I have two holiday obsessions: eggnog and gingerbread. And every year, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are punctuated by the festive drink and the spicy cake.

All this means I’m constantly on the hunt for the city’s best offerings, and I have yet to find a gingerbread that upstages that of bang!‘s. The generous slab arrives with a side of fluffy whipped cream and tastes just as it should: warm, homey, and redolent of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon.

As for the ‘nog, my staple is Royal Crest‘ silky version (mostly because it’s delivered to my door), but that’s bested by a scoop of Little Man‘s nutmeg-y ice cream, Happy Cakes Bakeshop‘s cupcake, swirled with bourbon-spiked buttercream, and Dixon’s potent eggnog martini.

bang!, 3472 W. 32nd Ave., 303-455-1117

Little Man Ice Cream, 2620 16th St., 303-455-3811

Happy Cakes Bakeshop, 3815 W. 32nd Ave., 303-477-3556

Dixon’s, 1610 16th St., 303-573-6100

Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.