Cocktails of Swiftmas

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 Swiftmas (past themes have included Christmas songs and Christmas movie characters). 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:

• ME!
• Lover
• Ivy
• All Too Well
• Midnight Rain
• You Are in Love

ME! (Lover)

“Livin’ in winter, I am your summer”

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Tequila
• 1 oz Cranberry Juice (I used white cranberry juice)
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• Grapefruit Soda
• Fresh Cranberries and Lime Wedge for garnish

Instructions:

• Shake tequila, cranberry juice, and lime juice with ice.
• Strain into a glass filled with ice, top with grapefruit soda, and garnish with cranberries and a lime wedge.

Lover (Lover)

“We can keep the Christmas lights up til January”

Ingredients:

• Vanilla frosting and sprinkles, for rimming the glass
• 1 1/2 ounce vanilla vodka
• 1 1/2 ounces Irish cream
• 2 ounces milk of choice
• 1 ounce amaretto
• Ice

Instructions:

• Spread the frosting along the rim of a martini glass and dip in sprinkles.
• In a cocktail shaker, combine the vanilla vodka, Irish cream, milk, amaretto, powdered sugar, and ice.
• Close lid and shake for at least 15 seconds to mix and chill. Pour into the prepared glass & serve.

Ivy (Evermore)

“In from the snow, your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand”

Ingredients:

• 1 oz pomegranate juice
• 1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 oz citron vodka
• ½ oz Cointreau
• Pomegranate seeds or cranberries, for garnish
• Orange slice, for garnish
• Rosemary, for garnish
• Soda water to top

Instructions:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add pomegranate juice, orange juice, citron vodka and cointreau. Shake for 30 seconds.
• Funnel into plastic ornament.
• Garnish with fresh cranberries, an orange slice and rosemary.
• Top with soda water once poured.

all too well (red)

“I still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell. I remember it all too well.”

Ingredients:

• Honey
• 3 T. shredded sweetened coconut
• 2 oz vodka
• Squeeze of lime
• 1.5 oz grenadine
• Gingerale and/or sprite
• maraschino cherries
• candy cane (optional)

Instructions:

• Dip the rim in honey and then coconut.
• Fill the glass with ice, add vodka, lime juice, and grenadine; fill the remainder of the glass with lemon-lime soda.
• Garnish with maraschino cherries (or cranberries) and a candy cane.

midnight rain (midnights)

“Picture perfect shiny family, holiday, peppermint candy, but for him, it’s every day”

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.

you are in love (1989)

“You two are dancing in a snow globe ‘round and ‘round”

Ingredients:

• orange juice
• cranberry juice
• champagne

Instructions:

• Freeze orange juice and cranberry juice into an ice mold. A
• dd juice cubes to glass and pour champagne.