It is December and our calendars are beginning to fill with Christmas office parties, celebrations, and other festive gatherings. Normally, we tend to serve beer and wine at our parties for simplicity’s sake. Recently, I have become more and more enamored with offering a signature cocktail. Not an open bar, but just one special drink to offer guests. Just the name “Signature Cocktail” makes me get excited for a party, and at many of our recent gatherings, I have offered a special drink to mark the occasion. The holidays and cocktails just seem to go together. With all the festive gatherings and celebrations beginning, I wanted to suggest a few signature cocktails for your parties.
Traditional English Wassail Bowl
I will never forget when my youngest child came home from his Christian elementary school to tell me that he told his class that his favorite Christmas song was the Wassail Song or “Here We Come A-wassailing.” Wow, it is Christmas, the season we celebrate Christ’s birth, and my son just told his teacher that he likes to sing about a rowdy pub crawl. Great parenting moment. I wish I could have seen the look on his teacher’s face. (In full disclosure, he had also announced that his favorite “regular song” was the “Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald,” so I suspect that they were not too taken aback.)
The Wassail Song is great fun and the tune is about going door-to-door and sharing drinks at each neighbor’s wassail bowl, which was historically an alcoholic beverage that includes ale, beer, apples, and spices. We have never gone wassailing, specifically, but caroling is so much fun. The addition of a wassail bowl can only make a fun evening even better.
I felt compelled to include a recipe for an official wassail bowl as a possibility for this holiday season. You might event consider going wassailing with your family and friends. Call us with an invite, we are in.
6 apples, each cut and spiked with about eight whole cloves each
6 oranges, each cut and spiked with about eight whole cloves each
2 quarts of apple brandy, brandy, sherry, or even bourbon for an American twist
4 quarts cider or apple cider
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon each cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves
Bake oranges for one hour at 325°. Bring the cider to a boiling point. Place baked oranges in bowl and poor brandy over them. Sprinkle sugar and ignite the oranges. Extinguish flame by pouring hot cider into the bowl. Reserve one cup hot cider to mix with the spices. Combine spices, hot cider and apples and add to wassail bowl. Serve warm.
CRANBERRY MIMOSA
A very Christmas time version of one of my favorite beverages. This is simple and always a big hit around the holidays.
1 cup cranberry juice
1 bottle of champagne, sparkling wine, or Prosecco
12 fresh cranberries, four small sprigs fresh rosemary
Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into each glass and top with champagne or bubbling wine of your choice. Use a toothpick to poke a hole through each cranberry and thread a rosemary skewer through the cranberry and garnish the mimosas.
Holiday Margarita
When I think of a margarita, I envision summer parties on the beach, but this holiday version sounds like the perfect cocktail for a taco-themed Christmas party.
1 1/2 cups Blanco tequila
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sour mix
1/2 cup triple sec
1/4 - 1/2 cup grenadine
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Mix all ingredients and serve ever ice. Garnish with additional pomegranate seeds and a slice of lime, if desired.
Hot Buttered Rum (Ice cream version)
My mother recalled a delicious recipe for hot buttered rum which she could partially premix and store it in the freezer. When ready to serve, you just take a scoop out of the freezer and top it with rum and hot water for an instant drink. It took me a while, but I finally found her recipe from an old friend from Chicago.
1 cup or 2 sticks butter, very soft
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pint vanilla ice cream, very soft
Rum
Boiling water
To prepare the butter base: Beat butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl or in your stand mixer for about five minutes or until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, spices, and ice cream. Beat until smooth. Store this mixture in a freezer safe container. You can freeze up to three months.
When ready to serve, place one jigger or about two tablespoons rum, and one to two tablespoons of the frozen butter mixture in a mug. Top with a half cup boiling water and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Stir and serve immediately.
Hot Buttered Rum (Traditional Version)
My research showed so many different recipes for hot buttered rum and they varied so much. In an attempt to find the “real’ buttered run recipe, I decided to consult the experts at the New York Times and figured that their recipe may be the most authentic version.
3/4 cup very hot water, just off the boiling
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, or maple syrup
1/4 cup dark rum
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick
To prepare: In a heat-proof mug, stir 1/4 cup of the very hot water with the dark brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and fill the glass with remaining hot water and float the pat of butter on top. Stir it with a cinnamon stick and serve warm.
These two recipes do not sound very similar, but are delicious and perhaps your family can try both this Christmas and see which they like best
Butterbeer Martini
Harry Potter and Christmas go together at our house. We have always loved to watch all the Harry Potter movies during Christmas break. We also took a very fun family road trip to see the Magical World of Harry Potter after Christmas several years ago. This drink is rich but delicious and makes me think of a “grown up” version of Butterbeer.
Combine one ounce (two tablespoons) butterscotch schnapps, one ounce (two tablespoons) Irish cream, and about one tablespoon heavy cream or half and half. Shake mixture with about a half cup ice and strain into a martini glass.
Milk Punch
Milk Punch is a holiday tradition for many families and this is an excellent Christmas Brunch addition.
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup bourbon or brandy or any combination
1 egg white, optional
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup very cold water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Nutmeg to taste
Combine the milk, cream, bourbon, egg white, sugar, water, and vanilla in a pitcher and stir until mixed. If serving a large crowd, consider serving from a large punch bowl and sprinkle each serving with nutmeg.
Chocolate and Candy Cane Cocktail
This mixture just sounds fantastic and could not be more suitable for the holiday season.
1 candy cane, crushed
2 ounces chocolate liqueur
1 ounce vanilla vodka (or regular vodka with 1/4 teaspoon vanilla)
1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps
To crush the candy canes without making a mess, place several in a heavy duty, Ziploc bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until they are basically powder.
Dip your preferred cocktail glass in a little water and rim the edge with crushed candy cane. Set aside until ready.
In a cocktail shaker, mix liquors, and shake with about five cubes of ice. Strain into your rimmed glass and enjoy.
Hot Burgundy Cider
2 cups water
2 family size teabags
3 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 whole allspice berries
6 whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle burgundy or dry red wine
Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Remove from heat and add teabags. Cover in allow to stand five minutes. Remove teabags and discard. Add three quarts apple cider and the next five ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove spices and discard. Stir in wine and cook until just heated through it. Serve warm.
Camille’s Bloody Mary
For a Christmas brunch, a Bloody Mary may be just the right touch. This recipe came from one of my mother’s good friends, Camille Thomas, and it has been enjoyed by our family for years.
These days, a Bloody Mary can be a meal unto itself with the addition of bacon and other heavy garnishes. Feel free to garnish with whatever you would like. I like mine with pickled okra pod or green bean and plenty of Cajun seasoning.
1 1/2 ounces of vodka
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 dashes hot sauce
1/2 cup vegetable juice or tomato juice
1 pinch of celery salt
Mix all ingredients except vodka and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Add about 1 ounce of vodka to a tall glass filled with ice and top with tomato mixture. Garnish and season as you would like.
Cranberry Port Punch
This is perfect to serve to a large holiday gathering. You can keep it warm in a crockpot and serve it with a big ladle into mugs.
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups port wine
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
6 whole cloves
6 whole cinnamon sticks
4 whole cardamom pods
Add spices, sugar, and raisins to two cups of cranberry juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out spices and add remaining cranberry juice and wine. Heat and serve hot.
Sister’s Hot Toddy
With all the parties and celebrations around the holidays, we can occasionally come down with a little cold. I became a true believer in the power of a hot toddy to cure the common cold a few years ago. Since the FDA told us NyQuil does not work, maybe the hot toddy is our best medicine.
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons honey
Boiling water
1 shot of whiskey or scotch (My husband felt it important to make sure you know NOT to use any of your fanciest whiskey for this recipe.
Add lemon juice, honey, whiskey in a mug and top with hot water. Stir and enjoy. Get some good rest immediately after.
Not all holiday drinks need to be for grownups. Here are a few non-alcoholic drinks to make this Christmas Season.
Grinch Punch for the Kids
I do not know how anyone could have a bad day if they have a sip of this fun drink. It is perfect for the kids as there is no alcohol. I think it would be extra fun to give the kids paper cups and allow them to decorate them, or just simply put a little Grinch-sized heart on each one.
1 container of Hawaiian Punch, Green Berry Rush or any green punch or Kool-Aid mix, mixed according to package directions
2 to 3 drops green food coloring for extra green color
2 -liter bottle of sprite
1 pint lime sherbet
Mix all these ingredients and store in a pitcher until ready to serve.
It looks great if you rim the individual glasses with a little water and dip in red sugar.
REAL Hot Chocolate
(that is REAL GOOD)
Holly Magee brought this to a church Christmas gathering one year and it was fantastic. This hot chocolate is not just for the kids. I think the adults were standing in line to get a cup just as much as the kids. It is quite decadent but is definitely worth the calories.
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
6 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips milk
chocolate OR semi-sweet
Add a shot of peppermint schnapps to the adult mugs if desired.
Family Friendly Wassail Bowl Punch
4 quarts apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 whole cloves
4 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground ginger
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and allow to simmer on low for four hours or high for one. Serve warm and remove cloves and cinnamon, if desired.
