What Are You Drinking This Holiday Season?

The holiday season is here, and again, I’ve scored amazing cocktail recipes especially for Pop Culture Shock readers. Oh, before you start thinking that I’ve become a cocktail blog, rest assured that I have not! It’s just that we do a lot of entertaining this time of year and I like to have unique and inspired libations for my guests. The recipes range from keeping you and your family and friends warm from the dropping temperatures to keeping everyone festive yet refreshed.

Reyka Spiced Cran Mule

• 2 parts Reyka Vodka
• 1 part Spiced Cranberry syrup
• 3 parts dry ginger beer
• Combine ingredients. Shake and strain top champagne

Cranberry syrup - ½ cup Demerara sugar, 1 cup water, 12 whole allspice berries, 12 whole cloves, Zest of 1 orange, 1 inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped), 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 cups fresh cranberries

Combine all ingredients over heat except cranberries and stir until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and bring to a boil... let boil until cranberries burst (about 3 min). Remove from heat and let sit for an hour. Strain through fine mesh strainer.

Cranberry Sauce Gin & Tonic – Jimmy at the James

• 2 parts Botanist Gin
• ½ part simple syrup
• ½ of fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaping barspoon cranberry sauce
• Q Tonic
• Lemon Wheel

In a cocktail shaker combine the gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and cranberry sauce. Shake with ice for about ten seconds and then strain into a tall glass with ice. Stir in tonic water and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Sailor Jerry Mulled Cider

• 1 Part Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
• 3 Parts Mulled Cider
• Cinnamon
• Cloves

Heat Sailor Jerry and slowly add cider and desired spices. Stir and let cool before serving.

Green Rabbit – by Proof

• 3 parts Homemade Melon Milk
• ½ part Ancho Verde
• ¾ part  Hendrick’s Gin

Combine ingredients and shake well. Strain over fresh ice in a wine glass. Garnish with pineapple mint and serve with a straw

Drambuie’s Mulled Wine

• 8 parts Drambuie
• 1 bottle (750 ml) Red Wine-Suggest Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2 parts Honey
• 1 Spearmint-Peppermint Tea Bag
• Peel of ½ Grapefruit
• Peel of 1 Orange
• 2 tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger
• ½ tsp Whole Juniper Berries
• ½ tsp Whole Allspice Berries
• ½ tsp Whole Peppercorns

With a mortar and pestle grind the berries and pepper corns and add to a sauce pan. Add all other ingredients to the sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Strain and serve. If not hot enough, bring back to a simmer. Serve hot.

Ponche Primavera (pitcher)

• 12 ½ parts Montelobos Mezcal
• 7 ½ parts Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
• 5 parts lime juice
• 5 parts lemon juice
• 15 parts sweetened agua de Jamaica (Mexican hibiscus tea water, can be found in most supermarkets)
• 1 part Oleo Saccharum (an oil made from mixing citrus peels with sugar)

Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl and mix together.  To keep chilled, freeze a large ice block the night before by double boiling water and using a large casserole dish. Add edible flowers to the water before it freezes (optional). Let ice block rest in punch bowl throughout the gathering. Build ingredients into a glass mug

Hudson Hot Toddy

• Add to a mug or Irish Coffee glass:
• 2oz Hudson Manhattan Rye
• .75oz fresh lemon juice
• Heaping teaspoon good, local honey
• 4oz very hot water
• -OR- substitute a preferred brewed tea or mild/diluted cider for the amount water required.

Optional but recommended: dash or two of aromatic bitters

Stir to blend and dissolve honey. Add a star anise and a lemon slice studded with cloves for extra aromatics.

 Remember - Please Drink Responsibly!