Booze is usually a great gift for people you otherwise don’t know how to shop for, and throwing your own holiday party is perhaps the best way to give away booze … because you keep the bottle for yourself. Here are some cocktail recipes you can consider making at your soiree… or asking the bartender to whip up at someone else’s.
Stoli Baby New Year, pictured right: Combine 1.5 oz. Stoli Razberi, 1 oz. sweet Riesling and ½ oz. fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a fluted glass and top with bubbly (Barefoot or other). Garnish with a fresh raspberry.
Holiday Frost, pictured left: Combine 3 oz. Barefoot Sweet Red, ½ oz. raspberry liqueur, 1 oz. pomegranate juice, ¼ oz. lime juice and ¼ oz. simple syrup in a shaker with ice, shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with raspberries rolled in granulated sugar and skewered with a cocktail pick balanced over the rim.
Hot Buttered Monkey, pictured top: 1.5 oz. Monkey Shoulder scotch, ¾ oz. maple syrup, 4 oz. hot Chai tea. Add to a mug, lightly stir, and top with 1 teaspoon of butter.
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, pictured right: Place about a dozen mint leaves, ½ oz. maple syrup and ⅔ oz. of E&J Gallo XO Brandy in a shaker with ice; shake hard to muddle to mint. Strain into a rocks glass with crushed ice. Top with Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry and garnish with a candy cane.
Blue Winter: 1.5 oz. Reyka vodka, 1 oz. pineapple juice, 1 oz. blue Curacao and ¼ oz. lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a flute. Garnish with coconut shavings on the rim.
Lone Star Sparkler Punch, pictured left (serves 16–20): For a big gathering, combine the following over a large block of ice in a punch bowl: One bottle (750 ml) of Fistful of Bourbon and an equal amount of pear puree, 16 oz. of ginger syrup, 8 oz. of fresh lemon juice, 8 oz. chilled water. Top with 16 oz. of sparkling wine. Garnish with whole, dried star anise and lemon twists.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
