How To Make A Classic Snowball Cocktail

Step 1

Make the cherries:

Step 3

Wash the cherries, and pack them into a small, sealable glass jar. (You can pit them if you prefer — in which case you might need a few more — but I like to leave them whole.)

Step 5

Pour the Luxardo liqueur over the cherries to cover; seal; and place in the fridge for at least a week before using. This will yield ½ cup of cherries.

Step 7

Make the advocaat:

Step 9

Set up a double boiler: put a couple of inches of water in a saucepan, and nestle a glass or stainless steel bowl comfortably on top without the bottom touching the water.

Step 11

Into that bowl, place the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Using an electric or manual mixer or whisk, beat until the yolks become very pale and the mixture falls in thick ribbons from the whisk, around 3–4 minutes (more if you are hand beating). Then slowly add the brandy in a trickle, whisking as you pour until just combined.

Step 13

Heat the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and place the bowl on the saucepan to cook mixture very gently, while whisking continuously. The mixture should become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (If the mixture gets too hot, it can split or the eggs may curdle. To be precise, the temperature should not exceed 138 F/ 68 C).

Step 15

Remove the bowl from the heat, and add the vanilla and cinnamon, stirring to combine. Let cool, then transfer to a sealable container and store in the fridge until ready to use. This will yield around 2 ½ cups, enough for around 10 cocktails.

Step 17

Mix the cocktail:

Step 19

Fill a highball glass with a handful of ice, then add the advocaat and lime, and stir well.

Step 21

Pour in most of the lemonade; stir again — the mixture will foam up a bit; and top with a little more ice and the rest of the lemonade.

Step 23

Garnish with cocktail cherries, and serve immediately.

Step 25

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Step 28

Leila Ashtari is a food and travel photographer currently based in the Niagara region who loves telling stories about food, people and places through her work. As well as contributing to CBC Life, her work has been published in Saveur Magazine, The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Lonely Planet Magazine, among others. She also likes to ferment things and always has experiments bubbling away in her basement. See more of her work at leilaashtari.com or on Instagram @ashtariphoto.