Magazines » November/December 2008 Issue » Drinking Buddies: Holly Jolly Cocktails
"People order cocktails more because of the festive nature of the season," say Nick Mautone, a brand ambassador with Grey Goose Vodka and the former managing partner at New York's legendary Gramercy Tavern. "There are more celebrations than any other time of year. It's a time to get together with friends and celebrate the holidays, mark another successful year -- or at the very least toast the fact you made it through another one!"
According to Mautone, cocktails for the holidays tend to break down into two basic categories : the velvety, spiffed up with cream or egg, and the sparkling, which use Champagne. While most are either quite traditional (eggnog) or totally extreme (the Golden Fizz, a $274 Hennessy Paradis/Dom Perignon/23-karat gold concoction mixed at Boston's InterContinential Hotel), we found nin drams somewhere in the middle that use luxurious ingredients (chocolate liqueur, anyone?) but are a cinch to shake. Bust out your best bartending skills: These holiday-inspired cocktails are sure to go down fast.
Snowflake
2 ounces Leblon Cachaça
2 ounces coconut milk
2 ounces canned lychee syrup
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a martini glass.
Yule Berry Tini
1 ounce DeKuyper Pucker Berry Fusion Schnapps
2 ounces VOX Vodka
splash of sweet and sour mix
splash of cranberry juice
squeeze of lime
Pour all ingredients over ice and mix thoroughly.
Poinsettia Cocktail
3 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
Champagne
orange peel curl
Combine Cointreau and chilled cranberry juice in a flute. Add orange twist and finish with a splash of Champagne.
Peppermint Froth
1 1/2 ounces Grey Goose Vodka
1 ounce peppermint Schnapps
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce cream
Candy cane or peppermint patty, for garnish
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with candy cane or peppermint patty.
Chocolate Eggnog Martini
2 ounces Ketel One Vodka
1 ounce Amsterdam Chocolate Liquor
1 ounce eggnog
Combine ingredients in a shaker; shake with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with nutmeg and chocolate syrup. Serve in a chilled martini glass.
Baked Apple Pie Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces Cruzan Coconut Rum
½ ounce apple juice
dash Apple Pucker liqueur
whipped cream, for garnish
Set aside whipped creap; pour remaining ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly. Strain into a glass and top with a dollop of whipped cream.
World Peace Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces Bombay Sapphire Gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce elderflower syrup
¼ ounce almond syrup
3 drops blue curaçao
Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish, as the World Bar does, with a white chocolate dove on the rim.
Cranberry Sauced
2 1/2 ounces Grey Goose L’Orange
1 segment fresh orange, muddled
1 tablespoon organic cranberry sauce
Shake ingredients eight times over ice, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and three fresh organic cranberries.
Eggnog White Holiday
1 ounce White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur
1 ounce Navan Cognac
eggnog
Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with gold flakes.
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This article originally appeared in the November/December 2008 Issue of DRAFT Magazine
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