Let’s face it, there’s a wealth of holiday parties in your future. Over the next month, there’s going to be food, sweets and plenty of drinks to celebrate the holiday season. If you find yourself hosting one of these events, try standing out from the rest of the crowd with these unique holiday cocktails.
Winter Festival
Not a lot of recipes use Icewine, but it’s the perfect ingredient for this time of year.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz Icewine
- 1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Method: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add vodka, Icewine, orange juice, lemon juice and 1 cinnamon stick. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with remaining cinnamon stick.
Rumchata Eggnog
Eggnog is a critical component to the holidays, and adding in Rumchata makes this drink go from good to great.
Ingredients:
- 5 egg yolks
- 0.3 cup sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 0.25 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 0.75 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Rumchata
- Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Method: In a saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until combined. Add milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, and heat for approximately 10 minutes on medium-low; the mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream and RumChata. Refrigerate until chilled (about 1 hour) When ready to serve, pour into cups and garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon sticks.
Cherry-Bourbon Alexander
This may be one of the easier recipes on this list, but it doesn’t make it any less delicious. Alternatively you can make your own Irish cream for a little extra effort.
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Baileys Chocolate Cherry
- 0.75 oz bourbon
- 1 oz cream
Method: Combine Baileys Chocolate Cherry, bourbon and cream in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake sharply and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a fresh cherry.
Spiked Apple Cider Cocktail
This makes a large batch, something you’ll be thankful for after tasting this combination of sweet apple cider and brandy.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups apple cider
- 1 cup apple brandy
- 0.75 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 6 apple slices, for garnish
Method: Fill cocktail shaker half full with ice. Add cider, brandy, lemon juice and maple syrup. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses. Cut a thin slit into each apple slice and perch onto the rim of each glass for garnish.
Whisky Dawn
Finally, let’s finish this off with a really refreshing cocktail, and one that does a great job of cleansing the palate of all those sweet treats.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Canadian whisky
- 4 oz iced tea
- 0.25 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 0.5 oz Chambord
Method: Combine whisky, iced tea, lemon juice and Chambord in a cocktail shaker and top with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
This classic holiday carol means many things to many people, but to Canadian bartender Billy Killin, it meant an invitation to those who are important to us; so he created a punch that will serve a crowd, and allows the host to spend time with his/her guests, instead of in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Gin
- 0.75 cup Peach schnapps
- 1 oz Mezcal
- 1.25 cups Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2.5 cups Earl Grey Tea, steeped and cooled
- 0.5 tbsp Rose’s Grenadine
- 2 Cups of Schweppes Ginger Ale
Method: Add all ingredients to punch bowl, mix and serve and garnish with orange and lemon slices
Ale/Sessions 