One of the highlights of my very first grad school semester was my friend Will’s homemade Krupnik. We finished an accounting exam that no one was looking forward to at all and he pulled out a bottle of sweet, homemade liqueur. We passed it around… and around… and around and, look, I’m sure other things happened, but mostly I remember it being really fun.
Krupnik is a honey-spiced Polish liqueur that’s especially popular in the winter months. I’ve planned to make it every year since Will first introduced it to me, but inevitably it falls off the list in favor of a bit more gift shopping or another Christmas get-together. This time, I’ve planned a Spiced Honey and Citrus cocktail to fill the krupnik shaped hole in my heart in partnership with Tropicana’s #MixedWithTrop campaign. Its sweet and spicy and full of warmth, with a citrus-y bright note that will make you look like one heck of a home bartender!
The first step? Making Spiced Honey Syrup. I’m going to go on record here- you basically want to make this and just keep it around the house because it’s DELICIOUS and not just in this cocktail. It’s great in tea or on toast or from the jar. No lie.
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until combined.
- Pour syrup into a jar and allow to cool before using.
- one to two tablespoons Spiced Honey Syrup (see recipe above)
- one cup Tropicana Tangerine Lemonade
- three tablespoons whiskey
- Shake all ingredients together using either a cocktail shaker or jar with a tightly-fitted lid.
- Strain over ice and garnish with lemon slices or cinnamon sticks, as desired.
- If you like, rim the edge of your glass with an extra bit of spiced honey syrup for extra yum!
And there you have it: a warm, spiced, honey-flavored cocktail that’s perfect to whip up right at home. Tag your cocktails with #alyssaandcarla- we can’t wait to see them!
Thank you to Tropicana for sponsoring this post, and thank you to our readers for supporting the brands that we love!
