The holiday season is officially upon us, which means the advent of four communopoly traditions: (1) a food bank shop at our local Sobeys, (2) a trip to Tony’s Pizza, (3) the stringing of Christmas lights across both balconies, and (4) the making and tasting of some homemade Irish Cream. Ours got its nickname from the “penguin jug” in which it lives out its refrigerator life. You’ll find tons of recipes for this concoction on the Internet, but we make ours with pecan whisky, which adds a delightful, sweet nuttiness to the brew. Pour it over ice, add it to coffee, or—as we are about to do—drizzle it over copious amounts of vanilla ice cream and fudge to make a little concoction loving known as a Penguin Buster Parfait. You should probably make one now.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups Revel Stoke roasted pecan whisky
• 1 cup cream
• 300 mL sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp instant coffee
• 3 tbsp chocolate syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a measuring bowl with a spout, combine all the ingredients, and whisk them together until smooth. Taste, and adjust the whisky, instant coffee and chocolate syrup to your liking. Pour into a bottle with a cork or cap, and refrigerate. Shake before serving.

The Penguin Buster Parfait

• Chocolate syrup
• Vanilla ice cream
• Penguin Juice
• Salted Spanish peanuts

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a tumbler, douse it with plenty-o-chocolate sauce, pour over an ounce or so of Penguin Juice, and garnish with a generous sprinkling of salty Spanish peanuts. De-licious!

The verdict: Happy Alcoholidays! So, yeah, there are decidedly boozy spoonfulls in this delicious parfait. But as the ice cream melts and the ingredients canoodle, it mellows to perfection. Merry and safe holidays, everyone! Keep your cocktails near and your loved ones nearer. xo