"Hot Bricks" for Christmas Eve (or any cold winter day)

1. Boil water (24 oz.).
2. Add ground nutmeg (1 teasp.), sugar (1/3 cup), butter (1/2 stick) and one cinnamon stick.
3. Reduce to simmer. Cool slightly so alcohol does not boil away.
4. Add 16 oz. Knob Creek 100 proof small batch bourbon aged 9 years.
5. Optional: Serve in julep cup so drink is warm, but not hot to the touch.

Bluegrass Winners: A Cookbook says Hot Bricks is "an old favorite of the fox hunters, who talk about having one of these drinks before they take off through the early morning mists on a chilly Thanksgiving."

Sip and then sip some more. Merry Christmas.