10 holiday drink ideas
It’s time for the holiday parties and family gatherings that leave you exhausted by New Year’s. When planning these events, it is easy to resort to wine, beer and soda for the adults and juice for the kids, but maybe this year you’d like to shake things up. Here’s a list of drinks for guests of all ages, including some non-alcoholic choices, to help brighten the season.
Poinsettia Champagne
https://mixthatdrink.com/poinsettia/
What you will need:
Your choice of champagne
½ ounce Cointreau
3 ounces cranberry juice
How to make it:
Put the Cointreau and cranberry juice in a chilled champagne flute. Stir them and top the rest of the way with champagne.
Optional: If you want to make your drink a little stronger, add an ounce of either vodka or gin of your choice.
Holiday Berry Sangria
http://www.marieclaire.com/food-cocktails/g523/drinks-cocktails-recipes-christmas/?slide=29
What you will need:
1 bottle Be Mixed Cucumber Mint
4 ounces Sauvignon Blanc
6 seedless grapes
7 blackberries
Splash of club soda
How to make it:
Muddle (lightly smash) the blackberries and grapes. Combine all ingredients into a glass over ice and stir.
Holiday Punch
http://inspiredbycharm.com/2015/12/jingle-juice-holiday-punch.html
What you will need:
1 bottle whipped vodka
1 bottle of pink champagne or sparkling rosé
1 2-liter bottle of Cherry 7-Up
Cranberries for garnish
How to make it:
In a punch bowl or large pitcher filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Stir well. Serve over ice and garnish with cranberries.
Peppermint White Russians
http://www.pink-parsley.com/2011/12/peppermint-white-russians.html
What you will need:
2 ounces Peppermint Mocha Kahlua
1-ounce vodka of your choice
2 ounces Milk or cream
*recipe makes 2 drinks
How to make it:
In a large glass or pitcher, combine all the ingredients and stir to combine. Divide between small glasses and add ice to fill up the glass.
Optional: To make your presentation more festive, wet the rim of the glass before pouring the drink in and press the glass into crushed candy canes.
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
http://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/apple-cider-moscow-mule/
What you will need:
4 ounces hard apple cider
4 ounces ginger beer
1.5 ounces citron vodka
Juice of half a lime
Dash of ground cinnamon
How to make it:
In a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes, hard apple cider, citron vodka, lime juice and cinnamon and shake. Pour mixture over a copper mug filled with ice and top off with the ginger beer.
Optional: Garnish with apple slices, lime wedge and cinnamon.
Cranberry Lime Mojitos
http://www.certifiedpastryaficionado.com/cranberry-lime-mojitos/
What you will need:
About a handful of fresh mint
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups white rum
½ cup lime juice
1 cup whole cranberries for garnishing
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
12 ounces sparkling water
1 lime sliced into wedges for garnishing
*recipe makes 4 mojitos
How to make it:
In a large pitcher, add fresh mint leaves and granulated sugar. Muddle to break leaves into smaller pieces. Add rum and lime juice to mint and sugar mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries, cranberry juice and sparkling water. Refrigerate if you are not serving the drink immediately. To serve, add ice to the pitcher to fill it up. Pour into individual glasses and garnish with a lime wedge.
Optional: To make your drink more festive, you can make stir sticks from the leftover cranberries. Just put them on a wooden skewer and place into each drink.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
http://immaeatthat.com/2014/11/24/red-wine-hot-chocolate/
What you will need:
1 ½ cup milk
1 cup red wine of your choice
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
*recipe makes 2 servings
How to make it:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and chocolate chips. Whisk until chocolate is melted and resembles thick, creamy chocolate milk. Add the red wine and heat until everything is hot. Pour into 2 mugs.
Optional: Top with whipped cream.
Vegan Eggnog
http://www.crazyvegankitchen.com/vegan-egg-nog-eggless-nog/
What you will need:
6 Medjool pitted dates
3 ½ cups of almond milk
½ cup of coconut milk
½ cinnamon stick
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch of sea salt
1 cup of raw cashews
2 tablespoons bourbon of your choice
¼ seeds of a vanilla pod
How to make it:
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend on high until the eggnog is smooth and creamy. Strain through a fine sieve. Keep chilled in an airtight container for up to one week.
Non-alcoholic:Crimson Christmas Punch
http://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/crimson-christmas-punch/
What you will need:
5 cups Tropical Punch
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup lemon juice
4 to 5 cups ginger ale
1-pint raspberry sherbet
*recipe makes 1 gallon
How to make it:
Make sure all the ingredients are chilled. Then combine all juices into a large punch bowl. Add the ginger ale, slowly, to keep as much fizz as possible. Add scoops of raspberry sherbet and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Double Chocolate Hot Chocolate
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/double-hot-chocolate/
What you will need:
4 cups half-and-half, light cream or whole milk
3 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 to 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
Sweetened whipped cream
Grated bittersweet chocolate
*recipe serves 8
How to make it:
In a 2-quart heavy saucepan combine half-and-half, semisweet chocolate, chopped bittersweet chocolate and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Serve in a mug.
Optional: Top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with grated bittersweet chocolate.
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Sick of turkey? Try this dish with your leftovers
For those making turkey this week, use the leftovers in an enchilada casserole
