While we love peppermint schnapps hot chocolate and spiked eggnog as much as anyone, these cocktails can feel a little, well, overdone, after you've sipped them at holiday soiree after holiday soiree... after holiday soiree.
So, we dreamt up six fresh, delicious libations that can appeal to every celebration -- from winter weddings to Christmas to New Year's -- and delight the palette at the same time. These seasonal drinks will not only warm up any cold weather fete, they can also be enjoyed once the temperatures rise. (Bonus!)
The following drinks were created by the stellar mixologists at The Good Lion, our fave craft cocktail bar in Santa Barbara, CA, then styled by event planning company Swoon California (that's us!) using vintage items from Otis & Pearl and photographed by Willhouse Photography at Sama Sama Kitchen.
We suggest drinking these cocktails fireside with friends and family or using them to complement your winter wedding cocktail hour -- or both!
Winter Daiquiri
1 1/2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Aperol
1 teaspoon) St. George Pear eau de Vie
3/4 oz Lime juice
1/4 oz Tippleman's smoked maple syrup
1/4 oz Demerara syrup (see recipe below)
1 dash Abbot's bitters
Directions: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously with ice for 8-12 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh ice.
Demerara Syrup: Add 1 part raw organic turbinado sugar to 1 part pure water. Add pinch of salt. Shake or use an emulsifying wand to blend. Add 1 oz. of over-proof vodka (like Everclear) to every 32 oz. of syrup. Refrigerate. Syrup is good for 21 days.
Fireside Fluffer
Makes a large batch for all your guests
1.5 liter Dolin Rouge
1.125 liters Bourbon
375 mL House Spiced Rum (see recipe below)
250 mL Jamaican rum
375 mL Orange sherbet (see recipe below)
125 mL Amaretto
100 dashes Angostura bitters
4 bags Rooibos tea
Directions: Add all ingredients to a crock pot and warm with 4 bags rooibos tea. (Note: Do not allow fluid heat to exceed 173 degrees.)
House Spiced Rum: Add 1 tablespoon of Chinese five spice powder to 750 mL Hamilton Black Rum in a clean, dry vessel. Strain fluid through a cheese cloth after 72 hours.
Orange Sherbet: Muddle the peels of six oranges into one cup of organic white sugar. Allow the mixture sit at room temperature for at least two hours. Add 8 oz fresh organic orange juice. Strain out the peels and emulsify (via shaking or by using an emulsification wand). Refrigerate. Sherbet is good for three weeks.
Rosemary Clooney
1 1/2 oz Rosemary infused vodka
3/4 oz Organic lemon juice
1/2 oz Organic honey syrup
1/2 oz Curaçao
3 dashes Absinthe
Directions: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously with ice for 8-12 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. (Smack in your hand first for extra flavor!)
Classic Negroni
1 oz Dry gin
1 oz Vermouth
1 oz Campari
Directions: Add all ingredients to a stirring glass. Stir 30-40 rotations over ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.
Mr. Autumnus
2 oz Four Roses bourbon
1/2 oz Vermouth
1/2 oz Sherry
2 dashes Abbot's bitters
1 barspoon Tippleman's smoked maple syrup
Directions: Add all ingredients to a stirring glass. Stir 30-40 rotations over ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Kung Fuji
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Apple brandy
3/4 oz Organic lemon juice
1/2 oz Fuji apple syrup
2 dashes Abbot's bitters
Directions: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously with ice for 8-12 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel that has been spritzed with Hakushu single malt Japanese whiskey.
