5 Tasty Holiday Cocktail Recipes

With the holidays just right around the corner, I thought I’d put together 5 Tasty Holiday Cocktail Recipes.  These are all original recipes written and concocted by David Edessa.  For all of David’s fun cocktail party recipes check out his Cocktail Corner!

Apple Cranberry Cider

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts (8 cups) Apple juice
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• ½ cup Pure Maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Whole Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Whole Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger
• 3 Cinnamon sticks 

Instructions:

Pour juice into a tall pot with a lid and turn on heat to high. Prepare spices and add to pot. When pot reaches a boil, turn to the lowest setting. Let simmer about 15 minutes. Strain the cider through a fine sieve onto a second pot. Return cider to heat source or pour into a crock pot to keep warm. Ladle into mugs and enjoy.

Coquito (Puerto Rico’s Christmas spiked eggnog)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Coconut Cream
• 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Dark Rhum
• 1 cup Spiced Rhum
• 1 cup of Water
• 4 Egg Yolks, well beaten
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
• Pinch of Salt
• 3 Cinnamon Sticks
• Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

Instructions:

Boil the water and the cinnamon sticks, then allow to cool to room temperature (don’t forget to remove cinnamon sticks). In a blender or food processor combine the coconut cream, evaporated & condensed milk, salt, egg yolks and vanilla, and blend at high speed for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth. Add the dark rhum, spiced rhum, orange liqueur, and cinnamon water; blend for a few seconds longer until ingredients have blended completely. You need to add the water because it will get thicker later in the refrigerator. This is also the best time to taste and add more rhum (rum) if you wish to have a stronger batch. Pour the coqui into a glass container, preferable bottles (easier to pour into glasses at time of service). Refrigerate the coqui for 4-6 hours, or until it is thoroughly chilled. Remove from refrigerator about 15-20 minutes (if too thick) before serving, then shake bottle well. To serve, pour the Coquito into a chilled parfait or punch glasses and sprinkle the top lightly with nutmeg. A pinch martini or short juice glasses will do.

Pumpkin Maple Toddy

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Crown Royal Maple Finish Whiskey
• ½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ tsp. Organic Honey
• 1 tsp. Pumpkin Butter (recipe below)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 strip Lemon Peel
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• Hot Water

Instructions:

Pour the honey, boiling water, and whiskey into a mug. Put in a slice of lemon peel. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes so the flavors can mingle. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

White Pumpkin Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1¼ oz. Vanilla Rhum
• ¾ oz. White Crème de Cacao liqueur
• 1½ oz. Pumpkin Butter
• ½ oz. 2% Whole Organic Milk

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine rhum, pumpkin butter, liqueur and milk. Shake well and pour all contents including the ice in a tall mug.

Salted Butter Pecan Martini

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka ( your favorite brand will due in a Vanilla Vodka)
• ¾ oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
• ¾ oz. Frangelico Liqueur
• ½ oz. Baileys Caramel
• 1 oz. Heavy Cream
• Torani Salted Caramel syrup

Glass Prep Instructions:

Place martini glass in freezer for 15 minutes to half an hour. Pour the caramel syrup into a shallow plate and in another plate crushed candied pecans. Then, dip the rim of a chilled martini glass into the plate with the caramel syrup and then dip the chilled glass into the plate with the crushed candied pecans. When done place prepped glass on parchment paper for easy release and place in freezer until ready to use.