Christmas and the winter solstice is a great time to have a drink and kick back and relax to enjoy the holiday season. Growing up I had the pleasure of being the daughter of a bartender and enjoyed tasting many holiday beverages. Here are just a few of my favorites that my father suggested to me over the years to help ring in the season.
1. Chocolate Pudding
Served in a Hurricane 15oz glass, pour in 2 oz of Southern Comfort, add 2 oz of Drambuie, and top with 10 oz. of draught beer. This drink will give you the taste of beer with a twist of honey, herbs, and peaches.
2. Christmas Cheer
Simple and inexpensive, grab a 2 oz shot glass and stir in Peppermint Schnapps and Egg Nog.
3. Christmas Egg Nog
This drink is a little more complicated and is usually made to serve more than just one person. In a bowl you want to beat the yolks of 6 eggs and add ½ cup sugar until it is thick. Then you want to use another bowl to beat the whites of those 6 eggs with ¼ cup of sugar until thick as well. In a third bowl beat 1 pint of heavy cream until thick and then add the cream to the yolks, fold in the egg whites, add 4 pints of milk, ½ pint of Bourbon, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and a small bit of nutmeg. You want to go ahead and chill this in the freezer before serving in a large punch bowl.
4. Frosty Noggin
Served in a Parfait Glass, you want to blend 1 and ½ oz of Rum, ¾ oz. Crème de Cacao, 3 oz. of Egg Nog, and 3 cups of vanilla ice cream until smooth and topped with whipped cream.
5. Christmas White Russian
You want to fill an 8 oz. glass with ice then add one and a half oz of Vodka and one and a half oz of Kahlua, add four oz of chilled Egg Nog, stir it up and enjoy it.
6. Blizzard
Blend 1 oz of Brandy, 1 oz of Irish Crème, 1 oz of Coffee Liqueur, 1 oz. Light Rum, 1 oz. of Light Cream, and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream until creamy and smooth, pour into your glass of choice and dust with cinnamon.
7. Peppermint Penguin
This is a fun holiday drink. You want to blend half an ounce of Green Crème de Menthe, one ounce of Chocolate Mint Liqueur, 3 Oreo Cookies, and three ounces of Light Cream and one cup of ice. Blend until the ice is crushed and serve in your glass of choice with Oreo Cookie crumbs sprinkled on top.
8. Snow Bunny
This drink is another easy and inexpensive holiday drink. All you to do is pour 1 ½ oz. of Triple Sec into a mug and fill it with hot chocolate. Sometimes this drink can be topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with nutmeg or forget the whipped cream and just add a cinnamon stick for a stirrer.
9. Angel’s Kiss
Served in a Pousse café glass, pour ¼ oz white Crème de Cacao, ¼ oz Sloe Gin, ¼ oz Brandy, and ¼ oz Light cream into the glass. Do not mix.
10. Chocolate Snow Bear
Combine 1 oz of Amaretto, 1 oz of Crème de Cacao, 5 oz. French vanilla ice cream, ¼ of an oz of chocolate syrup, and 2 dashes of vanilla extract in a blender on low speed for about 2 minutes and pour into a chilled champagne flute.
11. Christmas Glogg
This drink is more along the lines for a huge group of people, a party drink if you will. You will need two bottles of dry white wine, 20 cl of Vodka, 37 cl dry Sherry, 4 pieces of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of Cardamom seeds, one tablespoon of cloves, 4 pieces of an orange peel, and 30 cl of sugar. Stir half a bottle of the wine with the spices and sugar under heating, close to boiling. Remove from heat. Set aside for 24 hours. Strain off spices, and add remaining wine, vodka, and sherry. Add about 10 dashed aromatic tincture (this is a spice concentrate). Bottle your glogg, seal well, and let mature for a week. Mix with red wine or water, heat and serve in Irish coffee cup.
12. Joy To The World
Pour 1 ½ oz of Anejo Rum, ½ oz Bourbon, and ½ oz of Dark Crème de Cacao into a mixing glass and fill it halfway with ice cubes, stir well and strain it into a cocktail glass.
13. Mistletoe
In a highball glass filled with ice, combine ¾ oz of crème de almond, ¾ oz of white crème de cacao, ½ oz of Swiss mocha cream and ¼ oz of grenadine. Fill the glass with half-and-half and top with coca-cola and a cherry.
14. Nuts ‘N Holly
In a shot glass add one par Drambuie, one part Bailey’s Irish Cream, one part Frangelico, and one part Amaretto… and drink up!
15. Snowflake
Blend 1 ½ oz of Pear Liqueur, 3 oz of milk, crushed ice and 7-up together and pour into a Cocktail glass to serve,
Reference:
- www.mixed-drink.comMost of the drinks I listed was from my father’s memory after 40 years of bartending, but I’m sure you can find many more drinks out there that is suitable for the holiday season. The above link is one of my favorites.
