…And a cocktail with Bacardíííííí!
Happy holidays, everyone! As you can see, we’re excited to spend time with family and friends. We’re also stoked to throw the doors open to 2018 and see what it has in store for all of us.
To greet the New Year properly we’ve put together a list of 18 wondrous winter cocktails that deserve a place on your seasonal menu. Not only are they perfect for sipping before and after the ball drops on December 31, each one will keep your guests in great spirits (pun alert!) throughout the frigid winter months.
May your New Year’s Eve be well attended and your 2018 be profitable! Cheers!
Fernet-Branca Cocoa
Recipe and image courtesy of Fernet-Branca
- 1 oz. Fernet-Branca
- Mug of hot cocoa
This is very straightforward: Spike the hot cocoa with 1 oz. of Fernet-Branca!
Cuppa Cheer
Created by Pamela Wiznitzer of Seamstress in NYC; Image: Seamstress
- 1 oz. Kerrygold Irish Cream
- 1 oz. Brancamenta
- 1 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
- 1 Mint spring to garnish
Prepare a tall, slender cocktail glass with crushed ice. Fill a shaker with ice and add liquid ingredients. Shake, then pour into prepared glass. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Serve with festive paper straw.
Champagne Poppy
Recipe and image courtesy of Ron Barceló
- 0.5 oz. Ron Barceló Imperial
- 0.5 oz. Greenbar Distillery Grand Poppy Amaro
- 4 oz. Champagne
- Orange twist to garnish
Place one bitters-soaked sugar cube in a Champagne flute. Stir all ingredients over ice and strain into Champagne flute. Garnish with orange twist.
The "Freaky Tiki"
Recipe and image courtesy of Liquid Lab in NYC
- 60mL Bumbu Rum
- 30mL Pineapple juice
- 15mL fresh Lime juice
- 15mL Campari mixed 50/50 with grenadine
- 15mL Orgeat almond syrup
- 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
- 1 Rosemary sprig to garnish
Combine all ingredients and shake. Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with rosemary sprig.
BACARDÍ Ginger Snap
Recipe and image courtesy of BACARDÍ
- 1 part BACARDÍ Superior or BACARDÍ Gold Rum
- 2 parts Ginger Ale
- 1 Lime wedge
- 1 dash Bitters (optional)
Fill a tall highball glass with ice. Pour BACARDI Superior or Gold into glass. Add ginger ale, and gently stir before serving. Garnish with a lime wedge. (Optional: Add a dash of bitters.)
BACARDÍ Coquito
Recipe and image courtesy of BACARDÍ
- 2 parts BACARDÍ Superior
- 0.75 part Evaporated milk
- 0.75 part Condensed milk
- 1 part Coconut creme (preferably Coco López)
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
- Coconut flakes and cinnamon sticks to garnish
Shake all ingredients vigorously with plenty of ice and strain into a glass mug. Garnish with cinnamon and coconut flakes.
The Promise
Recipe and image courtesy of FACUNDO
- 1.5 parts FACUNDO NEO
- 0.5 part Yellow Chartreuse
- 0.5 part Honey syrup
- 1 part Milk kefir
- 1 Mint leaf to garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and give a gentle shake. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a mint leaf.
Night Cap
Recipe and image courtesy of Crystal Head Vodka
- 1.5 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
- 0.5 oz. Caffè Borghetti
- 1 freshly brewed Espresso shot
- Chocolate shavings or coffee beans
Pour Crystal Head, coffee liqueur and espresso into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously to create froth, then strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings or finely crushed coffee beans.
Teeling Spiked Apple Cider
Created by Ryan O’Flaherty at The Supply House in NYC; Image courtesy of The Supply House
- 2 oz. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
- 4 oz. Unfiltered craft cider
- 1 Star anise
- ¼ tsp. Crushed cloves
- 1 Cinnamon stick and an orange zest peel to garnish
Warm the cider in a saucepan and add spices. Strain into a mug glass with handle. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.
Topsy Turvy
Created by Jeremy Oertel; Image: Carpano
- 2 oz. Carpano Antica Formula
- 1 oz. Lock Stock & Barrel Rye
- 1 tsp. Caffè Borghetti
- 1 dash Mole bitters (preferably Bittermens)
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or tin. Stir, then strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Spiced Cranberry Sour
Recipe and image courtesy of Behind the Bar
- 2 oz. Bourbon
- 1/2 oz. Lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. Cranberry juice
- 1/2 oz. Tippleman’s Double Spiced Falernum
- 1 Egg white
- Cranberry bitters
- Angostura Bitters
- Orange, for zest
- Rosemary sprig to garnish
Dry shake the egg white until foamy. Shake vigorously with bourbon, juices, falernum, and ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with orange zest, rosemary sprig, and Angostura and Dillon’s Bitter Cranberry dots.
Cachaça Egg Nog
Recipe and image courtesy of Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland
- 12 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Superfine sugar, and 3 tablespoons on the side
- 1 pint Heavy cream
- 1 quart Whole milk
- 1 750ml bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça
- 1 Tbsp. Real vanilla extract
- Nutmeg to garnish
Separate the egg whites from the yolks into separate large bowls. Slowly add the sugar in a fine stream to the egg yolks while whisking vigorously until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then slowly whisk in the heavy cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract to the yolk-sugar mixture. In the other bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form and the egg whites take up about five times their original volume. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk and cream mixture. Pour the entire mixture into a large jug using a funnel, then pour in a bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça. Screw the cap onto the jug and give it a hearty shake to combine. Refrigerate and serve with a fine dusting of freshly grated nutmeg on top.
Hot Buttered Cachaça
Created by Amanda Platt at The Public House by Evans Brewing Co. in Fullerton, CA; Image: The Public House
- 2 oz. Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- Roasted pumpkin, pureed
- Salt
- Pureed real butter
- 1/8 cup Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Apple cider (The Public House uses Strongbow)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Star anise
- Honey butter
- 2 cinnamon sticks to garnish
- Grated cinnamon to garnish
- Star anise to garnish
If not using pre-packaged pureed roasted pumpkin (Pacific Foods, Libby’s, Farmer’s Market, Nummy Tum Tum, locally sourced, etc.) you will need to roast and puree pumpkin. Combine pre-packaged or freshly roasted pureed pumpkin with salt, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Reduce apple cider with cinnamon sticks and star anise. Whisk together roasted pumpkin puree, reduced apple cider and honey butter. Serve hot in a mug.
Everything Nice
Recipe and image courtesy of Mezcal Pelotón de la Muerte
- 1.5 oz. Mezcal Pelotón de la Muerte
- 1 oz. Cointreau
- 1 oz. Lemon juice
- 1 oz. Cranberry juice
- 1 bar spoon of Allspice dram
- Edible flowers and cranberries to garnish
Prepare a goblet with ice. Fill a shaker with ice, add all ingredients, and shake. Pour into prepared goblet and garnish with edible flowers and cranberries.
Share the Pear
Created by Shaun Meglen of Péché in Austin, TX; Image: Annie Ray
- 1.5 oz. Osborne Fino sherry
- 0.75 oz. St. George Spiced Pear
- 3 scoops of good quality Vanilla ice cream (Péché makes theirs in-house)
Add all ingredients to blender and blend until incorporated. Pour into glass, garnish with cinnamon, and serve.
Stella Spice
Recipe and image courtesy of Stella Rosa
- 3 bottles Stella Rosa Rosso
- 1/3 cup warm Water
- 1 box of Aspen Mulling Cider Spice
Heat water and add spices until they dilute. Add Stella Rosa Rosso. Keep heat on low until drink is warm but not boiling hot.
Midnight Magic
Recipe and image courtesy of Stella Rosa
- Stella Rosa Imperiale Black Lux
- Strawberries, sliced
- Blueberries
- Lime juice
- Honey
- 1 Mint spring to garnish
Fill Collins glass, Champagne flute or other tall glass with strawberries and blueberries. Pour in Stella Rosa Black Lux. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of honey. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Dutch Crisp
Created by Shaun Meglen of Péché in Austin, TX; Image: Péché
- 2 oz. Genever
- 0.75 oz. Lemon juice
- 0.5 oz. Cinnamon syrup (see note)
- 0.45 oz. Apfelkorn (sweet apple-flavored liqueur)
- 2 dashes Vanilla concentrate
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Rim a coupe glass with cinnamon. Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into prepared coupe glass.
For the Cinnamon syrup:
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
Heat water and sugar until all sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and steep cinnamon for one hour. Remove cinnamon and bottle syrup.