Wooden Cork's Holiday Cocktail Favorites
Looking to try something different this holiday season? We've collected a few of our favorite wintery cocktail recipes sure to be a smash at your holiday gathering, or from the comfort of your couch.
Pomegranate Rosemary Spritzer
While the ingredient list may make it seem daunting, this spritzer is a year round favorite, but feels especially festive this time of year!
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle Prosecco
2 ounces Peach schnapps
4 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces pom juice
1 small bottle mango flavored soda water
6-8 sprigs rosemary
1 fresh pomegranate
.5 cup sugar
1 cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
Add 1 cup of water to a small pan with 2-3 sprigs of rosemary, bring to a boil.
Add sugar to boiling water and stir until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat, strain rosemary leaves and set to cool.
Clean and de-seed pomegranate. Set seeds aside.
Pour Prosecco evenly into 4 cocktail glasses.
Add .5 ounces of peach schnapps, .5 ounces rosemary simple syrup, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 ounce pom juice and a splash of mango soda water to each glass and stir.
Add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds to each glass.
Allow the pomegranate seeds time to float to the top of the glass and garnish with 1 sprig of rosemary.
Cranberry Cinnamon Whiskey Sour
Nothing says the holidays like cranberries and whiskey. Are we right? This simple cocktail is the quintessential drink for this holiday season!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Cranberries
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/4 cup Lime juice
2 Cinnamon sticks
2 cups Sugar
1/4 cup Orange juice
3/4 cup Bourbon whiskey
2 cups Water
Ice cubes
Cocktail shaker for mixing
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium-sized saucepan add cranberries, water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have burst open and can easily be stirred into the syrup, resulting in a smooth consistency. This will take about 10 minutes. Once done, remove syrup from heat. Fit a large bowl with a fine mesh strainer and strain the simple syrup, leaving all of the large chunks and skin behind. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before using.
When ready to make your cocktails, add 3/4 cup simple syrup, whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, and a large handful of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Divide into 4 glasses and serve at once.
Pear Ginger Twist
When it comes to Holiday drinks, we don't often think of Vodka. But we recently stumbled upon this Pear Ginger Twist that has us rethinking Vodka for the holidays.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 ounce of Vodka
.5 ounce of elderflower liqueur
2 ounces of pear juice
2 ounces of spicy ginger beer
a sprinkle of all spice
cinnamon stick and candied ginger to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Perhaps the most simple of the cocktails on our list, this cocktail is straight forward and is quick to make. Combine the vodka, elderflower liqueur and pear juice in a shaker and shake it with ice. Pour into a glass with ice and top it off with the spicy ginger beer. Give a dash of all spice on top and garnish the glass with a cinnamon stick and slice of candied ginger. Serve up!
Peppermint White Russian
White Russians are a weird drink, usually you either love them or you hate them. We think of them kind of like a blank canvas, a simple treat, but easy to spice up for just about any occasion.
1 ounce Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
1 ounce Guillotine Originale Ultra Premium Vodka
1 ounce Bird Dog Peppermint Schnapps
1 tablespoon half and half
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour simple syrup into a shallow dish or bowl, and crushed peppermints or candy canes into a second bowl. Dip rim of your glass into simple syrup and then into crushed peppermint. Add ice to rimmed glasses. In an individual glass over the ice, mix the first three ingredients and stir. Add your splash of cream at the end. Garnish and serve accordingly.
You can also mix these ingredients in a shaker and pour over ice - simply reserve half and half for a splash at the end!
Some other helpful barware for these recipes!
Mixologist Barset
Wine Glasses for Spritzers
Double Wall Glasses for Whiskey Sours
Tumblers for While Russians
Cutting Board for Garnishes
