Spread Holiday Cheer with Original Seasonal Drinks

Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow: Adult beverages with a Christmas twist. 

Peppermint. Gingerbread. Apple. Combining your favorite holiday flavors with a dash of vodka or whiskey is just plain good sense, in addition to being mighty tasty. That’s why we quizzed some of our favorite places about their unique winter specials and put together a list of the best ones. The weather outside is frightful—but the fire (in your belly) is so very delightful.

Candy Cane Blitz-tini

Courtesy of Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse 

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ ounces vanilla vodka
• 1 ounce crème de menthe
• 2 ounces white chocolate liqueur
• ½ candy cane, crushed
• Drizzle of red peppermint syrup
• 1 candy cane for garnish
• Ice

Directions:

1. In a shaker tin, add ice, vanilla vodka, crème de menthe and white chocolate liqueur and shake vigorously.
2. Strain into a candy cane-rimmed martini glass and drizzle peppermint syrup on top.
3. Garnish with a candy cane.

Hot Buttered Whiskey

Courtesy of Alibi American Whiskey

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 5 ounces of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 ounces Alibi American Whiskey
• Boiling water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Star anise

Directions:

1. Mix butter, brown sugar and spices in a bowl.
2. Transfer batter into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Combine whiskey, 2 tablespoons of the batter, hot water and whiskey into mason jar.
4. Stir.

Gingerbread Martini

Courtesy of The Shout House

Ingredients:

• ¾ ounce Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey
• ¾ ounce Bailey's Irish Cream
• ¾ ounce butterscotch liqueur
• Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
2. Strain over a graham cracker-rimmed martini glass.
3. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar graham cracker crumbs.

Sombra ‘Shadow' Sazerac

Courtesy of Sierra Bonita Grill

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Sombra Mezcal
• ½ ounce Pernod Absinthe
• Splash of soda
• Orange peel
• Sugar cube
• Cinnamon
• Oaxaca chocolate for garnish

Directions:

1. Fill a large snifter glass with ice and chill.
2. Pour out ice, then line the inside of the glass with absinthe.
3. Pour out extra absinthe.
4. In a separate glass, pour mezcal over ice to chill.
5. Over the snifter glass, place a spoon or some sort of strainer. Place sugar cube and orange peel in spoon or strainer and top with pinch of cinnamon.
6. Pour absinthe over the sugar and light on fire.
7. Chilled mezcal should then be strained over the top of the flame and into the absinthe-lined snifter glass.
8. All the contents from the spoon or strainer should then go into the snifter.
9. Stir contents well, add 2 ice cubes, a splash of soda and finish by grating some Oaxaca chocolate zest over the top.

Maple-Glazed Old Fashioned

Courtesy of The Herb Box

Ingredients:

• 1 orange slice
• 1 Amarena Cherry
• Splash of blood orange bitters
• 2 ounces Tap 347 Maple Rye Whisky
• Splash pomegranate juice

Directions:

1. In a rocks glass, muddle orange slice, Amarena Cherry and orange bitters.
2. Top with whisky, ice and pomegranate juice.

Spiced Orange and Raspberry Martini

Courtesy of Twisted Rose Winery and Eatery

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces orange liqueur
• ½ ounce raspberry liqueur
• 1 ounce vodka
• ½ ounce half & half

Directions:

1. Combine, shake and pour into a sugar rimmed glass.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Hot Holiday Cider

Courtesy of Sapparo

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce Woodford Reserve
• ¾ ounce spiced apple cider simple syrup
• 3 ½ ounces hot apple cider

Directions:

1. Pour ingredients into warmed, footed coffee glass.
2. Pour in warm apple cider.
3. Stir with spoon to ensure syrup has completely dissolved.

The Kringle-tini

Courtesy of The Sporting News Grill, located inside the Holiday Inn Houston West Energy Corridor in Houston, Texas

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 ounce champagne
• 1 ounce Cointreau
• Sugar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and serve in a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Twist on a Classic Sangria

Courtesy of Kona Grill

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Bogle Merlot
• 8 ounces sake
• 4 ounces simple syrup
• Juice of 3 fresh oranges
• Juice of 1 fresh lemon
• Juice of 1 fresh Lime
• Dash of Sprite
• Handful of raspberries
• Half a diced kiwi
• Half an orange (sliced) 

Directions:

1. Combine juices, simple syrup and sake into a cocktail shaker, shake and pour into a chilled glass pitcher (with ice if desired).
2. Add Merlot, raspberries, kiwi and orange slices to pitcher.
3. Stir and top with Sprite.
4. Sangria is best served in a red wine glass with ice, garnished with a half orange wheel.