Spread holiday cheer with these fave cocktails and punches featuring the most popular spirits. There’s something for everyone. –yvette caslin
Kissed Caramel Appletini
Ingredients:
2.0unces SMIRNOFF Kissed Caramel Vodka
1.5 ounces apple juice
¼ ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with thin apple slices and a caramel rim.
Cîroc Vodka and Cranberry Punch
Ingredients:
4 cups chilled cranberry juice cocktail
2 cups chilled orange juice
2 cups Cîroc vodka
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Ice cubes
2 oranges, thinly sliced
Preparation:
Mix first eight ingredients in large glass pitcher; stir until well blended. Refrigerate two hours to allow flavors to blend, or as early as one day in advance. Keep refrigerated.
Fill eight tall glasses with ice cubes and pour punch. Garnish each glass with orange slice and serve.
Pomengranate-Champagne Punch
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 750-ml bottles chilled brut champagne (Veuve Clicquot)
1 1/2 cups Bacardi Limón rum
1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
Pomegranate seeds
Fresh mint leaves
1 ice block
Preparation:
Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely. Combine champagne, rum, and pomegranate juice in punch bowl. Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste. Mix in lemon slices, pomegranate seeds, and mint leaves. Add ice block to bowl.
Spiced Pear Sangria
Ingredients:
1 bottle chilled Cupcake dry riesling
1 bottle chilled champagne
3 ounces Damiana liqueur, an herbal liqueur with citrus and vanilla flavors
2 freshly sliced pears
2 apples, sliced and cored
20 whole cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
Preparation:
In a large pitcher, add the pears, apples, cloves and nutmeg. Add the Damiana liqueur and stir. Add the wine and stir gently. Refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to serve, pour in your champagne, stirring it slowly within the mixture. Serve in an ice-filled wineglass.
Hot Peppermint Rod
Ingredients:
Cîroc vodka
Peppermint schnapps
Grenadine syrup
hot water
Whipped cream
Peppermint rod
Bartender spoon
Preparation:
Fill Irish coffee mug with two parts vodka, two parts peppermint schnapps, two parts grenadine syrup (for color). Add hot water (to fill mug) and top with whip cream. Garnish with a peppermint rod and grenadine drizzled over the whipped cream.
