Brighten Up The Holidays With These 7 Cocktails

Boyd & Blair’s Spicy Bloody Mary

Barry Young, president and head stiller of Pennsylvania-based Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka, says sriracha sauce is the kicker and provides nice heat to warm up on a cold New Year’s Day. “The balance of vitamin C coupled with the generous amount of vodka gets one moving again after a late night,” he says.

• 1.5 oz. Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka
• 1.5 oz. house made tomato juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1 pinch of kosher salt
• 1 dash white pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a martini shaker with ice and shake until blended.
2. Garnish with celery, olives and citrus.

Squares’ Red Velvet Cocktail

“The Red Velvet will be like plush velvet pillows for a pounding head,” says Bryan Schneider, or bar director at hot New York City bar/lounge Squares. “Fruity Lambrusco blends lushly with crisp dry cider for an easy drinking hangover cure on the dawn of the New Year.”

• 4 oz. Lambrusco (or other dry sparkling red wine)
• 4 oz. dry hard apple cider

1. Stir together slowly in a tall glass over ice.
2. Garnish with slices of apple. 

Over the Fire Cocktail with TX Whiskey

Leonard Firestone, co-founder of Fort Worth Texas-based Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co., says, “I love this cocktail while watching football on New Year’s Day. It’s warm and flavorful with the dramatic flare of a S’more. You’ll be spirited and energized!”

• 2 oz. TX Whiskey
• .25 oz. Crème de Cocoa
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

1. Stir and pour over ice into a tumbler.
2. Garnish with torched micro-marshmallows and graham cracker dust.

The Nespresso Coffee Martini

“The Nespresso Coffee Martini is the perfect cocktail for sipping and savoring over the holidays, especially over brunch on New Year’s Day,” says the brand’s coffee ambassador James Pergola. “I’d recommend using a Nespresso Ristretto capsule for strong flavor and depth.”

• 1 Nespresso Ristretto capsule (Nespresso capsule of your choice)
• .5 oz. Absolut Vanilia flavored vodka
• 1 oz. milk
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
• Ice cubes

1. Prepare the Ristretto capsule in your Nespresso machine.
2. Pour all ingredients in a shaker, shake vigorously.
3. Add the hot espresso.
4. Pour everything into a martini glass and serve. 

Gwen’s Frosé Cocktail

“A big batch of Frosé will never be frowned upon, and it isn’t so alcoholic that it knocks your socks off,” says Mitch Buschell, head bartender at new L.A. restaurant Gwen. “I like something that I can sip on for a while, is full of flavor, and reminds me of how much fun I had the night before.”

• 5 oz. bone dry rosé
• 1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur
• .5 oz. Tempus Fugit Kina wine aperitif 
• A dash of orange bitters

1. Combine all ingredients in a freezer-safe container, and freeze at least 6 hours (liquid won’t freeze solid due to alcohol content).
2. In the morning, transfer to a blender and blend until frosé is slushy.

Corkbuzz’s The First Ray

Corkbuzz Union Square’s head bartender Jake Neumann wanted to create a cocktail made with sparkling wine because they’re known for unique champagne offerings. “This is a lower-alcohol content cocktail with hangover-mending ingredients such as ginger liqueur (anti-inflammatory), bitters (to aid stomach digestion) and magnesium-rich fig syrup,” says Neumann. “Plus, the orange, fig, and ginger all compliment the subtle autolytic (yeast related) flavors in the Cremant d’Alsace.”

• 3 oz. Crémant d’Alsace, dry champagne or cava
• 1 oz Domaine de Canton French ginger liqueur
• 3/4 oz blood orange juice
• 1/3 oz Angostura bitters
• 1/3 oz fig-agave syrup

1. Shake all ingredients but the champagne with ice, and strain into a chilled champagne coupe.
2. Squeeze a blood orange twist over the glass before adding sparkling wine.
3. Top with Crémant d’Alsace, dry champagne or cava (we use a Crémant d’Alsace from independent producer Barmès-Buecher).

Fig-Agave Syrup

• 1 cup dried Black Mission figs, chopped
• 1 cup agave syrup
• 1.5 cup water

1. Bring figs and water to a boil.
2. Lower heat to a simmer, stirring in agave syrup.
3. Let it simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Remove fig solids from syrup and cool.

Absolut Snowball

“The Absolut Snowball tastes like the holiday season in a glass,” says Kevin Denton, national mixologist for Pernod Ricard. “And it gets its winter glow from the addition of peppermint syrup. Don’t despair if you can’t get your hands on that—just add a few candy canes to the vodka in the blender.”

• 2 parts Absolut Original.
• 5 parts almond milk.
• 5 parts lemon juice.
• 5 parts lime juice.
• 5 parts peppermint syrup
• 1.5 parts soda
• 1 egg white

1. Combine all ingredients except soda in a cocktail shaker.
2. Dry shake until emulsified.
3. Add ice and shake until cold.
4. Coat the outside of a globe with a lemon wedge, and coat with superfine sugar.
5. Strain cocktail into the globe, top with soda, and (if you’re feeling especially fancy) garnish with an angostura snowflake stencil.