[1] In this photo (recipe below) the snowman is wearing raspberry earmuffs. They’re connected with a piece of red apple (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] For this recipe, make sure the bananas are ripe enough to easily mash (photo © Jonathan Cooper | Unsplash).

[3] You can make a bacon scarf and cut a top hat from a banana or apple slice and coat it with cocoa mix. Do it on another plate, then transfer it to the snowman. Here’s the recipe (photo by Maya Vismyei © Today’s Parent).

[4] You can use whipped cream for buttons and mini chocolate chips fore the face. Here’s the recipe (photo © Eating On A Dime) .

[5] For the holiday season, make Santa’s hat from a strawberry. Here’s the recipe (photo © Food Network).

If you’re in a neck of the woods that’s brrr-cold, here’s a cheerful breakfast that will ease the pain of leaving the house.

It’s such fun food that it just might be in demand for lunch and dinner, too.

And with fruit purée instead of maple syrup, it works for dessert.

The recipe below is for banana pancakes (mashed bananas in the batter). But if you’d prefer a plain pancake, check out these snowman pancakes.

> More pancake recipes.

> The history of pancakes.

> The history of bananas.

> The history of snowmen is below.

> Our favorite artisan pancake mix brands.
 
 
RECIPE: BANANA SNOWMEN PANCAKES

Thanks to Phyllis Schmalz of Kansas City, Kansas, and Taste Of Home for bringing us this recipe.

Total time to prepare and cook is 20 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 4 Snowmen

 
Preparation
 
1. STIR the pancake mix, water and banana in a small bowl until just moistened.

2. POUR a scant 1/2 cup batter onto a greased hot griddle, making 3 circles to form a snowman. Turn when bubbles form on top and cook until the second side is golden brown.

3. TRANSFER to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. SPRINKLE the plates with confectioners’ sugar (snow). It’s easy to do by shaking it in a sieve. Add the snowmen and decorate with pretzels arms chocolate chips, cranberries.

Use a bit of orange segment for the nose. Use pretzel sticks for the arms. Cut a slice of apple or banana for hats. On a separate plate, dust the hats with cocoa powder and then carefully transfer to the heads of the snowmen.

5. SERVE with extra banana slices to increase the fruit intake. And while the confectioners’ sugar “snow” provides sweetness, you can serve maple syrup if desired.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SNOWMEN

According to our colleague Claude.ai, the history of building snowmen is centuries old.

The Middle Ages: The earliest documented snowman was found in an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours, from from 1380.

This confirms that the practice was already well-established at the tail end of medieval Europe (also known as the Middle Ages, ca. 5th century to the late 15th century).

During this period, snowmen were often seen as public art forms, with entire cities participating in creating elaborate snow sculptures during particularly harsh winters.

 
The Renaissance (ca. the 14th century to the 17th century*) brought more sophisticated snow sculpture techniques, with artists like Michelangelo reportedly commissioned to create snow sculptures. The practice spread through European courts as a wintertime entertainment, and wealthy patrons would host snow sculpture competitions.

By the Victorian era (1837-1901), building snowmen had become associated with childhood recreation and family activities.

While medieval snowmen were often decorated with twigs and leaves, the iconic design we know today—three stacked snowballs with coal eyes and a carrot nose—became standard during this period.

________________
 
*The Renaissance significantly overlapped with the end of the Middle Ages, with the Renaissance generally considered to have begun in the 14th century, while the Middle Ages are typically dated to end around the 15th century. Essentially, the Renaissance emerged from the later stages of the Middle Ages. There is no clear dividing line where one era definitively ended and the other began.

The late Middle Ages saw a gradual shift towards the intellectual and artistic ideas that would later define the Renaissance. The early stages of the Renaissance, often called the Proto-Renaissance, are considered to have occurred during the late Middle Ages, particularly in Italy. Historians concur that the Renaissance ended in the early 17th century.

The Age of Enlightenment emerged from the intellectual and scientific advancements sparked during the Renaissance period. It was characterized by a strong emphasis on reason, logic, and scientific inquiry, with philosophers like Locke, Montesquieu, and Voltaire contributing significantly to its ideas.

Romanticism emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, characterized by a focus on emotion and imagination: an interest in nature, the supernatural, personal experiences, and artistic freedom. Many historians view the turbulent events of the French Revolution as a turning point marking the end of the Enlightenment and the rise of Romanticism, which gradually gave way to…

Realism, which emphasized depicting the world as it actually is, with a focus on everyday life and social issues.
 
 

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Hot toddies are warm alcoholic drinks, meant to take the chill off (especially welcome since when they were invented, there was only a fireplace to heat the room).

National Hot Toddy Day is January 11th. National Hot Buttered Rum Day is January 17th. National Mulled Wine Day is March 3rd. That’s a trio of hot cocktails for cold winter days. National Hot Mulled Cider Day is September 30th, making good use of all of that freshly-pressed apple cider.

Beyond toddies, we’ve got 10 other hot cocktails below, but first we present a new recipe: a mezcal hot toddy from one of our favorite distillers, Mezcal Unión.

You can make a hot toddy with any spirit. Scotch and other whiskeys were traditional in Europe. When the trade with the Caribbean brought rum to the Colonies, a rum toddy, a.k.a. hot buttered rum, became a variation.

But Colonials had not yet discovered tequila and mezcal, not to mention saké. Over time, these spirits made their way into hot toddies.

> Mezcal Unión review.

> Mezcal history.

> Hot toddy history.

> Check out more hot toddy recipes below, along with recipes for 10 non-toddy warm alcoholic drinks.

> Hot toddy relatives (glögg, mulled wine and cider, etc.).

> The difference between mezcal and tequila.
 
 
OAXACAN HOT TODDY WITH MEZCAL

Note that this recipe makes a cocktail-size drink, four ounces or so. If you want a cup or a mug, increase the ingredients accordingly.

You may wish to make the cocktail size first, then adjust the ingredients to your personal preferences.

Some readers may not be familiar with herbal liqueurs, so we’ve added a section about them below.
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
> There’s more about herbal liqueur below, along with food pairings.
 
Preparation

1. MIX the ingredients together and pour into a rocks glass.

2. GARNISH with a slice of lemon.
 
 
10 MORE HOT COCKTAILS

Beyond the many recipes for hot toddy, hot buttered rum, and mulled wine and cider, consider:

 
 
MORE HOT TODDY RECIPES

Food 101: “Toddy” refers to a drink made with hot water, sugar, and alcohol. A “hot toddy” specifically refers to a toddy that’s served hot or warm. A toddy is made with hot water because the temperature is needed to dissolve the sugar. But the drink can be served at room temperature, or even with ice.

On to the recipes:

 
 
WHAT ARE HERBAL LIQUEURS?

Herbal liqueur is a category of distillate‡ where a base spirit is flavored by adding spices, roots, herbs, fruits, or other botanicals. The sub-categories are:

 
If you need to buy a bottle, you can also use it in cooking: to make sauces or glazes for meat and poultry, or to flavor or spike desserts like tiramisù or dense cakes (bundts or loaf cakes like pound cake and carrot cake, e.g.).

And of course, there are many cocktail recipes, and easy variations of the wine spritz.

Party time: If you want to get to know herbal liqueurs, why not have a potluck, with everyone bringing a brand from a different category? Food pairings follow.

 
 
PAIRING LIQUEUR WITH FOOD

See additional pairings in the footnote†† below.

Savory Apéritif Liqueurs: Pairings

 
Sweet Liqueurs: Pairings With Dessert

 
Pairings Examples

 
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LIQUOR & LIQUEUR

Liquor and liqueur are distinct categories of alcoholic beverages.
 
Liquor (Also Called Spirits)

 
Liqueur

[1] Oaxacan hot toddy, made with mezcal instead of more traditional spirits (photos #1 and #4 © Mezcal Unión).

[2] Use the best apple juice or cider you can find. In addition to Red Jacket, we like Knudsen’s (photo © Red Jacket Orchards).

[3] It’s no surprise that Herradura, one of the finest tequila distillers, turns some of that agave into a great agave syrup (photo © Tenley Market Liquor).

[4] Mezcal Unión Uno is an unaged mezcal, but the brand also has expressions that are aged in oak for 8 to 14 years.

[6] The ideal herbal liqueur is Green Chartreuse, a complex blend of 130 herbs and plants that complement mezcal’s smoky, earthy profile. See more about Green Chartreuse in the footnote* below (photo © Sip Liquor).

[6] A rum toddy. Add a pat of butter to make hot buttered rum (photo © Mount Gay Rum).

[7] A gin toddy (photo © Janis Kaugurs | Pexels).

[8] A tequila hot toddy made with blanco (unaged) tequila (photos #8 and #9 © Peligroso Tequila).

[9] A tequila hot toddy made with reposado (aged) tequila..

[10] An apple-ginger toddy (photo © Castello USA).

Green Chartreuse is produced by just one maker, the Carthusian monks at the distillery in their head monastery (Grande Chartreuse) in located in a remote mountain valley in France. The recipe is known only to two monks at any given time.

You can find two versions: Standard Green Chartreuse (55% A.B.V.) and V.E.P. Green Chartreuse (54% A.B.V.) aged in oak casks, often for 8-10 years. A third variety, no longer made, is the rare Tarragona Chartreuse, produced in Spain between 1903-1989 when the monks were expelled from France. These bottles are highly sought after by collectors.

Some other good herbal liqueur options to pair with mezcal include Ancho Reyes Verde (a spicy herbal liqueur made from green chiles), Génépy (Alpine herbal liqueur similar to Chartreuse but lighter), and Strega (Italian herbal liqueur with saffron notes) [source: Claude.ai 2025-01-09].

Substitutes for herbal liqueur include honey mixed with herbal tea (like chamomile, mint, or a blend); herbal bitters; or spiced simple syrup (infused with cinnamon, cloves, and star anise, e.g.). Or, you can borrow some herbal liqueur from a friend or neighbor

†Cider vs. apple juice, the difference: Fresh apple cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process. Apple juice has been filtered to remove solids and pasteurized so that it will stay fresh longer. Hard cider has been fermented into an alcoholic beverage.

††Snacks with herbal liqueurs: In general, avoid overly spicy or heavily seasoned snacks.
> Intense herbal liqueurs like Bäska Snaps, Fernet-Branca, Green Chartreuse, Jägermeister Manifest, Zwack Unicum: candied ginger, dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher), Marcona almonds.
> Other bitter herbal liqueurs like Amaro, Campari, Cynara: candied orange peel or orange segments, salted dark chocolate, toasted nuts with rosemary.
>Milder herbal liqueurs like Anisette, Bénédictine, Drambuie, Galliano L’Autentico, Strega, Yellow Chartreuse: aged hard cheeses like aged Gouda or Gruyère, fresh apple or pear slices, honey-drizzled figs.

‡A distillate is a liquid product condensed from vapor during distillation. All spirits and liqueurs are considered to be distillates.
 
 

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[1] The three expressions of Elvis Presley spirits (all photos © Grain & Barrel).

[2] Midnight Snack whiskey with a pint of Tipsy Scoop ice cream. Both have Elvis’ favorite flavor combo: peanut butter, banana, and bacon.

[3] All shook up: Turn the boozy ice cream into boozy shake (see the recipe below.

[4] A shot at midnight.

[5] Straight whiskey, straight rye.

Today marks what would be Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday. So how about something commemorative: Elvis spirits, including one expression* inspired by The King’s favorite sandwich, peanut butter, banana and bacon (photos #1, #2, #4).

The Elvis Whiskey collection debuted in 2021 with three expressions:

 
The label of each expression features an iconic photo of Elvis, his signature, and the letters “TCB” printed on the neck of the bottle—the latter referring to “Taking Care of Business,” a phrase which was the mantra for Elvis and his Memphis Mafia.
 
 
GET YOUR ELVIS MIDNIGHT SNACK WHISKEY

> Head to ElvisWhiskey.com for the spirits.
 
 
GET YOUR MIDNIGHT SNACK ICE CREAM

> Get the ice cream (photo #2) at GoldBelly.
 
 
PLUS “MIDNIGHT SNACK” ICE CREAM

We love Tipsy Scoop ice cream, an artisan ice cream brand that incorporates popular spirits into super-premium ice cream. It’s the best boozy ice cream we can name.

Founder Melissa Tavss blends cocktails, stouts, and wines into her handmade ice cream. Her creations are inspired by classic and contemporary cocktails, are made with local and seasonal ingredients, and contain up to 5% alcohol by volume.

> Check out this season’s flavors.

Tipsy Scoop partnered with Elvis Whiskey to create the ultimate Elvis dessert: Elvis Whiskey Midnight Snack ice cream.

Elvis Whiskey Midnight Snack ice cream has the same flavors as the whiskey: peanut butter, banana and bacon.

 
 
RECIPE: ELVIS MILKSHAKE

Made with Elvis Whiskey Midnight Snack and Tipsy Scoop’s Midnight Snack Ice Cream, this milkshake is fit for The King and all you courtiers (photo #3).

If you can’t get hold of Tipsy Scoop Midnight Snack Ice Cream, substitute scoops of peanut butter and banana flavors. As for the bacon flavor, serve a couple of strips of this caramelized bacon recipe on the side.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND the ice cream, milk, whiskey, and peanut butter until smooth. Pour into a tall glass.

2. TOP with whipped cream and a cherry.
 
 
MORE ELVIS RECIPES

 
Plus:

 
 
ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Grain & Barrel Spirits, a Charleston, South Carolina-based spirits company, has a license from Elvis Presley Enterprises to produce an Elvis Presley-branded whiskey line. Our brands include iconic Chicken Cock Whiskey, Dixie Vodka & Canned Cocktails, High Goal Gin, Tequila Eterno Verano, See the Elephant Amaro, and Virgil Kaine Whiskey.

You can also buy canned or frozen cherries and soak them in the whiskey. In season, a fresh cherry with its stem is lovely.
 
 

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