Wicked Cocktails of Christmas

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 Wicked (past themes have included Jellycats, Taylor Swift Eras, 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:

• The Oz Twister (voted back from 2024)
• Yellow Brick Road
• Emerald City Elixir
• Glinda’s Oz-mopolitan
• The Merry Munchkin
• Ruby Slipper Sip

The Oz Twister

Ingredients:

• 1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
• 3 oz orange juice
• 2 oz whiskey or bourbon
• ½ oz Cointreau
• ½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• Ginger beer for topping
• Garnishes: cranberries, thyme, orange peel

Instructions:

• Add all ingredients except ginger beer to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
• Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and strain into chilled glass.
• Top off with ginger beer and garnish with orange peel and fresh thyme (optional)

Yellow Brick Road

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• 0.5 oz Limoncello
• 1 oz Pineapple juice
• 0.25 oz Honey syrup
• Top with Prosecco
• Lemon twist
• Edible glitter

Instructions:

• Fill a shaker with ice. Add vodka, limoncello, pineapple juice, and honey syrup.
• Shake well until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or flute.
• Top with Prosecco.
• Garnish with a lemon twist and a sprinkle of gold glitter

Emerald City Elixir

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Midori melon liqueur
• 1 oz Vodka
• 2 oz Pineapple juice
• 0.5 oz fresh Lime juice
• Ice

Instructions:

• Combine the Midori, vodka, pineapple juice, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
• Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until the mixture is well-chilled. Strain the mixture into a glass.
• Garnish with a lime wheel or a melon ball, if desired, and serve immediately

Glinda’s Oz-mopolitan

The last couple of years, I’ve served one cocktail in an ornament, and it is always SO CUTE! I use 3″ clear plastic ornaments and fill them with a small funnel. This year’s theme felt like the perfect excuse to do Glinda’s bubble as a sparkly pink drink inside of one.

2024 Ornamentini Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 oz citrus-flavored vodka
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz pink cranberry juice cocktail
• Edible glitter
• Sparkling water to taste

Instructions:

• In a shaker, mix cranberry vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, pink cranberry juice, and edible glitter with ice.
• Pour into an ornament (or directly into glass) over crushed ice.
• Top with sparkling water to taste.

The Merry Munchkin

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Crème de Menthe
• 0.5 oz Chocolate Liqueur
• Splash of Cream (or Bailey’s)
• Garnish: chocolate frosting and crushed candy canes

Instructions:

• Combine liqueurs and cream in a shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Strain into the chilled glass garnished with chocolate sauce/frosting with crushed candy canes.

Ruby Slipper Sip

Ingredients:

• 1½ ounces vodka
• 1 ounce pomegranate juice
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce orange liqueur
• Garnish: lemon twist and/or rosemary

Instructions:

• Add pomegranate juice, vodka, orange liqueur and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice.
• Shake for 10-15 seconds until well chilled. Strain and pour into a martini glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist or a sprig of fresh rosemary.