I certainly don’t need a holiday to enjoy my favorite cocktails, but it doesn’t hurt to have just another excuse to imbibe. Here are a few holiday inspired choices, but you can’t go wrong with any of my previous favorites like a Negroni, Boulevardier and Last Word.
1. Winter Bourbon Smash: A Bourbon smash is a classic cocktail, but this one has a bit of a twist by using the jam or preserves instead of fresh berries.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz of your favorite jam or preserves (blackberry or raspberry is a good choice)
- 2 oz of Bourbon (or Rye)
- 1 oz of Triple Sec
- 2 oz of orange juice
- Splash of sparkling water
- Orange segment (for garnish)
Preparation:
- Add jam, Bourbon, Triple Sec and orange juice to shaker with ice
- Shake it up
- Strain into rocks glass with fresh ice
- Top with splash of sparkling water
- Garnish with orange segment
2. Cinnamon-Rosemary Old Fashioned: Another classic, but with a nod to Winter in the cinnamon rosemary simple.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tsp of cinnamon rosemary simple syrup (recipe below)
- 2 oz of Bourbon
- 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Orange peel for garnish
- Rosemary sprig for garnish
Preparation:
- Pour cinnamon rosemary simple syrup and bitters into rocks glass and swirl
- Pour in Bourbon and add orange peel and ice
- Stir in glass
- Add Rosemary sprig for garnish
Cinnamon Rosemary Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 3 cinnamon sticks
Preparation:
- Put all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat
- Stir until honey is dissolved
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Store any unused syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator
3. The Indian Summer: Something fun to try with the addition of St. Germain for the floral kick.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz of Gin
- ¾ oz of St. Germain Liqueur
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- 6 Concord grapes
Preparation:
- Add grapes to shaker and muddle until thoroughly crushed
- Add the Gin, St. Germain, lemon juice and ice
- Shake for 15 seconds
- Strain into chilled coupe (or martini) glasses and garnish with remaining grapes
4. Bushwick Spice Trade
Not only is the Bushwick Spice Trade a great drink, but the presentation is beautiful.
Ingredients:
- 3 oz of gin
- 2 sugar cubes
- ¾ oz of fresh lemon juice
- 2 slices of fresh ginger (plus one slice for garnish)
- 1 tsp of Pink peppercorns
- 2 basil leaves
Preparation:
- Add sugar cubes, lemon juice, ginger Pink peppercorns and basil to the shaker
- Muddle all the above ingredients in the shaker until thoroughly crushed and sugar is dissolved
- Add Gin and ice and shake it up
- Strain into chilled coupe (or martini glasses) and garnish with ginger slice
5. The ‘Nog (makes 2 drinks)
Finally, what would any list of holiday drinks be without some sort of Egg Nog? I’m not a huge fan of Nogs, but this one should do the trick.Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz of Bourbon
- 1 ½ oz of Dark Rum
- 2 scoops of Vanilla ice cream
- ½ tsp of ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp of ground nutmeg (fresh if you can) plus a pinch for garnish
Preparation:
- Add Bourbon, Rum, ice cream, cinnamon and nutmeg to shaker
- Shake vigorously for 10 seconds
- Strain the mixture into chilled coupes (or martini glasses) and garnish with remaining nutmeg
I hope you enjoy one of the above (or more than one of the above!) Please post any photos and tag #shitthatiknit (extra credit for crafting the cocktail wearing a beanie!) Whatever you do, have a wonderful holiday season and thank you for your STIK support!
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