Holiday Cocktail Recipes
One of the best parts of the holiday season is all the fun cocktails we get to make! From holiday get-togethers with family and friends to office parties with your team, it’s the time of year to indulge in some decadent spirits! If you volunteered to mix up a few cocktails for a function or if you are hosting, it’s a good idea to keep some:
Ingredients
- Vodka
- Irish cream (preferably Bailey’s)
- Heavy Cream, whole milk or half and half.
- Gingerbread syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Whipped cream
Garnish and Rim Ingredients
- Gingerbread cookie
- Cinnamon stick
- Ground cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Put the martini glass in the freezer for an hour before
- Once ready to make the cocktail, put the ground cinnamon and brown sugar on a plate. Wet the rim of the martini, then dip it into the mix.
- Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake for 20 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a gingerbread cookie and a cinnamon stick.
Ingredients
- 1 Cranberries
- 1/2 oz Simple syrup
- 1 1/2 oz Cranberry juice
- 1/2 oz Elderflower liqueur
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- Mint
- Sugar
How to Make It
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 ounces rum
- 1 ounce caramel-flavored vodka
- Hot water, to top
- Garnish: cinnamon sticks
How to Make It:
1. Use two Irish coffee mugs to split ingredients. In each mug, stir together 1/2 of the brown sugar, unsalted butter, honey, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make a batter.
2. Add ½ of the caramel-flavored vodka and rum to each mug.
3. Top with hot water.
4. Stir vigorously until the batter is completely dissolved.
5. Garnish the drinks with cinnamon sticks.
Mulled Wine
There’s something cozy, comforting, nostalgic - magical, even - about mulling wine. It brings us back to a snowy day in the renaissance times. This classic holiday drink from the olden days has never gone out of style and warms you up from the inside like nothing else can. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Ingredients:
- Red Wine
- Brandy
- Cinnamon
- Fresh oranges
- Mulling Spices (Cloves, Star Anise, cardamom pods)
- Sweetener (Syrup, honey or brown sugar)
Instructions
1. Combine Ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Heat until the wine reaches just under a simmer over medium-high heat. (Don’t let it bubble in any way. Alcohol starts to vaporize at 172°F, so take cares so the wine doesn’t evaporate.)
3. Reduce heat to low, cover completely, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours.
4. Stir and Strain with a mesh strainer to remove the mulling spices and orange peels.
5. Serve warm.
6. Garnish with whatever you like!
Coquito
On the isla de encanto (island of enchantment) we know as Puerto Rico, this drink is synonymous with Christmas. It’s like eggnog - but better. It is the creamiest, yummiest rum drink that embodies everything the holidays are about in the caribbean. If you’ve never had Coquito before, you’re in for a real treat.
Ingredients:
(Choose a rum you like. White, aged or spiced rum all are good for this and varies with your preference.)
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (15 ounce) can cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez or Goya)
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla, or 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 to 2 cups rum
- Grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon for garnish, optional
Instructions:
Steep the spices:
1. Place the sweetened cream of coconut, evaporated milk, condensed milk, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg (all the ingredients except the rum) in a large saucepan.
2. Warm over medium-high heat until just starting to simmer.
3. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the vanilla and cinnamon sticks. Pour the mixture into a pitcher or punch bowl.
5. Add 1 cup of rum and taste; add more rum for a stronger batch. Around 2 cups as I prefer it strong.
6. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or for up to 3 days.
7. Serve neat or over ice in small portions. Garnish with grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon as preferred.
