This is our first Christmas with 2 teenagers in the house. It’s different in some ways. I told my Sis, the Kid’s plates are so full this holiday season, they are overflowing onto our plates. There are secret Santa gifts, winter formals, gymnastics practice, Xmas parties, pep rallies, work, band concerts, lunch with Santa and dinners with friends. Oh and HBear’s drama teacher decided to schedule the musical for December so she can have the second term off. It’s a lot.
It is such an in between time for them. Like, the Kids are way more interested in their makeup advent calendar in the morning than finding their elf, Maynard and the advent puzzle has been left up to Ninja and me most days. This is HBear’s last Christmas as a child. I’m trying to tell her, slow down and enjoy the holidays you have so much time to be an adult, later.
SBean is just 13 and her excitement this last week has been palpable! She has been counting down the days, decorated her bedroom and is learning about… anticipation. Kids binge watch streaming shows, can basically watch any movie at anytime, there aren’t commercials anymore, can have any answer at the tip of the fingers and don’t have to wait in lines, on the phone or even wait to talk to someone far away. They have instant access to everything. The ONLY thing that they have to wait for is, Christmas.
It’s wonderful! That’s my favourite part! The lead up to Christmas. All the activities making us so crazy busy are in fact the things that are also making us so excited. The build up. The cutting down the tree, the icing of sugar cookies, setting up for family game night, the Tots for Tots Breakfast, the Lakeside Lunch with Santa, the band concerts, piano recitals and family skating adventures. They all lead us to this, as SBean calls it, Christmas Eve Eve!
We’re there! Last year Christmas looked different, I had Covid and then my Sister’s family got Covid plus my Dad was in Winnipeg visiting my Brother and PrettyP. I missed out on the anticipation and they missed out on the actual event. I am beyond grateful that this year not only are we all together and healthy (so far lol) but Ninja’s Bro is also here to spend Christmas with us for the first time!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! I hope yours has been as busy and the anticipation has been as wonderful as mine has been so far 💛.
It’s that time of the year again, cocktail time! Ninja and I love having a cocktail with us when we podcast. The holiday season is a great time to have a few cocktail recipes on hand for when you have guests over or for when you want to enjoy a delicious beverage while waiting for Santa to arrive!
Ninja’s’ absolute favourite cocktail is an Old Fashioned. They’re minimal ingredients – whiskey, a simple syrup, bitters and a garnish – but can be easily shaped with a ton of different flavour profiles! This Winter Honey Old Fashioned is perfect as either an after dinner cocktail or as a winding down the evening nightcap during the holidays. This sage and honey infused old fashioned smells as good as it tastes!
I LOVE cocktails that use a combination of crème de cacao, amaretto, and Bailey’s – they just go so well together! Shake them over ice and add some whip cream and sparkle sprinkles and voila! you have a Tinseltini! It’s like Christmas dessert in a glass!
I always say to Ninja that I wish we had a fireplace in our house! I picture us sitting by the fire on a snowy winter night sharing a hot cocoa, just like a Hallmark Christmas movie lol But since we don’t have one, we can warm our insides with this delicious Holiday Hot Chocolate! Mixing three different liqueurs (and a bit of hot chocolate lol) this is the best way to be cozy and warm!
I’m typically not a fan of Moscow Mules as I don’t like mint! But this Holiday Moscow Mule is a great way for me to enjoy one during the Christmas season! It still has that signature ginger beer bite, but exchanges the mint for rosemary, and adds some cranberry juice to make it festive!
Don’t ask me to take tequila shots (way too many fun nights and bad mornings for that! lol), but I do still really love it in a cocktail! The tequila pairs so well with other flavours and this Spiced Christmas Margarita is an awesome way to make it Christmas-y! It’s like an amazing fruit punch with a hint of Christmas spice (cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne) heat about goes down. Amazeballs!
Many cocktails can seem daunting to some home bartenders, but it if there’s one thing Ninja has learned, it’s that it’s all about the simple syrup! While these infused concoctions sound complicated, it’s actually right there in the name, “simple”. You can make any cocktail “fancy” just by boiling some water and sugar together mixed with any fruit, spice, or herb you can imagine! This Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz is the perfect way to show off your skills, using rosemary simple syrup and a cardamom infused gin!
Winter Honey Old Fashioned
1
serving5
minutes10
minutesIngredients
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz Honey Sage Syrup
2 dashes bitters
orange peel
Garnish: sage leaf
- Honey Sage Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup honey
4–5 fresh sage leaves
Directions
Simmer water, honey, and 4–5 fresh sage leaves over low heat until combined. Strain and cool.
Fill a rocks glass with ice to chill it.
Pour the Honey Sage Syrup and two dashes bitters over the ice. Stir gently to combine.
Hold the orange peel over the glass and twist it to release its aromatic oils. Drop the peel into the glass.
Place a fresh sage leaf on top.
Tinseltini
2
servings5
minutesIngredients
3 oz Irish cream
2 oz amaretto
2 oz crème de cacao
Garnish: whipped cream and 2 teaspoon glitter sprinkles
Directions
Rim 2 chilled martini glasses with glitter sprinkles by first dipping the rims into a small plate of Irish cream, then rolling it in sprinkles until evenly coated. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the amaretto, Irish cream, and crème de cacao.
Shake the mixture vigorously until well chilled, then strain it into the prepared martini glasses.
Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of additional sprinkles.
Holiday Hot Chocolate
2
servings5
minutes5
minutesIngredients
4 oz rum
2 oz brandy
1 oz amaretto
8 oz hot chocolate
Garnish: whipped cream & chocolate shavings
Directions
Heat the hot chocolate in a saucepan until warm, but not boiling.
In a mug, combine the rum, brandy, and amaretto.
Pour the hot chocolate into the mug, stirring gently to mix.
Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings.
Holiday Moscow Mule
2
servings5
minutesIngredients
4 oz vodka, separated
8 oz ginger beer, separated
4 oz cranberry juice, separated
1 oz lime juice, separated
Garnish: cinnamon stick & sprig of rosemary
Directions
Fill 2 copper mugs with ice cubes.
Pour equal amounts of vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice over the ice in each mug.
Top with ginger beer and stir gently to combine.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of rosemary.
Spiced Christmas Margarita
2
servings5
minutesIngredients
4 oz tequila
5 oz pomegranate juice
4 oz orange juice
1 oz orange liqueur
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
a few pinches cayenne pepper
2 sprigs rosemary
ginger beer
- Cinnamon Sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Directions
Make the Cinnamon Sugar by mixing sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Run a slice of orange around the rim of 2 rocks glasses, then dip the rims into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Fill the glasses with ice.
Add pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, orange liqueur, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cayenne pepper to a cocktail shaker.
Fill the shaker with ice, secure the lid, and shake for 15 seconds until the mixture is well-chilled.
Strain the cocktail into the prepared rocks glasses over fresh ice. Add a splash of ginger beer.
Garnish with a slice of orange and/or a cinnamon stick.
Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz
4
servings24
hours10
minutesIngredients
4 oz rosemary syrup
6 oz cardamom infused gin
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (2-3 grapefruits)
4 oz prosecco, chilled
- Cardamom Infused Gin
1 cup gin
- Rosemary Simple Syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
2 rosemary sprigs
Directions
Make the Cardamom Infused Gin. In a small jar combine the gin and cardamom pods. Seal and store for 24 hours.
Make the Rosemary Simple Syrup. In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, water, and 2 rosemary sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Discard the rosemary.
In an ice filled cocktail shaker, combine 2 oz of the rosemary syrup, 3 oz of the infused gin, and ½ cup of the grapefruit juice. Cover with a lid and shake to combine, about 1 minute
Using a strainer, divide the drink into two ice filled glasses. Top with 1 ounce Prosecco each. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a grapefruit peel.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 2 more cocktails.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #447 A Merry Maier Christmas! We get together just a couple of days before Christmas to discuss all things Merry Merry!
Thank you to My Wee Abode and to For The Love To for featuring my Snowman Milkshakes and my Christmas Music & Treats post at their Tuesday Turn About and Wednesday Link-Up Party last week.
We had an AMAZING week! The Kids took Oliver to see Santa, Ninja and I got our wrap on, all my library books on hold finally came in, Maynard has been spoiling us rotten this month, SBean had her piano recital and performed with her YPAG at the Lakeside Lunch with Santa. SBean and Ninja SURPRISED me by playing a duet of my favourite carol at the piano recital! It was such a special gift! We decorated cookies, HBear made a new ornament for us at work, and we had family game night. We ended our week hanging out with the my Sis and the family at Stewart Park in Kelowna and snacks at the Kelowna Beer Institute. We are so ready for Christmas!
2 thoughts on “Anticipating Christmas & Holiday Cocktails”
They all look fabulous. I keep telling my husband, he needs to get more creative with cocktails. I am happy to feature your Christmas cocktails at Love Your Creativity. Happy New year!
Thank you so much! I am truly lucky that my husband was a bartender through university and still likes to make me a weekly cocktail 🙂 Thank you and Happy New Year!