Ten great cocktails to get you through the holidays in style.
APPLETON ESTATE: 12 YO BLUE MOUNTAIN SERVE
Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old Rare Casks is a Jamaican gem. Blending it with coffee beans in this unique process enhances its character and delivers an extraordinary cocktail.
INGREDIENTS
12 premium coffee beans
2 oz. Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old Rare Casks
METHOD
Muddle 8 coffee beans in a cocktail shaker until cracked
(not ground). Add ice and rum, stir, and strain into an ice-filled (preferably one large cube) Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the remaining coffee beans.
TANQUERA: POMEGRANATE SGROPPINO
Zesty, floral and tart, this Tanqueray No. Ten cocktail strikes the perfect balance of seasonal flavours — along with a festive touch of bubbles. It’s the perfect choice for holiday hosting with flare.
INGREDIENTS
1 oz Tanqueray No. Ten gin 1⁄2 oz rose vermouth
1 scoop pomegranate sorbet 3 oz prosecco
GARNISH
Grated orange zest Edible gold leaf (optional)
METHOD
Combine Tanqueray No. Ten and rose vermouth in a glass. Add the sorbet and prosecco and garnish with orange zest and (optional) gold leaf.
DEANSTON: THE BLACKBERRY VIRGIN OAK
Deanston Virgin Oak is in a category of one. This waxy whisky has a taste, aroma and texture that leaves a lasting impression. It has the delightful sweetness of candied fruits and vanilla toffee, balanced with heather honey. It tastes great neat, holds its texture and balance when served over ice and in a cocktail, adds an extra dimension.
INGREDIENTS
8 blackberries
13⁄4 oz Deanston Virgin Oak
3⁄4 oz blackberry brandy (optional)
3⁄4 oz lemon juice 1⁄2 oz simple syrup lemon twist
METHOD
Muddle 7 blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, Deanston Virgin Oak, brandy (optional), lemon juice and syrup, and stir. Strain into a glass over ice and garnish with a blackberry and a lemon twist.
RABBIT HOLE: BOURBON-INFUSED DALGONA COFFEE
This cocktail combines complex and sweet Cavehill Four Grain Bourbon with the rich flavors of coffee and chocolate esters in a TikTok-inspired Dalgona coffee. To be enjoyed over Sunday brunch, for an afternoon pick-me-up, or just about any occasion over the holidays.
INGREDIENTS
11⁄2 oz Rabbit Hole Cavehill Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey
2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp sugar
250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
METHOD
Combine Rabbit Hole bourbon, coffee, sugar and 2 tbsp cold water in a bowl. Blend with a hand mixer until it forms stiff peaks — about 5 minutes. Fill a glass three-quarters full with ice and milk and top with the bourbon-coffee mixture.
KENTUCKY OWL: WISE CHAI NEW FASHIONED
Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon has an opening note of sweet caramel aroma, followed by a warming allspice lift, a sprinkling of citrus and a hint of oak. Caramel and allspice continue on the palate — and in the long finish.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon
1⁄2 oz chai syrup*
2 dashes aromatic bitters
GARNISH
orange zest star anise
cinnamon stick, smoking (optional)
METHOD
Combine bourbon, syrup and bitters in a cocktail shaker
over ice and stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice (preferably one large cube or sphere). Garnish with orange zest, star anise, and cinnamon stick.
*Transfer 250 ml (1 cup) water to a saucepan, boil and add 1 chai tea bag. Steep, discard tea, and add 250 ml (1 cup) sugar. Stir on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
WHITLEY NEILL GIN: UNCLE CLAR-IFY
Inspired by the advent of fall, this fruity, nutty, smooth but tart cocktail features grapefruit and lemon paired with smoky thyme, with the bite of juniper — and the softness of its clarified Select Aperitivo base. This magnificent cocktail comes courtesy of Nicholas Masci at Toronto’s David Rocco Bar Aperitivo.
INGREDIENTS
3⁄4 oz aquafaba
3⁄4 oz grapefruit juice
3⁄4 oz simple syrup
1⁄4 oz lemon juice
1 oz Whitley Neill Rhubarb Ginger Gin
3⁄4 oz clarified Select Aperitivo*
GARNISH
1 sprig thyme, torched
METHOD
Combine acquafaba, grapefruit juice, syrup and lemon juice over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until foamy. Add gin and clarified Select Aperitivo. Shake again. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass and garnish with thyme.
*To make clarified Select Aperitivo, combine 2 oz Select Aperitivo, 2 oz Cocchi Rossa, 2 oz dry vermouth, 11⁄2 oz grapefruit juice, 1⁄4 oz aromatic bitters, 1⁄4 oz orange bitters in a cocktail shaker and stir. Add 11⁄2 oz milk and stir until it curdles. Strain through a coffee filter and transfer to the refrigerator.
HERRADURA: WINTER SPICED PINEAPPLE SOUR
Herradura Reposado Tequila is aged for a full 11 months in oak barrels — a process that adds smooth notes of winter spice and stewed fruit to the spirit. It also makes this reposado the perfect tequila for this very seasonal fall sour, with its flavours of smoke, cinnamon, allspice and charred pineapple. Tequila is not just for summertime.
INGREDIENTS
11⁄2 oz Herradura Reposado Tequila
1⁄2 oz mezcal 3⁄4 oz lime juice
1⁄2 oz winter spice pineapple syrup
GARNISH
1 pineapple leaf
Combine Tequila, mezcal, lime juice and syrup over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well, then strain into a rocks glass over ice, and garnish.
WOODFORD RESERVE: BRULÉED ORANGE OLD FASHIONED
This cocktail is the perfect smooth sipper for holiday entertaining. The rich bruléed orange flavour of the orange bitters balanced with demerara sugar pairs beautifully with Woodford Reserve’s notes of winter spice, oak and vanilla.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
1⁄4 oz demerara sugar syrup
2 dashes Woodford Reserve orange bitters
2 dashes Woodford Reserve aromatic bitters
GARNISH
1 orange slice, dusted with sugar and torched
1 sprig rosemary
Combine bourbon, syrup, and both bitters over ice in a rocks glass. Stir until ice is nearly melted and then add more ice. Garnish with orange slice and rosemary.
FLOR DE CAÑA: VANILLA CHAI OLD FASHIONED
The fragrant spiciness of chai tea syrup plays perfectly off the excellent character of this aged Flor de Caña rum. Lightened with lemon juice and balanced with orange bitters, this rum-based play on an Old Fashioned makes for a deliciously warming holiday cocktail.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum
11⁄2 oz chai tea syrup* 1 oz lemon juice
1 dash orange bitters sparkling water
GARNISH
cinnamon stick
star anise
METHOD
Combine rum, syrup, lemon juice and bitters over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with cinnamon and star anise.
*Combine 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water and 4 chai tea bags in a saucepan, cover, and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the tea, add 80 ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
ST-RÉMY SIGNATURE: FRENCH OLD FASHIONED
This Cocktail delivers a gentle note of oak, a touch of natural sweetness and a long, rounded finish. It’s a French twist on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz St-Rémy Signature
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 dashes orange bitters
Combine sugar & bitters, add 1 oz St-Rémy, stir until sugar is dissolved. Add ice and remaining 1 oz St-Rémy and stir to desired dilution.
