Whether you’re at the beach or not, a Holiday cocktail is always the right choice to set the right mood.
Candy Cane Cocktail
Sandra Lee
1 shot vanilla rum
1 shot white chocolate liqueur (recommended: Godiva)
1 shot peppermint schnapps
Candy cane, garnish
Add all liquid ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into martini glass. Garnish with candy cane.
Santa's Sleigh Cocktail
Sandra Lee
White sugar crystals, preferably coarse
2 cups store-bought eggnog, chilled
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 cinnamon sticks
Dampen the rims of 4 martini glasses and then line the rims with sugar crystals.
Combine eggnog, brandy, amaretto, nutmeg, and ice cream in a blender; process until smooth. Pour mixture into martini glasses and garnish each glass with a whole cinnamon stick.
Champagne Cocktail
Bobby Flay
4 sugar cubes
1 bottle Angostura bitters
1 bottle Champagne, very cold
Lemon twists, for garnish, optional
Start off by taking a single sugar cube, and while holding it over the opening of a bottle of Angostura bitters, invert the bottle so that some bitters soaks directly into the sugar. Drop the cube into the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute, and then fill the glass with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist, if desired. Repeat process 3 more times to make 4 drinks.
Ginger Snap
Jill Davie
1 oz. ginger beer
Ice
1 tsp. ginger juice
1 1/2 oz. dark rum
1 tsp. cinnamon schnapps
Pinch of ground cloves
1 egg white
Cinnamon stick
Crystallized ginger square
Finely ground gingerbread cookie
Pour enough ginger beer into a saucer to cover and dip a martini glass into the saucer to coat the rim. Dip into a saucer with ground cookie. Scoop ice into shaker. Pour ginger juice, rum and cinnamon schnapps into a shaker. Add a pinch of ground cloves. Separate an egg and add egg white to shaker. Shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds until drink is frothy and foamy. The longer you shake, the foamier the drink. Add ginger beer and stir slightly. Pour into glass.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and crystallized ginger square, and sprinkle the top with finely ground gingerbread cookie.
Boardwalk Boss
Food Network Magazine
1 1/2 ounces whiskey
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 1/2 ounces apple brandy
Lemon twist, for garnish
Combine the whiskey, sweet vermouth and apple brandy in a cocktail shaker; add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled tumbler with fresh ice and garnish with a lemon twist.
Bonus Recipe
Layered Christmas Shooter
Food Network Magazine
1/2 ounce sour apple schnapps
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
3/4 ounce cinnamon schnapps with gold flakes (preferably Gold Strike brand)
Pour the sour apple schnapps into a 1 1/2-ounce shot glass. Gently pour in the grenadine. (It will sink to the bottom to make the red layer.) Shake the bottle of cinnamon schnapps, then turn the bottle upside down to bring the gold flakes to the top. Measure out 3/4 ounce. Hold a small spoon upside down inside the glass, directly over the apple schnapps layer. Gently pour the cinnamon schnapps over the back of the spoon to make the third layer.