Drinking the Season: 7 Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, you know what ES has up our virtual sleeves for you…a holiday cocktail! Or seven!

OK, fine, we don’t actually have a Kwanzaa cocktail (Sandra Lee…where aaaaare you on this one?) but from peppermint to gingerbread, there’s something on this holiday cocktail list everyone can get behind.

1. Seven Layer Cookie

3/4 oz. Godiva® Liqueur
3/4 oz. Coconut rum
1/2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 oz. Partida Anejo Tequila
1/4 oz. Frangelico
1/2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream®
1/2 oz. Amaretto

Garnish rim of a martini glass with crushed cookie crumbs. Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

2. Wine Me Up Santa

From: W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island

1 750ml bottle red table wine
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
¾ teaspoon whole pink peppercorns
2oz honey
2oz vodka
1oz triple sec
.5oz soy lecithin
Cinnamon powder

Warm all ingredients except soy lecithin in a saucepan at a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the temperature to exceed 140°F / 60°C (If mixture starts to boil, lower the heat.) Seal and chill. Take ¼ of your mixture and use an electric hand blender to mix in soy lecithin to create an airy topping. Pour in liquid mixture to fill half of a glass mug or teacup, top with mulled wine, air, and lightly dust the top with cinnamon.

3. Chocolate Peppermint Cookie

3/4 oz. Partida Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
3/4 oz. Godiva® Liqueur
1-1/2 oz. Cream

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

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Endless Ice Cream: Cannoli Cups

Here is a marriage of two of my favorite things: cannoli and ice cream. This is a pretty easy recipe: no eggs, no straining, barely any cooking at all. Plus, these cups are adorable, and perfect for individual party desserts. You can fully assemble and garnish them up to three days ahead of time and pop them back in the freezer, in an airtight container, until it’s time to eat. No need to defrost, you can eat them right away. I really like the wonton wrapper cups, they are crispy but not crispy enough to give you Doritos mouth shank.

Cannoli Ice Cream Cups

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Surpise Soul Mates: Strawberry Snickerdoodles

Strawberry and cinnamon are not obvious soul mates.  They are not like peanut butter and chocolate. They are the couple who when you find out they’re a couple, you go, “Really?” But then you see them together and see their chemistry, and you are like, “Ok, I see it now.”

I just thought I should let you know that you will have a revelation like this one when you eat these cookies. I’m usually a chocolate girl when it comes to cookies, cakes…well, desserts in general, I guess, but I make one exception and that is for snickerdoodles, especially these ones. Imagine a soft, pillowy mound of sugary goodness studded with juicy strawberries and lightly sprinkled with cinnamon sugar flavor.

Holy crap, they’re good.

Strawberry Snickerdoodles

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Cocktail O’Clock: Welcoming the Season

With the weather turning ever slightly colder, it’s time to start thinking about hot drinks. And by hot drinks, of course we mean spiked coffee.

Café Pacifico

1 1/2 oz Partida Blanco tequila
½ oz Coffee liqueur
4 oz Freshly brewed, hot coffee
3 Bar spoons of cinnamon and sugar mixture (4 parts granulated white sugar to 1 part ground cinnamon, mixed together)
Heavy cream

Add tequila and coffee to a warm glass. Mix in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Float heavy cream on top of the coffee. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar on top and a cinnamon stick.