Cheerful Christmas Cocktails

Dec. 23, 2013 -- intro: As your holiday stress begins to reach its peak, relax with one of these sweet festive cocktails. These recipes are perfect for a holiday cocktail party or late-night, gift-wrapping sessions. From chocolatey peppermint concoctions to warm spiced apple drinks, you're sure to find something that will keep your spirits merry and bright this season.

quicklist:1title: The Grand Manhattantext: 1.5 oz Hennessy V.S

.5 oz Sweet Vermouth

.5 oz Grand Marnier

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: 3 brandied cranberries

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with 3 brandied cranberries on a skewer.media: 21311205

quicklist:2title: Sugar Plum Martinitext: 2 oz Plum Wine

1 ½ oz Absolut Vanilla Vodka

Splash of Frangelico

Splash of Cranberry

Shake and serve up with *optional* sugar rim

Recipe courtesy of Encore Liquid Lounge in Chicago.media: 21311597

quicklist:3title: Horchata Coffee Cocktailtext: 1.5 oz Hennessy V.S

1 oz Espresso

1.5 oz Diluted Condensed Milk (diluted 1:1 with water)

.25 oz Grand Marnier

4 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: fresh grated Cinnamon and Orange twist

In a shaker tin add all liquids and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with fresh grated cinnamon and an orange twist.media: 21311356

quicklist:4title: Nutti Espressotext: 1 1/2 oz Voli Espresso Vanilla

1/4 oz Frangelico

Garnish: Espresso Beans

Serve over ice and stir.media: 21311838

quicklist:5title: Sparkling Peppermint Swirltext: 2 ½ oz VOGA Sparkling

1.5 oz Peppermint vodka

Splash of Grenadine

In a shaker, combine ice, vodka and grenadine. Stir gently and strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with crushed candy canes. Top with VOGA Sparkling and garnish with a candy cane.media: 21311499

quicklist:6title: Black Raspberry Icicletext: 1 oz Makers Mark Bourbon

1 oz Dry vermouth

3 oz Black Raspberry Sparkling ICE

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh berries.media: 21310976

quicklist:7category: title: Baileys Chocolate Peppermint Creamurl: text: 2 ounces Baileys with a hint of Mint Chocolate

4 ounces hot chocolate

Fresh whipped cream

1 candy cane

Mint leaf

Crush candy cane with the back of a spoon. Pour hot chocolate and Baileys into a coffee mug. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top. Garnish with mint leaf.

Recipe courtesy of Baileys.

media: 15153201 related:

quicklist: 8category: title: Chai Spiced Egg Nog url: text: 1 1/2 ounces (45ml) *Chai Infused Louis Royer "Force 53" Cognac

1/2 ounce (15ml) "Santa Teresa 1796" Rum

1 whole egg

3/4 ounce (22.5ml) simple syrup

2 ounces (60ml) heavy cream

Garnish: grated nutmeg

Shake. Serve on the rocks.

*Chai Infusion: Measure 3 tablespoons of loose-leaf Chai tea and one 750ml bottle of Louis Royer Force 53 into a mason jar, seal lid and shake. Let infuse for two hours, then fine strain. Keep refrigerated in a labeled bottle. Prepare Cognac infusion two hours in advance of cocktail making.

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Top the glass with a shaker tin and give the ingredients a "dry shake" to pre-whip the ingredients and ensure a frothy texture. After dry shake, add ice and shake vigorously to achieve proper chill and dilution. Strain cocktail into a punch glass or mug. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Chad Solomon and Christy Pope.

media: 15153227 related:

quicklist: 9category: title: La Vita e Bella url: text: 3/4 ounce Campari

5 ounces Llopart Cava Brut Rose

3/4 ounce Busnel Calvados Hors D'Age 12 Year Old

1/4 ounce Employees Only Grenadine

1 brown sugar cube

1 long grapefruit peel, for garnish

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a Champagne flute with rose cava. Add Calvados, Campari and grenadine into a mixing glass and shake briefly and hard. Pour thecontents of the shaker over the sugar cube and rose cava. Twist the grapefruit peel over the drink and place into the flute as garnish.

Recipe courtesy of Dushan Zaric.

media: 15153214 related:

quicklist: 10category: title: Cider Sidecarurl: text: 2 ounces Drouin "Selection" Calvados

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

1/2 ounce lemon juice

1/4 ounce spiced cider reduction (Cider, Black pepper, Cinnamon, Juniper, Allspice, Clove, Anise)

Build in shaker with ice, strain into glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Recipe courtesy Craftbar.

media: 15153238 related:

quicklist: 11category: title: Gaspare's Winter Punch url: text: 3/4 cup Campari

3/4 cup Royal Combier Grand Liqueur

2 bottles medium-bodied red wine

6 cups cranberry juice

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange

6 cinnamon sticks

10 whole cloves

10 whole allspice

6 whole star anise

1 whole nutmeg

1 teaspoon almond extract

Sort cranberries discarding bruised fruit. Rinse and place in a 6-quart pan with raisins, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cranberry juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes to blend flavors. Add wine and sugar and heat until steaming (six to eight minutes). Do not bring to a boil. Add Campari, orange liqueur and almond extract. Strain out cranberries and ladle into punch cups. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and star anise.

Recipe courtesy of Julie Reiner.

media: 15153270 related:

quicklist: 12category: title: Cafe Amaro url: text: 11/2 ounces Luxardo Amaro Abano

1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup

Coffee

In a hot mug add Amaro and sugar, then coffee. Orange zested whipped cream and cinnamon stick garnish.

Recipe courtesy of Eastern Standard.

media: 15153282 related:

quicklist: 13category: title: Stocking Cap url: text: 3 ounces Hennessy Cognac

1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

1 ounce cinnamon syrup

Splash of light cream

Red Hot sugar (2:1 ratio of Red Hots to sugar; blend together)

Rim a martini glass with the red sugar. Combine all wet ingredients in an ice-filled shaker, shake and serve up.

Recipe courtesy of Bar Manager Robert Honeycutt of GILT.

media: 15153563 related:

quicklist: 14category: title: Baked Apple Toddyurl: text: 1.5 ounces Denizen Rum

0.5 ounce Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy

1 dash Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters

1 tablespoon sugar in the raw

3-4 whole cinnamon sticks

Pinch of cloves

Whole nutmeg, for garnish

Pour rum, brandy and bitters into a mug. In a saucepan, steep two to three whole cinnamon sticks and a small pinch of cloves in boiling water. Strain out the solids and pour the liquid into mug. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Grate cinnamon and nutmeg over top.

Recipe courtesy of Marshall Altier of JBird.

media: 15153295 related:

quicklist: 15category: title: Candy Cane Bamboozled Shakeurl: text: 3 scoops vanilla ice cream

1 ounce whole milk

1 shot peppermint schnapps

½ shot creme de menthe, clear

1 each candy cane

Whipped cream

Place ice cream, half of candy cane, milk and alcohol in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and garnish with whipped cream and remaining half of candy cane crushed. Garnish with peppermint meringues and white chocolate crunch balls.

Recipe courtesy of Anthony Meidenbauer of Holsteins at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

media: 15153322 related:

quicklist:16category: title: Pittsburrrrgh Hot Chocolateurl: text: 3 ounces house-made spiced hot chocolate

3/4 ounce B&B

3/4 ounce Amarula

Topped with house-made Kahlua-infused whipped cream.

Recipe courtesy of Fairmont Pittsburgh.

media: 17896185 related:

quicklist:17category: title: Douglas Collinsurl: text: 2 ounces of Douglas Fir gin

10 ounces lemon juice

10 ounces of simple syrup

Shake and strain into a tall Collins glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with a Douglas Fir branch.

Recipe courtesy Jeff Josenhans of The US Grant's Grant Grill.

media: 17896206 related:

quicklist:18category: title: Skinnygirl's Candy Cane Martiniurl: text: 1 part Skinnygirl Bare Naked Vodka

1 part peppermint schnapps

1 part fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Mini candy cane for garnish

Shake liquids with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with mini candy cane.

Recipe courtesy Skinnygirl Cocktails.media: 17906219 related:

quicklist:19category: title: Cranberry Mistletiniurl: text: 3 oz Green Mountain vodka

1 oz cranberry-orange simple syrup

Soda water

Garnish with orange peel

Recipe courtesy Topnotch Resort and Spa.media: 17896170 related:

quicklist:20category: title: The Hot Cubanourl: text: 1 1/2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce coffee liqueur

1 shot strong Cuban espresso

Whipped cream

Powdered/shaved chocolate

Cinnamon

Pour the dark rum and coffee liqueur into a coffee glass or mug; fill with strong Cuban espresso. Top off with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and powered/shaved chocolate.

Recipe courtesy Havana Central Restaurant and Bar.media: 17896249 related:

quicklist:21category: title: The Nogg Fatherurl: text: dark rum

Oscalis Brandy

whole egg

cream

milk

nutmeg

Served up in a martini, chilled with grated nutmeg.

Recipe courtesy Vincent Lee of Lucy Restaurant & Bar.media: 17906233 related:

quicklist:22category: title: Holly & Ivyurl: text: 1 ounce Belvedere Grapefruit

1 ounce Grand Marnier

3/4 ounce Rosemary Syrup

1 ounce POM Wonderful

Vigorously shake all ingredients in iced cocktail shaker. Strain into cocktail glass.

Recipe courtesy William Ward of Marble Lane.media: 17896307 related: