Ask Getaway friend, bartendress, and The Spritz Co.’s founder, Maggie Mae Dale, about her favorite campfire memory and she’ll tell you about her days at summer camp as a teenager, when she prepped food over an open fire and roughed it with her cohort. “Laughing with my friends and catching fireflies on that trip is something I’ll never forget.”
Raised in Minnesota and based in Williamsburg, Maggie now crafts spectacular cocktails. When she’s not bartending, you can find her unwinding with “records, rye whiskey, and being a little witchy.”
Armed with her mantra, “Spritz all day, party all night,” Maggie has designed three cocktails to warm up your getaway this holiday season.
Campfire Cocktails: Fireside Negroni
For this version of the negroni, vermouth is swapped for bergamot and cinnamon tea, bittersweet aperol, and gin. Yields three cups of tea. Maggie’s special note: My wish is that you enjoy your own taste of “aperitea-vi” as you getaway!
What you’ll need:
4 cinnamon sticks
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 bergamont tea bags (lady grey tea)
¼ cup turbinado sugar (raw cane sugar)
1 orange peel (with as little pith as possible)
4 cups of water
1 oz. aperol
1 oz. gin
Cinnamon sticks and orange wedge for garnish
To mix:
- To brew the tea, fill stove pot with cinnamon sticks, sugar, orange peel, orange juice, and water and bring to a boil.
- Once water is at boiling temperature, add two bags of earl grey tea and let steep for five minutes on a low simmer. Double strain tea into teapot or serving container.
- Add one part (1 oz.) aperol, one (1 oz.) gin, and four (4 oz.) parts orange tean in a cup. Stir. Toss in a slice of orange and cinnamon stick for garnish.
- Sip by a cozy fire.
Campfire Cocktails: Midnight Hot Cocoa
As a young camper, Maggie and her friends would sneak off to a hidden beach at night, build a campfire, and make “Midnight Cocoa” with melted chocolate and marshmallows. This recipe includes cayenne for a rich and spicy twist on the classic. Yields two servings. Non-alcoholic.
What you’ll need:
2 ½ cups macadamia milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Toasted marshmallow and Maldon salt for a garnish
To mix:
- Bring macadamia milk and cinnamon to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally and ensuring milk doesn’t boil (around 10 minutes).
- In a double broiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate bars on low heat to avoid burning. To save time, substitute cocoa powder for melted chocolate.
- Whisk in chocolate, vanilla, and cayenne. Cook on low heat, whisking frequently, until mixture is smooth and creamy and chocolate is melted (about five minutes).
Campfire Cocktails: Sweater Weather
This is a take on an old-fashioned, but orange bitters are replaced with citrus- and cola-notes of Averna Amaro and Brovo Amaro. Clove, cardamon, and cinnamon finish the drink off for a hint sweetness.
What you’ll need:
2 oz. Small batch Bourbon
0.75 Averna Amaro
0.5 Brovo Amaro No. 1
Orange peel and clove
To mix:
- Add ingredients to a mixing or pint glass. Add ice. Stir for 20-30 seconds and strain over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange peel and clove.
- Wear your favorite sweater and enjoy!
You can follow Maggie and her mixology adventures at The Spritz Co. Make and drink these delicious beverages by the campfire as they were intended when you book your Getaway here.