’t exactly a cocktail, but it’s equally intoxicating. A blend of silky vanilla ice cream, fragrant peppermint syrup, chopped Junior Mints, whipped cream and candy cane topping, this frothy green drink tastes as delicious as it looks. This minty treat is only available for a short period of time, so seize the seasonal shake while you have a chance.

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More pumpkin, less milk

Austin-based vegan milk ready for fall with new pumpkin spice flavor

Photo courtesy of Malk

Pumpkin is one of the first ingredients in this flavored almond milk.

Vegans may avoid dairy, but they deserve a pumpkin spice latte in the fall. Malk Organics, an Austin-based almond milk company, is taking care of that with a new pumpkin spice variety.

This seasonal flavor is hitting shelves now, and will be available "throughout the fall season while supplies last," according to a news release. It joins three standard flavors — unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate — for a total of four almond milks across the board. The company also makes oat and cashew milk, or "malk," and some creamers.

The second ingredient after filtered water is organic pumpkin, so that flavor should come out strong in whatever drink it's spicing up. It also contains almond butter and sugar, plus extracts of vanilla, cinnamon bark, nutmeg, ginger, and clove — all organic, too.

"With the popularity of the pumpkin spice flavor profile, we wanted to offer consumers a healthier way to enjoy their favorite fall beverages." said Malk CEO Jason Bronstad in the release. "We have meticulously crafted a pumpkin spice SKU featuring the cleanest ingredients without compromising on delicious flavor."

When Bronstad talks about health, he's referring to claims made in the release that distance the completely organic product from "gums, oils, and fillers." The brand prides itself on these things, plus few enough ingredients to count on one hand — not quite the case for this more intricately spiced product, but surely an exception can be made for that pumpkin pie flavor.

This isn't Malk's only seasonal effort; it's also bringing back its holiday nog made with almonds, maple syrup, nutmeg extract, and Himalayan pink salt. So far there aren't really any exotic flavors on the permanent menu, but a caramel creamer enhances the otherwise vanilla and unflavored line.

For those who feel called by the dairy-free pumpkin spice but don't know what to make with it, Malk has plenty of recipes on its site that might be nice to spice up. The Pumpkin Protein Pancakes are an obvious candidate for an extra bit of pumpkin oomph, as is the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Actually, there are lots of pumpkin recipes already on the website using other varieties of Malk; but perhaps the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars could use some additional adventure.

Pumpkin Spice Malk ($6.99 for 28 ounces) can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, Gelsons, HEB, Fresh Market, and other local retailers. Find nearby options at malkorganics.com.