Best Holiday Cocktails

I love delicious holiday cocktails. Therefore, I am sharing a few Christmas drink favorites with you– not because I have already had a few to deal with my upcoming dysfunctional family holidays, but because I love you. And I’ve had maybe one. Or two.

At the holidays, it’s fun to get away from my traditional two drinks: the Grey Goose Dirty Martini and the Single Barrel Jack Daniels on a little ice. Time to try some new and unusual drinks! So to help you pre-game your upcoming family holiday events with “class” and “style”, here are 3 great holiday cocktail recipes.

Cuppa Good Cheer

• 1.5 oz.SKYY Infusions Cherry
• 0.5 oz.white creme de cacao
• 4 oz.Hot Cocoa
• 1 oz.Half ‘n Half
• Whipped Cream
• Maraschino Cherry

Combine all ingredients into a holiday mug and top with whipped cream, red sprinkles and a Maraschino Cherry. It’s like coffee meets Shirley Temple meets drunk. Yummy.

Holiday Cosmopolitan

• 3 tablespoons vodka
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec)
• 1 tablespoon cranberry reduction 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Ice cubes
• Garnish: lemon rind twist.
• (Maybe find someone to make this Christmas drink for you because it’s pretty high maintenance with the cranberry reduction, seriously, but worth the trouble for sure. This drink would be perfect in the moose mugs from National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation!)
• Directions: Stir together vodka, orange liqueur, Cranberry Reduction, and fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Cover with lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain mixture into a chilled glass. Garnish, if desired.

Peppermint Mocha Martini

• 1½ oz espresso vodka
• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 1½ oz chocolate cream liqueur
• 1 oz 100-proof peppermint schnapps
• chocolate syrup, chilled
• crushed peppermint candy
• ice
• peppermint stick to garnish