Christmas Cocktails and Mocktails

What’s more festive than sitting around a freshly decorated home with a fun cocktail or mocktail in your hand and telling stories of Christmases past? Christmas cocktails and mocktails are a great to celebrate the season.

Blended Cranberry Cosmo
INGREDIENTS
• 1 ½ ounces vodka
• ½ ounce Cointreau
• ½ ounce lime juice
• ¼ cup cranberry sauce

PREPARATION
1. Add all ingredients to a blender and process on high until smooth.
2. Pour through a strainer to remove any remaining solids from your cranberry sauce. (This step is optional as the drink is great without a strain too!)
3. Serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with sugared cranberries and lime peel (optional).

Mixologist Note: I know this drink sounds odd, maybe even off putting, but it is so delicious and the best way ever to use up that leftover cranberry sauce.

Pomegranate Punch
INGREDIENTS
• 3-4 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• ½ cup lime juice
• 1 cup Cointreau (or any orange liqueur)
• 1 cup vodka
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 1-2 star of anise
• 1 bottle of champagne
• 1 ½ cups ginger beer or ginger ale
• 2 apples or oranges, sliced
• 1 cup of pomegranate arils

PREPARATION
1. In a large pitcher, combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, lime juice, Cointreau and vodka. Stir until combined. Add the rosemary and 1-2 star anise (if you like). Chill until ready to serve.
2. Just before serving, add ice to your punch bowl. Pour over the champagne and ginger beer. Mix in the apple/orange slices and pomegranate arils.
3. Add ice to cocktail glasses and pour over the punch. Serve with sugared cranberries and rosemary.

Mixologist Note: To make a MOCKTAIL: Omit Cointreau, Vodka and champagne, and instead add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 cups of sparkling white grape juice.

Lion’s Tail
INGREDIENTS
• 2 ounces bourbon
• ½ ounce allspice dram/liqueur
• ½ ounce lime juice
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

PREPARATION
1. Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist

Mixologist Note: This prohibition-era cocktail was first printed in 1937. This is a stronger cocktail and likely to be a real win with those who like an Old Fashioned. If that’s not your style of drink, you can increase the lime juice simple syrup by ¼ – ½ ounce each, and it will drink more like a sour style cocktail.

Whiskey Chai Highball
(aka according to my husband…Chaiball)
INGREDIENTS
Chai Simple Syrup
• 4 chai tea bags
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Chai Old Fashioned
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) bourbon
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) chai tea syrup
• sparkling water, for topping
• cinnamon and star anise, for serving (optional)

PREPARATION
1. In a medium pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat, add the chai tea bags, cover and steep for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and add the maple syrup.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 3-5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
5. Stir in the vanilla and let cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for 6 months.
6. Combine bourbon, lemon, orange bitters and chai syrup into a cocktail shaker and shake until sufficiently chilled.
7. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. If desired, top with sparkling water. Garnish with cinnamon and star of anise.

Sage Gold Rush
INGREDIENTS
• 2 ounces bourbon
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• ¾ ounce sage honey syrup

PREPARATION
1. For honey sage syrup, combine ⅔ cup honey with ⅓ cup water and 1 ounce of fresh sage leaves. Heat the mixture just until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 mins. Strain the syrup into a jar or bottle. Leftover syrup will keep for 2 weeks.
2. Shake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a lemon twist and fresh sage leaves.

Mixologist Note: This is a modern classic that can be made with a non-alcoholic whiskey which can be purchased at local liquor stores.

Eggnog
(the best eggnog recipe of all time)
INGREDIENTS
• 4 cups milk
• 5 whole cloves
• 2½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 12 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 4 cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

PREPARATION
1. Whisk egg yolks until fluffy and very light in color. Add sugar and whisk again until well combined.
2. In a saucepan over a medium-low heat, combine milk, cloves, ½ teaspoon vanilla and cinnamon for 5 mins or until it begins to simmer.
3. Turn heat to low and very slowly begin to whisk in the yolk mixture making sure to never boil (or you’ll get scrambled eggs). Once fully combined, continue cooking for 3 minutes while whisking continuously.
4. Strain out the whole cloves and let the mixture cool in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Add in remaining ingredients-4 cups of heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla and ½ teaspoon of fresh nutmeg and let it fully chill, 4 hours or overnight.
6. Serve, top with some additional freshly grated nutmeg. Optional – add alcohol of your choice to the glass. I prefer brandy, but you could also use rum or bourbon.

Mixologist Note: One year, I went through endless eggnog recipes, trying so many variations and recipes. After about 12 of them, there was a very clear winner. I know a lot of people don’t like eggnog, but I have converted every eggnog-hater I know with this recipe. Also, the fresh grated nutmeg is what makes this recipe the best! So go buy a whole nutmeg, every spice section has a jar of them.

Coquito
(an alternative to Eggnog)
INGREDIENTS
• 1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut (Coco Lopez preferred)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks

PREPARATION
1. Combine all ingredients (except the cinnamon sticks) into the blender and blend on high for about 2 minutes or until well combined.
2. If you want to add alcohol, add 1-2 cups of the rum of your choice and blend again for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Pour the coquito into a container with a lid and add the 2 whole cinnamon sticks. Let rest for a few hours or overnight. (The flavor just gets better with time!)
4. Serve in a cold glass and top with freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon.

Jack Rose
INGREDIENTS
• 2 ounces Applejack or Apple Brandy
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce grenadine
• 1 dash Peychauds bitters

PREPARATION
1. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well chilled.
2. Strain into a coupe glass and serve with a lemon twist.

Mixologist Notes: The Jack Rose was created around the turn of the 20th century and stayed quite popular through-out prohibition. Hemingway mentions the drink in his 1926 book, The Sun Also Rises.

A good grenadine recipe really makes this great, and grenadine is so easy to make at home. A quick easy recipe is as follows:
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (available on amazon and delicious in salad dressings)
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

PREPARATION
3. In a medium saucepan, combine pomegranate juice, sugar and pomegranate molasses (if using). Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly and reduces by about ¼ cup.
5. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
6. Stir in orange blossom water.
7. Pour the grenadine into a clean glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or 6 months in the freezer.

Cranberry Cider Margarita
INGREDIENTS
• 2 ounces Tequila or Mezcal (I recommend Mezcal)
• ½ ounce orange liqueur
• 2 ounces apple cider
• 2 ounces unsweetened cranberry juice
• ½ ounce orange juice
• ½ ounce lime juice
• 1 bar spoon grenadine (optional)

PREPARATION
1. Combine Mezcal/Tequila, apple cider, cranberry juice and orange liquor in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until sufficiently chilled.
2. Strain into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with apple slices, cinnamon sticks and rosemary. If desired, light the cinnamon stick (or use a star of anise) on fire for a smoky effect.

Mixologist Note: To make a MOCKTAIL: omit the Tequila and use ¼ cup of apple cider with ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Rosemary 75
INGREDIENTS
• 1 ½ ounces Empress Gin
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• ¾ ounce rosemary simple syrup
• 3 ounces sparkling wine, champagne or prosecco

PREPARATION
1. Rosemary Simple Syrup: Combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add the rosemary sprigs. Let rest for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave in longer for a stronger flavor. Discard the rosemary. The amount of rosemary can be adjusted to your taste.
2. Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until sufficiently chilled.
3. Strain into a coupe glass and top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

By Erin Estill

Photos By Christi Stark

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