Editors of Adams Media - Holiday Entertaining Essentials Festive Cocktails

Holiday Entertaining Essentials:
Festive Cocktails Delicious ideas for easy holiday celebrations Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Avon, Massachusetts Contents Introduction Hosting a holiday party is about bringing people together. If you are the one chosen to host a social gathering and feel a little weak in the knees about serving drinks to your guests, then take a deep breath, or better yet a drink! Soon youll see that theres really nothing to stress over once youve learned the basics. If you remember only one thing, remember this: holiday parties are about conversations, connecting, laughing, and feeling good. Your job is to create an environment where people can relax and where the natural thing to do is enjoy themselves. And if they do it with a delicious and innovative cocktail in their hand, all the better! You never know what guests will drink.

But when alcohol is free, beggars cant be choosers, so guests are usually satisfied with what you serve. On average, guests at a holiday party will drink about two drinks each. One bottle of wine holds four glasses, and a 750 ml bottle of liquor will give you around twenty-five shots of alcohol. You will also need about half a pound of ice per person. Make sure you keep extra ice in a cooler for backup. You need to know the number of guests to expect to calculate the amount of booze to buy.

You also decide what to serve so you can calculate the amounts. If you decide to have a specialty drink, count on every person to try it at least once. Weve gathered twenty-five of the merriest, jolliest drinks around for you to shake and not stir before serving to your holiday party guests. So throw on some holiday music, shake up your favorite martini, and rock around the Christmas tree! White Christmas Chocolatini Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounces vanilla vodka 1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur 2 ounces half-and-half White chocolate shavings Pour the first three ingredients into a shaker tin of ice. Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Sprinkle the white chocolate shavings on top.

If you are a real chocoholic, use chocolate vodka in place of the vanilla. You should be able to find a bottle at your local liquor store. Gingerbread Hot Toddy Makes 1 drink Ingredients cup water 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, thinly sliced cup sugar 1 ounce rum 1 cup hot apple cider Combine the water and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes. Add the sugar and bring to a boil again, stirring until the sugar dissolves (about 3 minutes). Strain cup into a mug and add the rum.

Fill with hot apple cider. Snowball Fight! Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounces vanilla vodka teaspoon vanilla extract 2 spoons sugar or Splenda Half-and-half or milk Crushed ice Sprinkle of cinnamon for garnish Fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Add the vanilla vodka, vanilla extract, sugar or Splenda, and fill with half-and-half or milk. Add more sugar or Splenda to taste, then garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can use plain vodka if you like, but the vanilla really makes a difference. Holly Berry Cocktail Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounces raspberry vodka ounce triple sec ounce Roses lime juice 3 ounces cranberry juice Washed holly sprig with berries (optional) Pour the raspberry vodka, triple sec, Roses lime juice, and cranberry juice into a shaker tin of ice.

Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a clean holly sprig with berries for a festive touch. (Dont eat the berries, which are toxic. Use a plastic replica if you wish.) Wintry White Russian Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounce vodka 1 ounce coffee liqueur Half-and-half or milk Fill a cocktail glass of your choice with ice. Add the vodka, coffee liqueur, and half-and-half or milk. Stir.

Add Irish cream liqueur to make a Mudslide. Replace the vodka with amaretto, and you have a Toasted Almond. Spiked Cocoa Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounce Kirschwasser 1 packet hot cocoa Hot water 1 spoonful grenadine 1 spoonful sugar Pinch of cinnamon Whipped cream or miniature marshmallows (optional, for garnish) Mix the sugar and cinnamon together on a saucer. Dip the rim of a mug into the grenadine, then into the cinnamon sugar. Pour the Kirschwasser and the packet of cocoa into the mug. Fill with hot water and stir.

Garnish with whipped cream or miniature marshmallows if desired. Hyannis Holiday Cape Coddah Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounce vodka Cranberry juice Fill a glass with ice. Pour in the vodka, then fill with cranberry juice. Some people like to garnish it with a lime. Try different flavored vodkas mixed with cranberry juice for a different taste lemon- or orange-flavored vodka would work well. Sleigh Bell Screwdriver Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounces vodka Fresh-squeezed orange juice Fill a glass with ice.

Pour in the vodka and add the orange juice to fill. If you add equal parts of cranberry and orange juice, its called a Madras. Add peach schnapps, and you have a Hairy Navel. Add sloe gin, and youve made a Sloe Screw. Add Galliano, and you have made a Harvey Wallbanger. The Merriest Margarita Makes 1 drink Ingredients 1 ounces tequila ounce triple sec ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice Sweet-n-sour mix to taste Lime wedge Kosher salt Rub lime slice around the rim of a margarita glass (or just half the rim) and dip rim in kosher salt.

Pour tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and sweet-n-sour mix into a shaker tin of ice. Shake, then strain into the glass. In addition to straight up, margaritas can be served frozen or on the rocks. Feel free to play around with different types of tequila. Try replacing the triple sec with Cointreau or Grand Marnier or with another flavoring, like melon liqueur. Angelic White Sangria Serves 16 Ingredients cup lemon juice 1 cup orange juice 1 6-ounce container frozen pink lemonade concentrate cup peach schnapps cup light rum 3 750-milliliter bottles white wine 1 cup chopped fresh cherries 1 cup chopped strawberries 1 cup chopped mango 2 16-ounce bottles ginger ale 1 lemon, thinly sliced 2 limes, thinly sliced 1 cups raspberries

1. In large pitcher, combine lemon juice, orange juice, and lemonade concentrate; mix until concentrate dissolves.

   Add schnapps, rum, and wine; stir gently, cover, and chill overnight.

2. Place cherries, strawberries, and mango in bottom of punch bowl. Add wine mixture, then stir in ginger ale. Float lemon and lime slices in the bowl and top with raspberries. Serve immediately.

Christmas Cranberry Fizz Serves 16 Ingredients 1 12-ounce can frozen apple juice concentrate 1 12-ounce can pink lemonade concentrate 2 cups orange juice 2 12-ounce cans frozen cranberry juice concentrate 6 cups cold water 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail 1 16-ounce bottle ginger aleNext page