Holiday Drinks 2011

The winter holidays have been overdone in many ways on the party themes and drink ideas. But it has also gotten into a rut. Eggnog? Yes, we all drink Eggnog over the holidays but it is never a staple. It is a tradition and you should know how to make it, including the many variations on Eggnog that have been invented, but you should also get out of the box. It is never a good idea to make blender drinks during the winter... BRRR... but hot drinks are always welcome. Coffee drinks, caramel drinks, herbal drinks, toddies... all good stuff when people are cold to the toes. They can be made with and without alcohol and are always merry. Almost everyone likes them. Shooters go over year round, from the frozen tundra to the beach, and you can always design a winter holiday party around peppermint tooters, for instance, or hot coffee drinks with whipped cream. Offer candy canes, chocolate, caramel or cinnamon sticks as stirrers for all the cocktails you serve during the season.

But is Christmas the be all, end all, of the holiday season? Although I personally celebrate Christmas, as a bartender and party girl, I think people overlook Hanukkah, Boxing Day and Kwanzaa when they make up party ideas or invent new drinks! And I think that, as a bartender or party host, you would also want to close that gap. For instance, Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephens Day or Day of the Wren and is honored in many countries, including Canada, Ireland, England, Australia, Finland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, among others.. Haven't many immigrants come from these countries and couldn't they be wanting a drink? I have ideas for great drinks to serve on this day to celebrate their holiday. I also have ideas drinks that will help celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, too. And they don't have to be alcoholic to be fun so don't shy from serving sober drinks at your parties, too, where some of the people are religious and do not imbibe but want to celebrate with everyone else.

I offer these drink ideas for the holidays. You can search this blog for the recipes as I list them here or you can use the links in the post. These drinks can give you new inspiration for holiday party themes, as well.

Great Drinks for the Winter: Dutch Coffee, Hot Shots (shooter), Adult Hot Chocolate, Hot Pants, Hot Peppermint Patty, Snuggler, Russian Coffee, Cappuccino Mocha, Anti-Freeze, Meltdown, Charro, Hot Coconut Coffee, Cafe Mocha (NA), Baileys and Coffee, Hot Rum, Hot Rum Toddy, Irish Coffee, Irish Cow, Apres Ski, Hot Buttered Rum, Damn the Weather, Hot Apple Pie, Apple Grog, Tom and Jerry, A Yard of Flannel, Snuggler, Blackberry Demitasse, Gluewein, Grog and just about any hot drink recipe with Coffee... just search this blog for the word "coffee" to get a lot of recipes.

Great Drinks for Christmas: Poinsettia, Sherry Eggnog, Cold Weather Punch, Cranberry Vodka Pineapple Punch, Pineapple-Cranberry Juice Punch (NA), Cape Codder, Thanksgiving Cocktail, Peppermint Stinger, Cranberry Sparkler (NA), Brandy Eggnog, Brandy Cobbler, Snow Shoe, Snow Cap, Dutch Velvet, Virgin Mary (NA), Virgin Madras (NA), Apple Ginger Punch, Eggnog (standard recipe), Egg Cream (NA), Frostbite, Iceball, Sweet Cream, Trophy Room, Cold Weather Punch, Kingdom Come, Chocolate Covered Cherry, Ice Palace and any of the Coffee drinks.

Great Drinks for Boxing Day: Bent Nail, Maple Leaf, Raspberry Smash, Irish Coffee, Wild Irish Rose, Irish Fix, A Yard of Flannel, Boilermaker, Black Velvet, Mockingbird, Rusty Nail, Scotch Stone Sour, Loch Lomond, Highland Fling, Hoot Mon, Irish Coffee, Scottish Coffee and Cafe Zurich.

Great Drinks for Kwanzaa: Apple Ginger Punch, Mary Garden, Kir Royale , Wine Cooler, Mountain Red Punch, Tropical Fruit Punch (NA), Egg Cream (NA), Cola Float (NA), Cafe Mocha (NA), Good and Plenty, Black Lady, Black Magic, Black Velvet, Breakfast Eggnog, Calypso, Festival, Huntress Cocktail, Planters Punch, Sapphire Martini, Swamp Water, Thanksgiving Cocktail, Dark Eyes, Dominican Coco Loco, Tiger's Milk, Victory, Zamboanga Hummer and Zanzibar.

Great Drinks for New Years: Claret Cup, Bellini Punch, Alto Parlarle, Bellini, Chambord Royale Spritzer, Mimosa, Poinsettia, Imperial Fizz, Kir Royale, Diamond Fizz, Mint Cooler, Champagne Maraschino Punch, Golden Fizz, No Gin Fizz (NA), Silver Fizz, White Grape, Tangerine and Sparkling Wine Punch, Out of the Blue, Sober Spritzer (NA), White Wine Spritzer, Diamond Head, Blue Margarita, Cherry Bomb, Kappa Colada, Sex on the Beach in Winter, Manhatten, New World, Maxim, Resolution, Self Starter and Time Bomb.

If you feel adventurous this year, these drink ideas can pump new life into your holiday parties and give your drinkers a new experience they may come to love.

French 75

French 75

1 1/2 oz Cognac
1/2 oz sugar syrup
juice of 1/2 Lemon
Brut Champagne

Fill a mixing glass with cracked ice. Add the Cognac, sugar and Lemon. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Top off with the Champagne. Garnish with a Lemon twist.

Technorati Tags: cognac, lemon, champagne, brut champagne, mardi gras, fat tuesday, new years eve, cocktail, mixed drink, recipe, bartending

Royal Screw

Royal Screw

2 oz Cognac
2 oz Orange juice, chilled
Champagne

Pour the Cognac into a Champagne glass. Add the Orange juice. Stir gently and top off with Champagne.

Technorati Tags: cognac, orange juice, champagne, new years eve, cocktail, mixed drink, recipe, bartending

Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales

1 oz Madeira
1 oz Brandy
3-4 drops Curacao
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
chilled Champagne

Fill a mixing glass with ice and then add the Madeira, Brandy, Curaco and Bitters. Shake and strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Fill with the Champagne and garnish with a slice of Orange.

Technorati Tags: madeira, curacao, angostura bitters, champagne, new years eve

Chicago

Chicago

1 1/2 oz Brandy
1 dash Curacao
1 dash Angostura Bitters
cold Brut Champagne
Lemon wedge
superfine granulated Sugar

Rub the rim of a goblet or large wineglass with the Lemon wedge. Roll the rim of the glass in a dish full of the superfine Sugar until the rim is coated evenly all around. Fill a mixing glass with cracked ice. Add the Brandy, Curacao and Bitters to the mixing glass. Shake firmly and pour into the goblet or wineglass. Top off with Champagne.

Technorati Tags: new years eve, brandy, curacao, angostura bitters, champagne, cocktail, mixed drink, recipe, bartending

Chambord Royale Spritzer

Chambord Royale Spritzer

1 1/2 oz Chambord
chilled Champagne
Club Soda

Pour Chambord into a Wineglass. Add a splash of the Champagne and top off with the Club Soda.

Technorati Tags: champagne, chambord, club soda, cocktail, new years eve, recipe, bartending

Diamond Fizz

Diamond Fizz

1 1/2 oz Gin
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp powdered Sugar
chilled Champagne

Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the first 3 ingredients. Shake and strain into a large wine glass. Add a few ice cubes and top off with the Champagne.

Technorati Tags: gin, champagne, cocktail, mixed drink, recipe, bartending

Imperial Fizz

Imperial Fizz

1 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Sugar
chilled Champagne

Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the Bourbon, Lemon juice and sugar. Shake and strain into a chilled Champagne glass. Pour over with the chilled Champagne.

Technorati Tags: bourbon, champagne, cocktail, mixed drink, recipe, bartending