Forget spending three days making Eggnog from scratch this winter. Instead, give your favorite classic cocktails a simple, festive makeover by swapping out the base liquor, adding a few dashes of a spiced liqueur or bitters, or dropping in a showstopping garnish. From a variation on the Champagne Cocktail made with rich, walnut liqueur, to an herbaceous (and glittering) twist on the Martini, seasoned with scotch and gΓ©nΓ©py (a French alpine liqueur), these easy seasonal drinks may become a new holiday tradition, right up there with advent calendars and Yule logs.
Inspired by the Champagne Cocktail, this effervescent tipple is crisp and delightful. Made with apple brandy (buy Calavados if youβre feeling fancy) and a demerara sugar cube soaked with Nocino (an ancient italian liqueur made from green walnuts), it has a fruit-forward richness. Decadently garnished with a bright red fresh cranberry, this festive cocktail is the perfect way to kick off any holiday get-together.
The Essentials
apple brandy
Nocino
Champagne, to top
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The perfect pairing for rich and heavy holiday foods, this variation on the classic Daiquiri is tart and bright with an undercurrent of winter spice. Made with pimento dram (a Caribbean liqueur infused with allspice berries), both spiced and white rums, and a robust demerara syrup, itβs dangerously chuggable. This palate cleansing cocktail should be made by the pitcherful if youβre expecting a crowd (or even if itβs just two of you).
The Essentials
spiced rum
allspice dram
lime juice
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Made to be sipped slowlyβpreferably in front a crackling fire with a wool blanket draped over your shoulders and a dog curled at your feetβthis seasonal variation on an Old Fashioned is decadent with a capital βD.β Made with Cognac instead of rye whiskey, a small pour of Cherry Heering (a Danish cherry liqueur made with cherry-infused brandy and spices) and both Angostura and Peychaudβs bitters, it tastes like a bite of homemade cherry pie washed down with a swig of a 50-year-old Hennessy. Although the holidays are all about giving, this cocktail may be best reserved for after your guests leave, when you can focus all your energy on enjoying it and relaxing.
The Essentials
Cognac
Cherry Heering
bitters
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Pleased be advised: If youβre not a devout gin drinker and a lover of ginβs pine-heavy juniper flavor, this Martini is not for you. With an essence of freshly plucked Douglas Fir buds, this pine-heavy Gin Martini literally tastes like youβre drinking the family Christmas tree. Made with woodsy, small-batch pine bitters from Maine (where else?), gΓ©nΓ©py (an herbaceous French alpine liqueur similar to Chartreuse) and smoky Laphroaig Scotch whisky, this wintertime Martini is an aromatic, slightly savory powerhouse. The edible gold garnish is optional but, like the star on top of the tree, it completes it.
The Essentials
Gin
Vermouth
GΓ©nΓ©py
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Why serve your guests a plain old Gin & Tonic this holiday season when you can serve them this spruced up variation on the classic? Made with an Old Tom style gin (preferably one thatβs been barrel-aged, like Ransom), dry vermouth and craft tonic water, this holiday G&T comes garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary, which hits you with an aromatic whiff of Christmas as you bring it to your lips.
The Essentials
Old Tom Gin
Dry Vermouth
Tonic Water
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