Sparkling Christmas Tree Cocktail
This post was originally published here on December 22, 2014. I’ve since updated the photos and text. Cheers!
I consider myself to be a bourbon kind of girl. More often than not, it’s my spirit of choice. And I love it in everything from Summer sips to cozy Fall libations.
But I’m also not one to discriminate. I want to be an equal opportunity maker and drinker of all kinds of cocktails. It just seems like the fair and right thing to do.
I’ve noticed lately that this blog has been seriously lacking in some good gin-based beverages. So I decided to fix that pesky little problem. And my timing couldn’t be any more perfect. Because gin, with it’s strong juniper berry taste and aroma, always reminds me of the Winter Holidays.
Since we’re getting REALLY close to Christmas at this point, I decided to shake up something super festive and easy. I know we’ve all got a long list of cookies to bake, decorate and eat. So I figured this wasn’t the time or place for an overly complicated cocktail with hard-to-find ingredients. Nope. This baby is real simple. And I bet you already have all of the ingredients on hand!
And I even gave it a stupidly cute name: Sparkling Christmas Tree Cocktail.
No actual Christmas trees were harmed in the making of this cocktail.
This initial inspiration for this cocktail started with a gin and tonic. I added a slash of cranberry juice for color. Then decided to swap out the tonic for club soda, so I could be more in control of the sweetness.
I had a really fun time making the sparkling “branches” for garnish (and it’s kind of how the name of this cocktail evolved). And while technically they aren’t really necessary for the actual imbibing of this beverage, I also don’t think you should skip out on them either. They are totally cute and make this Sparkling Christmas Tree Cocktail feel super special.
So I think I’m signing off until after the Christmas Holiday. I’ll be back with a new recipe in between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And of course, I’ll be lurking around Instagram. So come and find me there if you want!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Sparkling Branches
- About 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup water
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fresh cranberries
- For the Cocktails
- 1/2 cup gin
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup
- Club soda
- Sliced lime for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and the water, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the simple syrup cool slightly.
- While the simple syrup is cooling, assemble the sparkling branches. Trim your rosemary sprigs so they are about 1-inch longer than the width of your cocktail glasses. Remove and discard some of the lower leaves, leaving the main stem intact. Using a toothpick, poke a small hole all the way through the cranberries. Then thread two cranberries onto each rosemary stem. You'll want to make at least one sparkling branch for each cocktail.
- Pour the cooled simple syrup into a shallow bowl. Place the assembled branches in the simple syrup, turning them to coat. Then working with one branch at a time, remove it from the simple syrup and gently shake off any excess liquid. Hold the branch over your sink or a bowl and sprinkle it lightly with a small amount of the remaining sugar, turning the branch as you sprinkle the sugar so it coats all sides evenly. Place the sparkling branch on plate and set aside. Continue working until all the branches have been coated. Reserve some of the simple syrup for making the cocktails.
- To make the cocktails, add the gin, cranberry juice, lime juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously to chill. Then strain into two glasses with fresh ice. Top with club soda, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with a slice of lime and a sparkling branch. Serve immediately.
Apple Cider, Bourbon and Amaretto Cocktails with Brûléed Oranges
Hi Friends! Happy Monday! I’ve got an awesome Fall-themed celebratory cocktail recipe to share with you all today. It wasn’t the recipe that I had originally planned to post. In fact, I had something much more sensible in the queue (a vegan potato salad). But then I decided to say “the heck with it” and went with the giggle juice instead. I figured we’d all be happier if I did. Am I right?
Life lesson 127: cocktails always trump potato salads.
We haven’t even officially entered Fall yet, but I’m already getting to work on my Fall bucket list. Which always includes at least two obligatory trips to a local apple orchard for apple picking. It’s a quintessential New England activity that always puts a smile on my face. And did I mention that there are fresh donuts involved? Well, there are. That alone is reason enough to head out to the farms. Especially since they are apparently calorie free! Who knew?!?!
Oh and the fresh pressed apple cider (or “liquid gold”, as I like to call it) is to die for as well. It’s my favorite Fall beverage. And it just so happens to go exceedingly well with some of my go-to brown liquors, like bourbon and amaretto. I buy it by the gallons (I’m talking about the apple cider here, not the brown liquors) and then proceed to complain when it doesn’t all fit in my refrigerator. First world problems.
So true to form, I picked up some fresh apple cider from Cider Hill Farm last week and got straight to work on creating the recipe for these Apple Cider, Bourbon and Amaretto Cocktails with Brûléed Oranges. The drink part itself is very straightforward. There are no hard-to-find ingredients required or fussy techniques. In fact, all you really have to do is shake, pour and sip!
Given the relative ease of the drink portion of this cocktail, I thought it would be a fun opportunity to make up some brûléed orange slices for garnish, an idea that I saw in the New York Times cooking section a while back and have been wanting to re-create since then. They really only take an extra 5 minutes of work to prepare. And I think they add a fabulous touch to this cocktail, both with respect to taste and presentation.
Pro tip: look for oranges that are just slightly smaller in diameter than your glasses for maximum visual impact.
So what are some of your favorite Fall sippers (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)? And any other local apple orchards that I need to visit this season? Tell me!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Oranges
- 1 small orange, thinly sliced
- 1-2 tsp. sugar
- For the Cinnamon-Sugar Rim
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- For the Cocktails
- Apple Cider
- Orange Juice
- Bourbon
- Amaretto
- Angostura bitters
- Ice
Instructions
- To make the brûléed oranges, sprinkle one side of the orange slices with sugar. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the orange slices sugar-side down and cook until lightly caramelized, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the orange slices from the skillet and place them on a plate with the brûléed-side facing up. Set aside.
- Stir together all of the ingredients for the cinnamon-sugar rim and place the mixture on a small plate. Wet the rim of your glasses with some of the apple cider, then invert the glasses over the cinnamon-sugar mixture, pressing down to coat. Add a few ice cubes to the glasses and set aside.
- To make one cocktail, add 3/4 cups apple cider, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 1/2 ounces (= 1 shot) bourbon, 3/4 ounces ( = 1/2 shot) amaretto and 2-3 dashes of bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into one of your prepared glasses. Float a brûléed orange slice on top. Enjoy immediately.
