5 Easy Holiday Cocktails
It’s the most wonderful time of the year so let’s celebrate with some festive holiday cocktails! Our Food and Beverage staff picked out five boozy drinks that will surely bring lots of joy this season.
Irish Coffee
Ingredients
1 cup freshly brewed coffee
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1.5 oz of Jameson Irish Whiskey
Heavy cream slightly whipped
How do you prefer your coffee in the morning? Spiked?!
If you want to add a little zing to your Christmas morning, try an Irish Coffee. It’s a simple recipe that only requires 4 ingredients! Start by warming up the mug with warm water. Next, pour in sugar and coffee into the warm mug and stir until dissolved. Add in whisky and stir again. Float the cream on top by pouring it over the back of a spoon. Do not stir again. Instead, drink the coffee through the cream and enjoy!
Peppermint Caramel White Russian
Ingredients
1.5 oz Peppermint Vodka
1 oz Kaluha
1 oz half and half
Caramel drizzle
Garnishes
Candy canes
Caramel and peppermint may sound like an unlikely pair, but really, it’s a match made in heaven. First, prepare your glass by drizzling caramel syrup inside the rim. As the caramel sets, combine peppermint vodka, Kaluha, and half and half in a shaker and mix. Once mixed, add ice to your glass, pour in your cocktail and garnish with a candy cane.
Cranberry Gin & Tonic
Ingredients
1.5 oz gin
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz tonic water (use Sprite if you’d prefer it sweeter)
frozen cranberries for garnish
There are two types of people in the world…those who love gin and those who can’t stand the “Christmas tree flavor”. That piney flavor comes from Juniper berries, which is the female seed cone produced by the various species of juniper. Although, it’s not a true berry but it gives a very berry-like appearance.
It’s not for everyone, but for those who love it will surely enjoy this refreshingly light and simple holiday drink. Over ice, combine the gin, cranberry juice in an old fashioned glass. Top with the tonic water, garnish with cranberries and enjoy!
Egg Nog & Rum with Cinnamon
Ingredients
3 ounces of Spiced Rum
8 ounces of store-bought eggnog
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Whipped cream and cinnamon, for garnish
An easy Christmas classic that can be as simple as purchasing eggnog from the store or spending some time mixing up a traditional, homemade eggnog from scratch. If you choose to go the later route, a great recipe can be found here. But for those who opt for simple, fill a large glass with all ingredients. Stir to combine and divide between serving glasses. Garnish with cinnamon and cinnamon stick.
Cinnamon Spiced Old Fashioned
Ingredients
2 oz Brandy (or whiskey)
2 dashes bitters
.5 oz cinnamon syrup (recipe below)
orange twist
cinnamon stick
Cinnamon Syrup (Makes 1 Pint)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
Combine the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the cinnamon stick. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly.
Remove from heat, leaving the cinnamon stick to seep, and allow to cool.
Old Fashioneds are good on any occasion and it just so happens that Christmas this year falls on a Friday! So we just had to include it on this list. Muddle the blood orange peels in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, releasing their oils. Add the cinnamon simple syrup and brandy or whiskey to the shaker. Shake until chilled. Pour over ice into glass, adding a dash of bitters to each. Garnish with the muddled orange, cherries or cinnamon stick to serve.
