‘Snowball’ fights?

In honour of Vancouver’s wicked winter wonderland we’re currently being subjected to, I bring you one of my favourite winter cocktails, all the way from the freak-deaky Dutch.

This one is one of those retro classics currently making its way up clubs with caché right now, alongside the Sidecars and the Whiskey Sours: it’s the Snowball.

Snowballs are made with Advocaat, a Dutch liqueur that’s the alcoholic equivalent of, well, egg nog. It’s a creamy, light liqueur with a hint of fruitiness (from brandy) and eggs. But there really is no other way to drink it unless mixed in a Snowball.

And the funny thing is — Advocaat means ‘lawyer’ in Dutch. No idea why, but it may be because lawyers were the original drinkers of this fine beverage. Warninks Advocaat has been in production since 1616. Most people think it tastes like boozy custard, which makes sense, because the Dutch are known for their custard addiction – you can try hundreds of flavours of vla, or custard, in your average Amsterdam grocery store.

The traditional recipe has plain lemon juice and a lemon slice. My version is really, really simple, and a bit of an update on the classic. Pour a shot of Advocaat in a short glass over ice, and top up with fizzy Limonata, an Italian lemon soda that isn’t too sweet.

It’s a refreshing beverage with the texture of a melting snowball. The fizz of the Limonata adds a fantastic, fresh mouthfeel. I love these over the holidays and I’m sure you will too.

Gelukkig kerstfeest!