Holiday Cocktails

The holidays are here and it really IS the best time of the year!! So many celebrations and parties to attend and we’ve got just the thing to add a little jingle to your step. The cocktails below are sure to put you in a jolly good mood.  We had the best time making and trying out these recipes with our husbands serving as elf bartenders, they are such good sports! 

Fireball Cider Jell-O shots: Delish.com

Ingredients:

• 1 c. apple cider
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1 c. Fireball whisky
• whipped cream, cinnamon and apples for garnish

Directions: In a small saucepan, add apple cider and lemon juice. Sprinkle over gelatin and let bloom, about 5 minutes. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Stir in Fireball and remove from heat. Pour into shot glasses and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and an apple slice.

So cute, so festive, so fun!

Jack Frost Cocktail:  The Blonde Cook

Oh my word this was good.  I can totally imagine myself on an island at Christmastime sipping this sweet goodness.  Definitely a favorite.

• Light corn syrup or honey for rimming glasses
• Flaked coconut for rimming glasses
• 8 cups ice (more or less depending on desired consistency)
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup blue curacao
• 1/2 cup vodka or light rum (I used vodka)
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut

1. Rim the glasses: Pour a thin layer of corn syrup onto a plate and dip the rims into the corn syrup, then dip in coconut flakes.
2. In a blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, blue curacao, vodka and cream of coconut until desired consistency is reached. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Christmas Champagne:  Cooking with Janica

1 bottle of your favorite champagne
Green rimming sugar
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds per drink (I bought a pomegranate and used the seeds inside or you can buy just the seeds by themselves)
Pomegranate juice
Pomegranate syrup (1/2 simple syrup* and half pomegranate juice)
Champagne flutes

1. *Simple syrup can be made by heating equal parts sugar and water together slowly until solution begins to boil. After it has started to boil and liquid is clear, remove from heat source and let cool (I used 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar and once mixed with the pomegranate juice I had enough for 4 drinks).
2. In a small saucer, pour in a little bit of your pomegranate syrup (1 tbsp or so)
3. On a small plate, place the green rimming sugar.
4. Lightly dip the rim of the champagne flute into the syrup (make sure you let excess drip off so that none of it runs down the sides of the flute).
5. Next, dip the syrup coated rim into the sugar. Spin the flute a bit so that the whole rim is covered.
6. Spoon a tablespoon of pomegranate seeds into the bottom of the flute.
7. Pour two teaspoons of pomegranate syrup over the seeds.
8. Pop open the bubbly and pour until the level is 1/2-inch below the sugar rim.

RumChata Egg Nog Cocktail aka “Spiked Nog” aka “Naughty Elf”:  Meijer.com

• 2 oz RumChata
• 2 oz Egg nog
• 1 oz Bourbon or whiskey
• ½ oz Salted caramel liqueur
• 1 Candy cane (for garnish)
• Whipped cream (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Combine RumChata, bourbon, egg nog, salted caramel liqueur, and heavy cream in a martini shaker with 3 cubes of ice and shake, shake, shake and shake once more!
2. Strain into a stemless wine glass topped with whipped cream.
3. Crush a candy cane to garnish the drink.

The husbands were big fans!

White Christmas Margaritas: One Country

Ingredients:

• 14-oz. can of coconut milk or coconut cream (for sweeter taste)
• 12 oz. silver tequila
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 8 oz. triple sec
• 2 cups of ice
• 1/2 cup of mint (garnish)
• 1 lime, sliced (garnish)
• Lime wedge (for rimming glass)
• Sugar (for rimming glass)
• Cranberries (garnish)

Instructions: 

1. Mix coconut milk, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and ice in a blender.
2. Rim glasses with lime wedge, then dip in sugar.
3. Pour mixture into rimmed glasses.
4. Garnish with lime and cranberries

A sweeter version of a typical margarita but I’ve never met a margarita I didn’t like.

Spiked Mexican Hot Chocolate:  Food Fanatic

Y’all.  These are SO good.  I just took them to a recipe exchange at my friend Shay’s house and they won first place for best “dish.”  To put it in perspective our group gets a liiiiitle competitive at this party and I’ve been trying my hardest to win for EIGHT years!  Ha!  Well these did the trick.  The recipe calls for shot form but I’d prefer to sip it and make them a little less stout.  

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces Milk
• 2 ounces Heavy Cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 4 tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 5 ounces Vanilla Vodka, Or tequila
• 5 ounces Godiva Liqueur
• Miniature Marshmallows
• Sanding Sugar
• Chocolate Chips

Instructions: 

1. Whisk together the milk, cream, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and cayenne in a small saucepan.
2. Heat to just a boil while stirring.
3. Lower the heat and whisk until smooth.
4. Let the hot chocolate cool slightly.
5. In a small shallow bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 10-15 second increments. Stir in between to get the chocolate smooth. Cool slightly.
6. Dip the rim of your shot glass in the melted chocolate and then into a dish of your favorite sprinkles. Keep it pointing down for a minute so the chocolate does not slide down the glass.
7. Add a 1/2 ounce each of vanilla vodka and Godiva liquor to each shot glass. Top off with 2 Tablespoons of the warm hot chocolate mixture.
8. Garnish with mini marshmallows and an extra sprinkle of cayenne. 

They have just enough spice with the cayenne to add a bit of a bite.  Yum!

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And here is a little video montage of our fun evening sipping cocktails and just have a grand time.  Merry Christmas and CHEERS.