For a New Year’s Resolution-Friendly Happy Hour

It was late November when I broke one of my dining rules. We were at one of our favorite places to visit sitting in the Lobby Bar for a little digestif before we all went to bed. Instead of ordering a port wine or something that’s a little less of a calorie bomb after a big dinner, I ordered a White Russian to close the evening.

Now, I should say that, normally, if I’m doing cocktails, I try to order vodka on the rocks with sparkling water and loads of fresh-squeezed fruit (whether that’s pineapple juice or lemons). Or, I’ll just do a glass of wine. I try to keep the sugar content low (not always the case with wine, but it’s fine), especially if I’m about to retire for the night shortly thereafter. But, nope. Not on this chilly evening. Nothing sounded better than hot chocolate with a little bite – which translated into a White Russian.

As I was craving one the other day, it got me thinking. There had to be a way to keep the delicious creaminess of this drink without all of the “bad stuff.” My friends, there is!

It just so happened that I was gifted a bottle of Nemiroff Vodka to test out. The stars were aligning. This was going to happen.

I tried a few different combinations with Nemiroff‘s bold, clear liquor. I researched the 150-year old brand and love their dedication to finding and using natural flavors and the highest quality filtered water. The pure taste definitely reflects that purity.

It was the perfect base for my lightened up White Russian. Here’s what I used:

Cold Brew Coffee, 1 tablespoon

Nemiroff Vodka, 1-2 ounces

Kahlua, 1/2 an ounce

Skim or 2% milk, 1.5 ounces

Light, unsweetened coconut milk, half an ounce

Simple syrup mixed with a touch of cocoa powder (you’ll only need a little bit of this concoction to sweeten the drink)

Ice cubes

Directions:

Use a little bit of the simple syrup to rim your glass first, then flip it upside down and dip the rim into a bit of the dark chocolate cocoa powder. Mmm! I’ll admit that this came to me after I’d taken photos for this post. I am definitely going to try this again with the new and improved rim here.

Next, add your ice cubes.

Then, pour in the vodka, cold brew, and Kahlua. Gently mix.

Add the skim milk (I used 2% milk) and coconut milk. Blend everything together with a few stirs of a swizzle stick and add tiny amounts of the simple syrup bit by bit until it’s sweet enough.

Enjoy!

A big thanks to The Baddish Group for sending me a bottle of Nemiroff Vodka to try out for this post. It’s thanks to our wonderful sponsors that we’re able to continue to create fun and fabulous content for you!