8 holiday cocktail recipes local bartenders love
'Tis the season for holiday spirits.
With December more than halfway done, eggnog season is also almost done. But it doesn’t have to be the end of holiday cocktail season just yet.Whether you’re hosting a family holiday party, getting a head start on planning your New Year’s Eve soiree, or simply want a seasonal beverage to tide you over during those long winter nights, there’s never a bad time for a holiday cocktail.We emailed eight local cocktail experts and asked for their best holiday cocktail recipes. The drinks run the gamut from fiendishly time-consuming to deceivingly simple, but each one of them looks pretty delicious.
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Rosemary Snickerdoodle Martini
courtesy of Carmelo Bari, owner/general manager of Sulmona Restaurant
Sulmona’s Rosemarky Snickerdoodle.
Bari was inspired by a batch of homemade snickerdoodles made by a hostess at the restaurant named Melinda.
“Melinda’s cookies were some of the best I’ve ever had, so I knew I had to incorporate them into a cocktail,” Bari said. “It’s yummy and super easy to make at home for all of your guests this holiday season. It tastes like Christmas in a glass.”
Ingredients:
2 ounces of Stoli Vanilla Vodka
1 ounce of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
1 ounce of rosemary simple syrup (If you don’t have rosemary simple syrup in your bar cart, in a small saucepan over low heat, heat equal parts sugar and water, plus rosemary sprigs just until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and strain.)
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated cinnamon
1 sprig of rosemary for garnish
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker tin. Shake and pour into a glass. Top with a sprig of rosemary.
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Pine Old Fashioned
courtesy of Teodora Bakardzhieva, partner/beverage director of Publico Street Bistro and Garden
The Pine Old Fashioned from Publico Street Bistro and Garden.
Sometimes it only takes one ingredient to turn a normal cocktail into a holiday beverage. For Bakardzhieva, that key ingredient is pine syrup.
“I love working with Dram Pine Syrup,” Bakardzhieva said. “It can be incorporated into so many different types of cocktails and personifies the taste and smell of the season. The pine garnish brings that element of surprise and delight to the cocktail that makes it memorable for guests.”
Ingredients:
2 ounces of Knob Creek Rye Whiskey
0.75 ounces of Dram Pine Syrup
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Directions:
Stir all ingredients with ice. Serve over a large ice cube.
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Naughty Nitro
courtesy of Rob McCaffrey, bar manager of Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant
The Naughty Nitro from Lincoln Tavern.
When gathering with family for his traditional Christmas feast, McCaffrey has always been responsible for preparing a grasshopper pie, a frozen pie that he said consists of a chocolate wafer crust, crème de menthe, and whipped cream blended with marshmallow and a bit of chocolate on top. That delicious dish gave him inspiration for his newest holiday cocktail creation, the Naughty Nitro.
“I made the grasshopper pie early in the morning and always started with a fresh pot of coffee,” McCaffrey said. “I added crème de menthe to my first cup, and that’s where the idea of the Naughty Nitro was born.”
Ingredients:
1/4 ounce of Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
3/4 ounce of Tempus Fugit Crème de Menthe
1 ounce of Coole Swan Irish Liqueur
2 dashes of The Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters
6 ounces of nitro or cold-brew coffee
Your favorite holiday candy for garnish
Directions:
Combine the Creme de Cacao, Creme de Menthe, Irish Liqueur, and Chocolate Bitters in a shaker tin with ice. Shake vigorously and strain over crushed ice. Top with six ounces of your favorite nitro or cold-brew coffee. Garnish with your favorite holiday candy.
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Egg Nog
courtesy of Jarek Mountain, co-owner/beverage director of Lion’s Tail
Egg Nog from Lion’s Tail.
Be warned: While this eggnog recipe will certainly beat what you can buy in a carton, it’s got a lot of specialty liqueurs that aren’t sitting in your average bar cart. Mountain said he enjoys using his favorite amaro (an Italian herbal liqueur) for this nog, and that because the cocktail has a low alcohol by volume (ABV), you can sip responsibly.
“I love this recipe because there’s no cocktail or drink that feels more like Christmastime to me than a homemade egg nog, especially one that incorporates my favorite amaro,” Mountain said. “I also don’t feel so guilty drinking a cocktail this heavy around the holidays.”
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces of Braulio Amaro
3/4 ounce of St. George Spiced Pear
1/2 ounce of Swedish punsch
1/4 ounce of roasted chestnut orgeat
1/4 ounce of house made salted caramel
1 ounce of heavy cream
1 whole egg
Directions:
Mix and pour over ice in a tall glass.
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Kevin McAllister
courtesy Kaitlyn Fischer, beverage manager of Loco Taqueria + Oyster Bar
The Kevin McCallister from Loco Taqueria + Oyster Bar.
Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of January, Fischer serves a spread of holiday cocktails inspired by the staff’s favorite holiday movies as part of Loco’s “Winter Lunchin’ Land.” Fischer said the movie-inspired drinks include the Grinch, the Cousin Eddie (from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”) and the Kevin McCallister, which is inspired by the “Home Alone” protagonist’s decision to make a ridiculously decadent dessert once he realizes his family went to Paris without him.
Ingredients:
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
3 ounces of Captain Morgan spiced rum
8 to 12 ounces of root beer
1 dash of chocolate sprinkles for garnish
Directions:
Pour the ice cream and Captain Morgan into a goblet, and fill it with root beer (no ice). Garnish with chocolate sprinkles. Serves 2.
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Candy Cane Mountain
courtesy of Gina Goyette, beverage manager of Explorateur
Candy Cane Mountain from Explorateur.
Goyette’s holiday cocktail gets its name from the crushed candy adorning the rim of the drink’s glass.
“This is a seasonally appropriate cocktail where the herbal qualities of the gin and Campari balance with the brightness of the lime and fresh mint,” Goyette said. “The Campari also adds beautiful color, while the candy cane rim is festive.”
Ingredients:
2 ounces of Bombay Sapphire gin
3/4 ounce of lime juice
3/4 ounce of mint syrup (To make mint syrup, bring 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a boil. Add one bunch of cleaned mint. Turn off and let mint steep for 15 minutes, or a little longer for a mintier flavor.)
1/4 ounce of Campari
1 regular candy cane, crushed, for garnish
1 miniature candy cane for garnish
Directions:
Shake the gin, lime juice, mint syrup, and Campari in a tin. Strain into a coupe that has been half-rimmed with crushed candy canes. Garnish with a miniature candy cane.
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Party Punch
courtesy of Kevin Mabry, beverage manager of Capo Restaurant
Party Punch from Capo.
Mabry loves using cider for the holiday season, including in his Party Punch.
“I always feel like apple cider is one of the go-to ingredients for this time of year,” Mabry said, “whether it’s by itself, heated up with a spirit of choice, or in a punch bowl.”
Mabry also said that if you want to add a little something extra to the below recipe, he’s added a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the past to rave reviews.
Ingredients:
18 ounces of your bourbon of choice (Mabry prefers Four Roses Yellow Label for value, or Knob Creek Bourbon)
24 ounces of local pressed apple cider
6 ounces of fresh lemon
4 ounces of honey syrup (To make honey syrup, use equal parts honey and hot water, then stir to integrate.)
12 dashes of Angostura bitters
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Either 1 1/2 ounces of soda water or 2 ounces of sparkling wine
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a punch bowl. Add the soda water for Mabry’s “low proof” punch, or the sparkling wine for his “let’s party!” edition. Add ice to chill and dilute before serving.
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Cabin Fever
courtesy of Mark Cavanagh, bartender at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen
Cabin Fever from OAK Long Bar + Kitchen.
Cavanagh said that his play on hot buttered rum makes a for a warm, delicious cocktail.
“As a bartender, I really enjoy updating classic cocktails with my own twist,” Cavanagh said. “Cabin Fever is a cocktail that allows me to showcase rum’s versatility in the winter months and demonstrate that it’s not only a summer spirit.”
Cavanagh uses Privateer True American Amber, a locally produced rum from Ipswich, for his cocktail. If you can’t find amber rum (also known as gold rum) and need a substitute, opt for spiced rum. It’s much closer than clear rum.
Making the drink requires mixing a batter and letting it freeze, so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time.
Batter ingredients:
1 pound of unsalted butter
1 pound of white sugar
1 pound of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 ground clove
1 quart of Dulce de Leche ice cream
Drink ingredients:
1 heaping spoonful of batter
6 ounces of hot water
2 ounces of Privateer True American amber rum
1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
Mix the butter, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove together, then add the ice cream. Let the resulting batter freeze. To make a single serving of the drink, scoop a heaping spoonful of the batter into a glass, then add 6 ounces of hot water and 2 ounces of Privateer True American Amber Rum. Top the drink with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
