Recipe: Holiday Cocktails, 2014 Edition
The holiday season is now hitting its height. Office parties are lively, Hanukkah has begun, and Christmas and Kwanzaa are right around the corner. With so many different events from which to choose, we’ve selected the following holiday cocktail recipes from a flurry of options decorating our inbox.
St. Elizabeth Flip
1 1/2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum
1/2 oz. Demerara Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. cream
1/2 oz. port
1 egg yolk
Combine all ingredients and dry shake (without ice). Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a footed glass and garnish with nutmeg.
Organic Vodka Santa’s Helper
1 ½ oz. Ocean Organic Vodka
2 Basil Leaves
8 Fresh Bing Cherries
½ oz. Lemon Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
1 oz. Prosecco
Muddle cherries and basil in a shaker. Add vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice and bruise. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with Prosecco.
Appleton Reserve Pumpkin Egg Nog
1 1/2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum
1/2 oz. Navan Vanilla Liqueur
1 oz. egg nog
1 oz. pumpkin purée (from the can)
4 dashes of Fee’s Aromatic Bitters
1 barspoon of maple Syrup
Shake (or blend?) and serve up.
Bloomsbury Punch
20 oz. Tanqueray London Dry Gin
6 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
10 oz. Earl Grey Tea
7 oz. Granulated Sugar
0.5 oz. Orange Bitters
In a clean jar or pitcher, combine four bags of Earl Grey tea with ten ounces of cold water. Put a lid on it and let it sit in the refrigerator for ten hours. Strain into a large bowl or pitcher. Mix Tanqueray London Dry, fresh lemon juice, granulated sugar and bitters in a bowl. Add to tea. Pour over an ice block in a punch bowl and garnish with anise-spiked lemons, and perhaps a sprig of rosemary. Makes 16 Servings.
Reindeer Red
1 oz. Ungava Gin
1 oz. Campari
3 oz. lemon seltzer
1 oz. sparkling wine
Peeled orange slice for garnish
Combine Ungava Gin, Campari, and lemon seltzer in an ice-filled glass. Stir gently to combine. Top off with your favorite sparkling wine. Garnish with a peeled orange slice and serve.
Jingle Bell On The Rocks
1½ oz. Sobieski Raspberry Vodka
½ oz. Crème de menthe
2 oz. Cranberry juice
Lime twist and lime-flavored salt for garnish
Moisten rim of chilled martini glass with crème de menthe; dip into lime-flavored salt to rim, add fresh ice, and set aside. Pour all liquid ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain into garnished martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist and serve.
Sparkling Peppermint Swirl
2 ½ oz. VOGA Sparkling wine
1.5 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. crème de menthe liqueur
Splash of grenadine
In a shaker, combine ice, vodka, crème de menthe, and grenadine. Stir gently and strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with crushed candy canes. Top with VOGA Sparkling and garnish with a candy cane.