Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Kyisha Davenport

For the final story I’ll share with you this year, a cross between a Q&A and a collection of personalized cocktail recipes, I reached out to a handful of my folks to thank them, shine the spotlight on them and make them (and you!) each a cocktail based on their favorite winter traditions and flavors. You’ll also learn a bit more about their phenomenal work in food, education and culture—all of which welcomes your support.

Brian Gold has spent his career in early childhood education, and is the first director of the Massachusetts Early Childhood Funders Collaborative. Julia Mayer is the director of philanthropy at Year Up Boston. You can find Julia’s excellent 2020 biography Painting Resilience: The Life and Art of Fred Terna wherever books are sold.

KYISHA: What ingredient(s) did you choose, and why?
BRIAN AND JULIA: We chose a whiskey-based cocktail, and apples—Roxbury Russets if they’re available! We wanted ingredients that were warming, could be shared and would bring people together.

KD: Where can we find them in Boston?
B&J: You can find Roxbury Russets at several farms in MA and around New England. By winter they’ll be out of season, but you can always try this cocktail with any available apple and be on the lookout for them next season!

KD: How did you two meet?
B&J: We met one winter over a Scotch tasting that Julia hosted. You [Kyi] and Julia have known each other since high school; you and I [Brian] met in Boston but fell in together right away.

KD: What is special to you about our community, or being “in community” together?
B&J: Winter to us is in many ways about community, a community of friends; but also an intergenerational community—both as we are preparing to add [a baby] to our immediate family, and Julia’s relationship with Fred [Terna], an old family friend and the subject of her book. We’re the kind of friends who can go months without seeing each other, then months literally living together and be equally comfortable the moment we’re back together. We are a community that supports one another through life’s ups and downs and who sought each other out and checked in over the last year and a half to help each other cope. It’s such a pleasure to be physically back together.

BROWN BUTTER BABY

Makes 1 cocktail

6 ounces homemade or local apple cider
pinch each ground cinnamon, star anise and clove
1½ ounces GrandTen South Boston Irish Whiskey
½ ounce brown butter–washed GrandTen North County Apple Brandy (see instructions below)
¼ ounce lemon juice Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters (optional)

Simmer apple cider and spices in a saucepan over medium low heat, about 7–10 minutes. Mix whiskey, brown butter brandy and lemon juice in a toddy glass or mug. Pour warmed cider over and add a dash of bitters if you like. Garnish with lemon and whole spices.

Brown Butter Brandy: Heat 2 ounces of butter, sliced, on medium-low in a small saucepan. Stir as butter begins to bubble. When butter turns brown and releases nutty aromas, remove from heat. Pour butter and 6 ounces of brandy into a heat-safe container and stir. Let mixture rest at room temperature for 15–20 minutes. Place mixture in freezer, removing when butter is completely solid, forming a cap over brandy. Remove butter cap and strain brandy through cheesecloth. Brandy is now ready to use.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2022 issue as part of a larger story, Winter Cocktails: In Community.