Photo Credit: Brooke Lark, Upsplash
We can almost taste that the winter break is coming.
Jonathan Hsu, Contributor
Hey everyone, Johnnay here! With the holidays around the corner, I want to share some fun cocktail recipes for y’all to try. Rather than following the traditional format of giving you my life story before explaining the recipes, I’ll just jump right in.
In my opinion, the most essential drink you need to have around Christmas time is a “Spiked Hot Chocolate.” The recipe is extremely easy and only consists of 5 ingredients, one of which is optional:
- Hot chocolate
- Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Kahlua coffee
- Liquor of choice (optional)
- Marshmallows
First, prepare a cup of hot chocolate however you like. Make sure that it’s nice and hot.
When prepared, stir in a shot (1 ½ oz) of both Bailey’s and Kahlua. The drink now tastes like a hot chocolate with tiramisu. Feel free to play around with the measurements to create your desired taste.
Of course, it wouldn’t be hot chocolate without marshmallows… so make sure to add plenty for garnish.
Finally, if you’d like to add a kick to the drink, I recommend adding a shot (1 ½ oz) of some marshmallow vodka or a spiced rum to add flavour and alcoholic content to the drink.
If you’d like a nice cinnamon kick, you can also add a shot (1 ½ oz) of Fireball whiskey.
For all of those under the legal drinking age, here’s a variation on this recipe.
Ingredients:
- Hot chocolate
- Sugar
- Instant coffee
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Marshmallows
One or more nights prior to when you wish to make this drink, dissolve a handful of marshmallows in a cup of warm water and then cool the marshmallow water in the fridge for a few hours. Use this water to make Marshmallow Simple Syrup by boiling it with sugar in a saucepan.
When ready, make your hot chocolate (make sure it’s nice and hot!) and combine it with a spoonful of instant coffee, a spoonful of sugar, half a spoonful of cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla extract, and the marshmallow simple syrup. Once again, feel free to play around with the measurements to taste.
Finally, garnish with (many) marshmallows.
For my next drink, I’d like to share an old favourite of mine, the Gingerbread Rye Whiskey Sour. You’ll need the following:
- 3 oz of whiskey (I recommend Forty Creek Rye Whiskey)
- 1 shot (1 ½ oz) of lime juice
- 1 shot (1 ½ oz) of gingerbread syrup (recipe below)
- 1 egg white, or aquafaba for those with dietary restrictions
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
First make the gingerbread syrup by combining 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil and simmer until it becomes simple syrup.
When the syrup cools, add all remaining ingredients with the syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake until foamy.
When ready, strain it into a glass and enjoy.
For you day drinkers reading this, here is a final recipe to try: Christmas Mimosas! Like normal mimosas, this recipe is very simple.
All you’ll need are these 3 things:
- Tangerine juice
- Cranberry juice
- Prosecco
Start by pouring the tangerine juice into a quarter of a champagne flute and add equal portions of cranberry juice. And add ice.
Top up with prosecco and enjoy. (For a nonalcoholic variation, try using soda or tonic water.)
If you’d like to elevate this experience, you can prepare special ice cubes for garnish. Freeze pieces of cranberry, citrus fruits, and rosemary into ice cubes or balls the night before and use those!
