Winter in Sugarlandia

Written by @AncaBautista, Philippines

Have a sip of The Don's Midwinter Dream. Warming and deliciously old fashioned. For a languid night spent by a well-tended fire. Don’t forget the cherries.

Mix 50ml Don Papa 7, 20ml Berry Grenadine and 1 Dash Ginger bitters. Strain into chilled rocks glass with one large cube. Warm 5-10ml of Overproof Rum, light on fire, and gently pour over the cocktail. Garnish with skewered Maraschino Cherries. Served cold.

A twist on a classic, reimagined by the Don. Nutmeg falls like snowflakes onto frothy eggnog. Curiously sweet, unexpectedly magical. Take a sip of the Rumpapapumpum.

Mix 45ml Don Papa 7, 5ml Overproof Rum, 20ml Brown Simple Syrup, 15ml Cream, and 135ml of Nut mixture. Then freeze. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving. Shake to "wake up" the cocktail, pour eggnog mix into milk jar. Garnish with grated nutmeg and striped paper straw. Served cold / frozen.

Things aren’t always what they seem in Sugarlandia. Odd, but marvellous things can occur and it is all too easy to become entranced.

At the heart of Sugarlandia lies the active volcano Mount Kanlaon. Towering over the island, it is clad in dense cloud rain forest, beneath whose canopy many forms of exotic fauna and flora teem, now weighted under unexpected snowfall.

The Don’s Daiquiri for Winter. Tropical, fresh and festive. Here, even the orchids bloom. Take a sip of the Negrense Tropics.

Mix 50ml Don Papa 7, 25ml Lime Juice and 20ml Spiced Sugar Syrup. Add ice, shake hard. Double strain into chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a mini candy cane, and orchid flower.

The glowing heart of Sugarlandia in Winter. Spiced, tart and resplendently red. Warmed by a blanket of torched cinnamon. Try Mulling over Sugarlandia.

Mix 30ml Don Papa 7, 20ml Lemon Juice, 15ml Brown Sugar Syrup, 20ml Mulled Wine and 20ml egg white. Add ice and shake hard. Double strain into chilled fizz or fizzio glass. Torch cinnamon dusting for garnish, along with a rosemary sprig.

Wholeheartedly independent and generous in spirit, Sugarlandia is an island of folklore and storytellers. How will they explain these extraordinary scenes?