Cocktail Time with Peter Vestinos

Peter Vestinos, besides being an all around fantastic and charming guy, is the award winning resident mixologist at Sepia Restaurant in Chicago. Peter got his start in wine, working as a sommelier at The Tasting Room on Randolph. His background and experience in wine is one of the main reasons why I love Peter's cocktails as they are always perfectly balanced without being too sweet, tart or boozy. In other words, you can drink several in a row without feeling the burn! He is known for his seasonal approach to cocktails and often blurs the line between kitchen and bar as he makes his own bitters, infused liquors and liqueurs. Cocktail competitions have become a serious business in the US and Peter has become a formidable fixture on the circuit, most recently placing first in a national search for Bombay Sapphire's most inspired bartender. When he is not busy shaking up a cocktail, you can watch Peter perform with his three man sketch comedy group 37 Foxtrot or read his frequent contributions in Time Out Chicago. Despite his busy schedule, he was kind enough to share a holiday cocktail recipe with us.

Flippin' Holidays

A flip is a class of drinks similar to an egg nog but doesn't have any cream. This is Peter's modern take on a flip made with walnut liqueur.

1 oz Walnut Liqueur, such as Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur
1 oz dark rum (Peter uses 15 year El Dorado Dark Rum from Guyana)

1/2 oz Benedictine

3/4 oz simple syrup

1/4 oz Cynar (an italian amaro made from artichokes)

1 whole egg

*If you can't find Nux Alpina try Nocello

Add all to cocktail shaker and shake without ice for 15 seconds, add ice and shake for another fifteen. Strain into rocks glass and grate nutmeg over the top.

The walnut liqueur plays center stage in this drink while the rum is a great dark foil for the walnut. The Benedictine adds spice while the sugar rounds out the rough edges. The Egg provides texture and holds everything together. The bitterness of the Cynar comes right at the finish and clears the palate. It cuts through everything and allows you to take the next sip without feeling you are drinking something sickly sweet.