Hot Ward 8 Cocktail Recipe

By
Elana Lepkowski
Elana Lepkowski is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Elana Lepkowski
Elana Lepkowski is an LA-based mixologist who shares her cocktail recipes at Serious Eats and on her award-winning blog, Stir and Strain. 
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated August 29, 2018
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Elana Lepkowski

Why It Works

  • Keeping a cocktail hot for a whole afternoon or evening is easy with an insulated thermos; just warm your carrying container first by filling it with boiling water while you prep your drink.
  • The Ward 8 is usually made with lemon and orange juices, but here you get a concentrated citrus flavor from an oleo-saccharum—an intense syrup made with lemon and orange peels muddled with sugar.
  • This recipe easily scales up or down to accommodate the size of your thermos. Just adjust the Angostura to taste.

This hot spin on the classic Ward 8 cocktail makes enough for a small crowd of ice skaters or snowshoers—exactly what you'll want after a day out in the cold. Just pack the heated whiskey, citrus, and pomegranate mix into a thermos, and it'll still be warm when you're ready for it.

Recipe Details

Hot Ward 8 Cocktail Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 8 hrs 10 mins
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

For the Oleo-Saccharum:

  • Zest from 2 lemons

  • Zest from 1 orange

  • 4 1/2 ounces (130g) sugar

For the Cocktails:

  • 8 ounces (235ml) boiling water, plus more for preheating thermos

  • 16 ounces (475ml) rye whiskey, such as Bulleit 95

  • 4 ounces (120ml) unsweetened pomegranate juice

  • 2 ounces (60ml) dry orange curaçao, such as Pierre Ferrand

  • 8 dashes Angostura bitters

  • 8 lemon zest strips, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. For the Oleo-Saccharum: In a heatproof container with at least a 36-ounce capacity, toss together lemon and orange zests with sugar. Muddle for 30 seconds to release the oil from the zests. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

  2. For the Cocktails: Pre-warm thermos by filling with water just off the boil and let stand. Meanwhile, pour rye whiskey, 8 ounces boiling water, pomegranate juice, orange curaçao, and bitters over the oleo-saccharum. Stir well until sugar is completely dissolved.

  3. Discard hot water from thermos, then carefully strain rye mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into thermos (a funnel can help avoid spills); discard spent zests. Seal thermos. Optionally, when ready to drink, add new lemon zests to your cocktail, expressing the oils over the top first.

Special Equipment

Heatproof container with minimum 36-ounce capacity, insulated 1.1-quart thermos, fine-mesh strainer

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
196Calories
0gFat
20gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories196
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 3mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 20g7%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg4%
Calcium 4mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 36mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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