Inspired by Holiday Tunes

Each year, I host the Cocktails of Christmas for my family on all the nights I am back home leading up through Christmas morning. This year’s theme is around holiday pop songs. I spend a lot of time trying to pick the perfect recipes online which means admittedly we try them for the first time the night I make them. The only exception is the one cocktail that got voted back as the favorite from the previous year.

This year’s recipes include:

• “Christmas Tree Farm”
• “A Nonsense Christmas”
• “Thank You Note”
• “Glittery”
• “Santa’s Coming For Us”
• “Like It’s Christmas”

“Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift

Ingredients:

• 2 strawberries hulled and sliced
• 0.5 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 8-10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 ounces vodka
• Ice
• 6 ounces chilled ginger beer
• Fresh mint sprig for garnish

Instructions:

• Muddle strawberries and lime juice until the berries break down. Add the mint leaves and lightly muddle. Pour in the vodka and add a handful of ice. Stir until chilled. Top with ginger beer and gently stir to combine. Garnish with mint sprig and a strawberry

“A Nonsense Christmas” by Sabrina Carpenter

Ingredients:

• 1 oz tequila
• 3 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 1 oz jalapeño simple syrup
• 1 squeeze of lime
• Splash of grapefruit soda water
• 1 jalapeño slice to garnish
• Sugar for garnish
• For the syrup:
• 3 jalapeño peppers
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• For syrup: Cut jalapeños into seedless rounds. Add sugar to boiling water. Add jalapeños to boil and then simmer 10 minutes. Cool and then remove jalapeños.

“Thank You Note” by Salem Ilese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 2 ounces bourbon
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1-2 ounces ginger syrup
• ginger beer or sparkling water, for topping

For the syrup:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
• 8 lemon zest strips
• 8 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, ginger, and lemon to a boil over high heat. Once boiling simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the mint, cover and steep 10 minutes. Strain out the ginger and mint. Stir in the vanilla. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• In a cocktail shaker, combine the pomegranate juice, bourbon, lemon juice, and 2-4 tablespoons of the ginger syrup. Shake to combine.
• Strain into an ice filled glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with fresh mint and pomegranate arils, if desired.

“Glittery” by Kasey Musgraves

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounce cranberry vodka
• .5 Cointreau
• 1oz fresh lime juice
• 1oz of white cranberry juice
• 3 cranberries to garnish

Instructions:

• In a shaker, mix cranberry vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and white cranberry juice with ice. Pour into glass and garnish with cranberries.

“Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia

Ingredients:

• 2/3 shot of RumChata
• <1/3 shot Fireball
• 1-2 Crushed Candy Canes for garnish (or sprinkles)
• Frosting

Instructions:

• Frost edges of shot glass with vanilla frosting and dip in crushed candy canes or festive sprinkles.
• Fill cups with 2/3 RumChata and top with Fireball. Refrigerate before serving.

“Like it’s Christmas” by Jonas Brothers

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce gin
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 3 ounces Champagne
• Garnish: lemon twist

Instructions:

• Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and champagne to a glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.