058 – Snowball

A Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the ‘Snowball’ cocktail.

Lock-down has inspired me to explore this cocktail, popular in England from the 1950’s, especially at Christmas, and reaching its peak in the 1970’s. Including making your own Advocaat liqueur at home.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ #Locktail ‘Snowball’ and it’s Christmas anytime.

METHOD – FOR HOME MADE ADVOCAAT (make a day in advance) – Whisk 3 egg yolks (discard egg whites) with 100gm caster sugar, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of cinnamon (to taste) until well mixed and the mixture has turned a light yellow and falls from the whisk in ribbons (usually about 3 minutes). Add in 90ml of Brandy (or Cognac) and 60ml Vodka while whisking until integrated. Place the mixture in a double boiler (or in a glass or similar bowl over a pot of simmering water) and whisk continuously until the mixture is think enough to coat the back of a spoon and the temperature of the mix has reached at least 60-degrees Celsius (about 2-to-4 minutes, don’t go too thick). Poor into a sealable glass container and refrigerate for at least 6-hours before use. Mixture should last refrigerated for at least two weeks and create about 250-300ml of home-made Advocaat, enough for 5-to-6 ‘Snowball’ cocktails.

FOR THE COCKTAIL – Fill a highball glass, wine glass or suitable goblet with pieces of ice. Add 20ml fresh lime juice and 100ml of lemonade (more or less lemonade, ensuring enough room remains for the Advocaat). Add the 60ml Advocaat which will sink through the lemonade/lime mix and then gently stir to keep carbonation loss to a minimum. Option to add additional Brandy (Cognac) to taste, and option to garnish with a lime slice or lime peel spiral.

FOR THE ‘SNOWBALL IN HEAVEN’ (Nigella Lawson Version) – Add 60ml Vodka, and 30ml Advocaat into a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass or champagne coupe. Then top-up with lemonade and options for a spritz of lemon or lime juice and a maraschino cherry, more details here.

HISTORICAL NOTES – The exact origins of the Snowball are unclear, it seems no one want’s to claim its creation. What we do know is the it appeared in post-WWII England in the late 1940’s or possibly early 1950’s primarily as a seasonal and festive ‘Christmas’ drink. After all Advocaat (sometimes called ‘Dutch Eggnog’ or ‘Egg Cognac’) is very similar in flavour to other ‘eggnog’ style recipes.

The ‘Snowball’ reached peak popularity in the 1970’s and never really took off in the USA or other markets, the Americans for one thing, having an issue with the idea of egg and lemonade. In more recent times, celebrity UK chef ‘Nigella Lawson’ promoted the ‘Snowball’ and her ‘Snowball in Heaven’ and single-handedly rekindled demand for Advocaat in the UK.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Snowball’ does not appear in any of the International Bartender Association (IBA) official drinks lists, and perhaps not surprisingly there are no other ‘seasonal’ or ‘festive’ drinks included either. There really is no official recipe for a ‘Snowball’ other than perhaps the inclusion of ‘Advocaat’ in the mix.

TASTING NOTES – The Advocaat has a custard, brandy and cinnamon flavour, that is very ‘Christmas’, when the lemonade is added, the result is a sweeter and fizzier outcome much like a ‘spider’. The regular version still has some thickness from the 60ml of Advocaat, whereas Nigella Lawson’s ‘Snowflake in Heaven’ is a thinner mix, a little like a custard martini. The only ‘risk’ with the ‘Snowflake in Heaven’ is the cocktail warming up, while cold it is pleasant, but once warm it is cloying and a little ‘sickly’. Shake until very cold and use very cold lemonade.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – No changes, other than home made Advocaat, recipe above, and the opportunity to try a fairly classic ‘Snowball’ much as it would have been consumed in the late 1940’s or 1950’s, head-to-head with the ‘Snowball in Heaven’ martini style.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is eighth cocktail from the 1941-1950 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.