5 Essential Cocktails To Make For December
By Chilled Magazine
December is here and that means it’s time to swap out your cocktail menu!
There are tons of holidays to celebrate this month, from Repeal day to Sangria Day to National Bake Cookies Day there is a lot you can use to inspire specials. We’re sharing five cocktails we think you’ll want to make this holiday season!
National Cotton Candy Day 12/7
Celebrate this sweet holiday with a take on Cosmo from The Sugar Factory! Using a base of Cotton Candy vodka this comes together in a snap. Want to make your own spin? Try creating your own cotton candy vodka. Using a maple syrup cotton candy would allow you to make it more seasonal and celebrate two national days with one cocktail.
Cotton Candy Cosmo
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Cotton Candy Vodka
- 1 oz. Orange Vodka
- 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
- 1 oz. Lime Juice
- 1 oz. Cranberry Juice
- Cotton Candy Pop Rocks and Cotton Candy (for Garnish)
Preparation: Mix in a cocktail shaker. Garnish with cotton candy pop rocks rim and top with a cotton candy ball on skewer.
National Gingerbread Day 12/12
Who doesn’t love gingerbread over the winter? This fun and easy cocktail uses a house made gingerbread syrup that can be created to your needs. What we love about this is that once you have the gingerbread syrup, you can create a whole number of different cocktails.
Gingerbread Martini
Ingredients:
- 3 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
- 3 oz. Irish Cream
- 2 tsp. Gingerbread Syrup (or to Taste)
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 oz. Cream
- Whipped Cream & Crushed Gingerbread Cookies (for Garnish)
Preparation: In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Smirnoff Vodka, Irish cream, gingerbread syrup, vanilla extract, and cream. Shake, shake, shake. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with whipped cream and crushed gingerbread cookies.
National Maple Syrup Day 12/17
Who doesn’t love a good drizzle of maple syrup over the holidays? Good quality maple syrup is an excellent way to add flavor, sweetness, and a light change in viscosity to your cocktails. This Maple Old Fashioned starts with a Rye whisky aged in maple casks for an additional hit of maple flavor.
Hudson Maple Old Fashioned
The original whiskey cocktail with a Hudson Valley twist and hint of maple goodness.
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Hudson Maple Cask Rye
- 1/2 tsp. Good-Quality Maple Syrup
- 2-3 dashes (to Taste) Aromatic Bitters-pronounced notes of clove and cinnamon make the Fee Brothers Whiskey
- Barrel-Aged Bitters, a great choice.
- Apple Slice & Cinnamon Stick for Garnish
Preparation: To an Old Fashioned/rocks glass, add maple syrup and bitters, then ice and Maple Cask Rye. Stir until well-chilled and garnish with a couple thin slices of freshly-sliced apple and a cinnamon stick.
National Candy Cane Day 12/26
Is it possible to go through December without a Candy Cane or mint-themed cocktail? We think not! A small amount of brandy adds depth and layered flavor to this otherwise simple cocktail.
Candy Cane Cooler
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Belvedere Vodka
- 1/4 oz. Brandy
- splash of White Crème de Menthe
- 1/2 oz. Half and Half
- 1 tbs. Crushed Soft Peppermint Candy
Preparation: Combine the vodka and crushed peppermint. Stir to dissolve. Add the remaining ingredients over crushed ice, stir and garnish with a peppermint stick and mint sprig.
National Bacon Day 12/20
Bacon as a personality trait has (fortunately) is a long time gone, but there are still some recipes from those dark year’s worth revisiting. This house Bacon infused St. Germain may sound odd, but it’s a recipe worth trying for National Bacon Day.
Basil Hayden’s Bacon Sour
Recipe by Patricia Richards
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 parts Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
- 1 part St-Germain® Liqueur Infused with Applewood Smoked Bacon (recipe below)
- 1 part Freshly Squeezed and Strained Lemon Juice
- 1/2 part Diluted Maple Syrup (1:1 ratio of Vermont Grade A Medium Amber Syrup to water)
- 1 dash Peychaud’s® Bitters
- 1/4 part Pasteurized Egg White
Preparation: Combine bourbon, bacon-infused St-Germain®*, lemon juice, diluted maple syrup, bitters and egg white into a mixing glass and shake vigorously with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a double-old fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a piece of the St-Germain® infused Applewood smoked bacon.
Bacon Infused St-Germain
- 9 Thick Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon
- 2 750 ml bottle of St-Germain® Liqueur
Preparation: Cook bacon in the oven until it is crispy on the outsides but still chewy in the center. Place bacon on paper towel to remove some of the rendering. Place cooked bacon in a glass jar with two 750 ml bottles of St-Germain® and allow it to infuse for 24 hours at room temperature. Remove bacon. Place liqueur in the freezer so renderings congeal and you can remove them. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and cheese cloth to remove as much rendering as possible. Repeat freezer step if needed and strain again. Refrigerate until ready for use.