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Cocktail History
The Hot Ale Flip is a beer cocktail that was created in the late 1600s, making it one of the first known mixed drinks. This version by author Jassy Davis and published in her book Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter uses the classic’s template of ale, rum, brown sugar syrup, and egg, but it adds a hint of sweet citrus juice and grated nutmeg for more fall flavor and complexity.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Brown Ale: This is a type of beer made in England with hops, malts, yeast, and water. We used Breckenridge Brewery Autumn Ale because it has a full-bodied malt flavor with notes of nut. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Celestial Sin Non-Alcoholic Brown Ale in place of the beer.
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for an extended period of time. We used Ron Cihuatán 8 Year Indigo Rumbecause it has sweet notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, and artisanal dulce de leche. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.
Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with Demerara sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Egg White & Yolk: This is both the clear liquid and yellow portion in an egg. We used fresh egg white and yolk because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Grated Nutmeg: This is a spice made from the seed of a nutmeg tree. We used whole nutmeg from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Saucepan: This is used to warm the ingredients. We used the Cuisinart 3-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan with Cover.
Spoon: This is used to stir the ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Spoon.
Ladle: This is used to transfer the drink to cups. We used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Everyday Ladle.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Grater: This is used to grate spices or citrus peel. We used the OXO Good Grips Grater.
Tasting Notes
The Hot Ale Flip teases a nutmeg aroma and begins with a thick, malty flavor distinctly comprised of sugar-sweetened ale with a tinge of funk from the rum before finishing with a caramel-like and spirituous aftertaste with the warm beer’s unmistakable malted flavor.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Our opinions of this one were fairly similar, with both of us enjoying and respecting the recipe for what it is, but neither of us expect to crave the Hot Ale Flip again, mostly because heated egg and beer is somewhat of a lukewarm concept for us.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I wasn’t originally as taken on this recipe as I thought I may have been, and I think that’s mostly due to the amount of lemon juice the author included. The original called for two whole tablespoons, which made it a bit too sour or at the very least was too present in the final product since a typical flip doesn’t include any citrus at all. Dialing it back was the right call, and it created a tasty and sweet yet malty and slightly spirituous warm flip that hit just the right spots for a chilly night. While I’m still not incredibly taken on the idea of hot beer and egg, I liked the cocktails well enough for what it was.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I was excited to try my first hot flip recipe. I’ve known about the template’s history for a while, but we had yet to try it until this cocktail landed on our calendar this fall. I’ll be honest, I found it tasty, but it wasn’t my favorite. That’s because I already don’t care much for beer cocktails though, and heating it up didn’t fix that for me. The mix of rum, citrus, and egg into the malty beverage was an interesting experience, but I don’t think I’d whip this up again… at least not until I come to enjoy ale a bit more. Granted, I’ve also recently discovered I’m likely allergic to hops, so that might never happen. If you like beer though, this is worth a try!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter by Jassy Davis.
Add beer, rum, rich Demerara syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and egg yolk to a saucepan.
Cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes while stirring until warmed through.
Pour into a beer mug.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
Directions
Add beer, rum, rich Demerara syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and egg yolk to a saucepan.
Cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes while stirring until warmed through.
Pour into a beer mug.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Celestial Sin Non-Alcoholic Brown Ale in place of the beer and Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Autumn Cocktails
If you like this autumn-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that are similar that you may enjoy:
Pumpkin Cider: An apple brandy and rum cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin cubes, butter, sugar, whole cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and grated nutmeg
Filibuster: A rye cocktail made with lemon juice, maple syrup, egg white, and Angostura aromatic bitters
Thanksgiving Nog: A dark rum cocktail made with water, heavy cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, ground mace, whipped cream, and a cinnamon stick
Pumpkin Spiced Russian: A vodka cocktail made with coffee liqueur, milk, caramel sauce, pumpkin spice syrup, and a cinnamon stick
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