Choo Lipsky has a thing for winter.

As the cocktail brains at Lincoln Park's MorSo, his appreciation for cold weather appears in libations that unabashedly pack the season's comforts into a glass: mulled Malbec with Argentinean vodka; chai-scented rye; bourbon soaked with apples, cinnamon and vanilla, like a boozy, drinkable apple pie.

When we asked him to concoct a sparkling drink for the holidays, he happily obliged, taking the drink in unexpected directions.

Lipsky's creation, the Festivus Royale, is rooted in the Soyer au Champagne, a historic ice cream-Champagne cocktail that Esquire's 1953 Handbook for the Hosts described as a popular Christmas drink.

For his version, Lipsky swaps white rum for brandy, Amaretto liqueur for curaçao and Maraschino cherry juice for Maraschino liqueur (click here to see the recipe). The spirits are shaken with fig preserves, strained over vanilla ice cream and topped with Prosecco. The resulting drink demands both spoon and straw.

The drink can be endlessly tweaked, says Lipsky. He advises playing with different liqueurs and jams, like honey liqueur with strawberry jam.

Though it's not currently on the menu, Lipsky will gladly concoct one by request.

MorSo, 340 W. Armitage Ave.; 773-880-9280 or morsochicago.com