An oft forgot holiday cocktail, the Snowball reached the height of it’s popularity in the swanky seventies. It’s origin story remains a bit obscure, however most sources point to the postwar Britain of the early 1950’s. The foundation of this frothy beverage is Advocaat – an egg-based liqueur from the Netherlands often explained to the less in the know as Dutch Eggnog. Where the classic form of the recipe dictates topping up with lemonade, we found ourselves to be much more fond of the popular variation finished off with a fizzy 7-Up. The simple cocktail is the perfect canvas for a bit of holiday flourish, so without further ado we present to you The Snowball – done up three ways.
What you’ll need (Makes drinks for 6)
- One Bottle Advocaat
- Two bottles Lemon Lime Soda
- Whipped Cream
- Maraschino Cherries
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
1. Pour One Part Advocaat into your glass.
We find this stylish coup goes well with our Float Ring from Faris du Graf.
The basis of this cocktail is Advocaat – a creamy liqueur from the Netherlands with a custard like flavor. Taking it’s namesake from the Dutch word for Lawyer, the liqueur is a popular working man’s drink available in shops across the continent.
While the drink is popular across Europe, it is still a rare find in the United States. Luckily for those stateside hoping to impress their holiday guests with the exotic concoction, we have a simple recipe for your own homemade Advocaat.
What You’ll Need
- 10 Egg Yolks
- 1 1/3 Cups Sugar
- 1 Cup Brandy
- 2/3 Cup Vodka
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon to taste
- A Pinch of Salt
- Combine Egg Yolks, Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon and Salt in a medium sized glass bowl.
- Fill a large sauce pan with 1 inch water and bring to a simmer. Place bowl with Egg mixture in the centre of the pan and slowly add the Brandy and Vodka while stirring continuously.
- Keep stirring for 8-10 minutes or until you have achieved a smooth, glossy texture that coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove bowl from heat and let rest 15 minutes before bottling.
- Allow your Advocaat to cool in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving.
2. Top off with 2 parts Lemon Lime Soda
A groovy variation on the classic lemonade, we find the lightness of the soda to be a pleasant accent to the creamy richness of the Advocaat.
3. Decorate
A simple, festive cocktail deserves a simple, festive decoration – we decided to present our Snowball three ways.
First is a simple whip of cream topped with a Maraschino Cherry in an electric hue.
For the more conservative of the bunch, a pinch of freshly ground Cinnamon says, “I’m done, but not too done.”
In this classic take, a rim of golden sugar held in place with the sticky-sweet juice of the Maraschinos is accompanied by a classy little cherry on a stick.
There we have it, a Snowball done three ways. All that’s left to do is don your festive finery and gather your friends to make a toast of “Prost!” to this holiday season.
This article was written by Samantha Wittwer from Food & Wine and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
