December is here, the holidays are near, and everyone I know is attending Christmas parties on a weekly basis.
If you wanna knock the Santa socks off all your friends, Kevin Emmanuel has just the right amount of buzz to tell us all his secrets. Kevin is the developer, writer, and mixologist in charge of mostlycocktails.com, an awesome website about (obviously) mostly cocktails.
Photo by Kevin Del Orbe
Kevin has taken the afternoon to help us spread the Christmas cheer by giving us these 4 simple holiday cocktails to make in our own kitchens while we finally turn on the heat in our homes.
Photo by Kevin Del Orbe
Make them for yourself or make them and be merry with all your friends. You’ll look like a pro bartender if you show up at a Christmas party with these mouthwatering concoctions.
I’m no mixologist, but I easily made these alongside Kevin, getting a pretty nice buzz from all the tastings.
When you’re tired of cranberry and vodka and you want to impress your friends with your killer bartending skills, these holiday cocktails are sure to do the trick.
The St. Nick
Ingredients
Instructions
Make your simple syrup which is equal parts sugar and water. Bring the water to a boil and stir in sugar.
Use at least 1 cup of water and sugar to make sure you have enough simple syrup for more than one drink. Let it cool before using.
Chop up about 1/3 of a pear, and muddle the pieces in the bottom of your chosen glass or shaker (if you have one). Keep one wedge of pear whole for later.
Add in the 2 dashes of bitters.
#SpoonTip: Unless specified, a recipe that calls for bitters is always talking about aromatic bitters.
Add in your simple syrup, the St. Germain, and the vodka. Add in ice if you have a shaker.
SHAKE or STIR a lot. If you don’t have a shaker, you can make the drink in a glass with no ice. Stir and stir and stir some more, separate the cocktail from the muddled pears, and then top with ice.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and wedge of pear.
The Seminole Head
Ingredients
Instructions
Chop up the quarter of an apple and muddle it in the bottom of glass or shaker.
Add in the 2 dashes of bitters, the brandy, and the simple syrup.
Add in a little sugar. Shake it like you mean it (or stir a whole bunch).
Separate cocktail from muddled apples (no ice for this one).
Garnish with apple wheel.
#SpoonTip:If this one comes out a little too strong for you, you can add ice and top with a splash of soda water.
California Christmas
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice up a whole grapefruit to get your 1 oz of juice. Keep the grapefruit handy for when you want your peel as a garnish.
Add in the 3 dashes of orange bitters and the vodka.
Shake it or stir it until your arm is tired. No ice in this one.
Garnish with cinnamon stick and grapefruit peel.
#SpoonTip: The white underside of the peel is called the ‘pith’. You want to get rid of as much of this as you can before adding the peel to the drink because it is extremely bitter.
Easy Egg Nog
Ingredients
Instructions
Add in your whiskey, brandy, and half u0026 half.
Add in your egg, the whole thing.
#SpoonTip: The inside of an egg is sterile, therefore okay to eat raw. In other words, if it was full of bacteria like raw chicken, no baby chick would ever be able to hatch. It’s safe. Promise.
Stir this one. Don’t shake it.
Garnish with a little ground cinnamon and a cinnamon stick.