The pecan maple latte at Davvero Gelato (Photo by Jay Paul)
1. Pecan Maple Latte
$8 at Davvero Gelato
Cozy, wintry feelings, commence. Maple-walnut oat milk canoodles with two shots of Afterglow Coffee Cooperative espresso, stirred with Davvero’s homemade pecan-maple butter spread. Owner Layne Montgomery opened her Lakeside ice cream parlor and cafe in September, specializing in decadent dairy-free offerings. This warming cup is so creamy and buttery, it’ll have you second-guessing it’s vegan.
2. Run to You: Cherry + Cranberry
$14 at The Veil Brewing Co.
This pre-pandemic farmhouse ale was brewed in The Veil’s rooftop koelschip in January 2020. First mashed with spelt, rye, wheat and malted oats, it was then hopped and pumped onto freshly split Virginia pine. After a cool evening on the roof, the brew was barreled for wild yeast fermentation and aged for a year. Brewers then added a sleigh-load of cranberries and cherries, making for a tangy crimson jubilee in a glass.
3. Signature Smoked Old Fashioned
$MP at Smoke & Barrel
Specializing in brown drinks — bourbon and rye especially — this elf-sized Fan bar oozes neighborhood persona. For their house Old Fashioned, named the S & B, they swizzle Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye whiskeys with walnut bitters and sugar cubes, then fan the ingredients with smoked cherry wood. The drink is on special during happy hour, and guests can always find a second, seasonally influenced Old Fashioned on the menu.
4. Cabernet Franc “South Block” 2022, Manakin-Sabot
$45 at 7 Lady Vineyards
Four years in the making, this medium-bodied inaugural vintage is born from fruit grown exclusively at Dover Hall Estate in Goochland. It’s bolder on the nose than on the palate, with vanilla and currants playing hide-and-seek with plum, pepper and baking spices. Well-integrated tannins keep the sipper sprightly enough for salmon and turkey, or let the wine shine with a charcuterie board at a neighborhood fete.
5. Sugar Cookie Eggnog Smash
$12 at Revel Market & Bar
Designed intentionally to pair with Lewis Ginter’s Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights, Bar Manager Josh Murmann’s concoction is an adult version of milk and cookies. Blended whipped cream vodka and spicy, vanilla bean-spiked Liquor 45 are topped with whipped eggnog foam and crumbled sugar cookies. This ’gram-able sipper will put a little twinkle in your eye.
