Holiday Cocktails

Good spirits and holiday celebrations are in the air. Festive get-togethers are popping up everywhere and nothing says “tis the season” better than a good holiday cocktail!  So spice it up.

We’ve compiled 6 of the hottest winter cocktails from top bartenders in the city. These recipes are so tasty and easy to make, you’ll want to impress your guests by serving them at a holiday party. Fortunately, our bartenders were kind enough to share their recipes.

Raise your glass and share a toast to these traditional (with a twist) holiday cocktails.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from:

The Fairmont Empress- Bengal Lounge

721 Government Street, (250) 384-8111

The Skating Rink

Ingredients:

½ oz. Peppermint Schnapps

½ oz. Bailey’s

½ oz. Kahlua

½ oz. Crème de Cacao

2 oz.. Egg Nog

Directions:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add all ingredients. Shake well. Strain and pour into martini glass. Garnish with chocolate flakes.

Canoe Brew Pub

450 Swift Street, (250) 361-1940

The Chai Alexander

Ingredients:

1 oz. St. Remy brandy

1 oz. Crème de Cacao

½ oz.. house chai syrup (sugar and chai tea reduction)

1 whole egg

½ oz. of cream

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake (no ice) for 5-10 seconds until nice and fluffy. Add a scoop of ice and shake hard for 5 seconds. Strain into a chilled rock glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Perro Negro

536 Yates Street, (250) 382-2344

The Anticuado (“A Spanish Old Fashioned”)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. almond infused bourbon (recipe below)

½ oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry (if unavailable, substitute Port)

3-4 dashes of bitters

½ inch-thick slice of orange

Directions:

Place orange and bitters in the bottom of a double rock glass. Muddle together and then remove orange pieces, leaving just the liquid. Add a scoop of ice, pour in spirits and stir. Top with a little more ice and stir again. Garnish with a few cherries or an orange slice.

Almond Infused Bourbon:

Rough chop your almonds— you will need enough to have a ratio of 1 cup chopped nuts to 2 cups base liquid (in this case, bourbon). Combine the almonds and bourbon in a container, or jar, with a lid and let sit for a day or two to infuse the almond flavour. Taste and continue infusing for up to a week if desired. Strain, or filter, out the chopped almonds (a coffee filter works well).

Catalano Cicchetti Bar

619 Courtney Street, (250) 480-1824

PX Flip

Ingredients:

1 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry (if unavailable, use Port)

1 oz. dark rum

1 whole egg

Dash of chocolate bitters

Grated chocolate or nutmeg

Directions:

In a shaker, add all the ingredients except for the grated chocolate or nutmeg. First shake without ice (dry shake). Then add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass using a double strainer. Garnish with chocolate flakes or nutmeg.

Fiamo

515 Yates Street, (250) 388-5824

The Cajun Pie Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 oz. Makers Mark

1oz. Chai tea reduction (Tazo Tea condensed works well)

¼ of a fresh lime, squeezed

Dash of chili-infused simple syrup

Somersby Cider

Directions:

Fill a double rocks glass with ice, and add the first four ingredients. Give a gentle stir, top with Sombersby cider and serve garnished with a cinnamon stick.

Veneto Tapa Lounge

1450 Douglas, (250) 383-7310

A Frisky Little Eggnog

Note: This festive cocktail is a boozy one. It can easily be made with less alcohol by simply dividing the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Cruzan Rum

1 oz. Galliano Vanilla Liqueur

¼ oz. Jamaican Pimento Dram (Allspice Liqueur)

1 whole egg

¼ teaspoon fresh grated cinnamon

Directions:

Add all ingredients except the cinnamon to a shaker and dry shake for 10 seconds. This allows the egg to fluff up and creates a rich creaminess. Gently stir and strain into a punch cup. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy. Note: This festive cocktail is a

Veneto goes one step further by finishing their eggnog with a toasty brulee crust. Want to make your drink one too? Create a sugar crust and brulee away!

Here are three easy ways to make a burnt sugar—brulee—crust at home.

The Classic Method: The Brulee Torch

Turn a cocktail glass upside down onto a piece of parchment paper trace around and cut a little smaller than the diameter of your glass. Put your oven rack just underneath your broiler. Turn the oven onto its broil setting. Place the disk of parchment paper on baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Broil carefully just until the sugar begins to liquefy. Remove and let disk cool quickly. Once your cocktail is rimmed and the drink poured, garnish with the disk.

The Practical Method: The Broiler

Turn a cocktail glass upside down onto a piece of parchment paper trace around and cut a little smaller than the diameter of your glass. Put your oven rack just underneath your broiler. Turn the oven onto its broil setting. Place the disk of parchment paper on baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Broil carefully just until the sugar begins to liquefy. Remove and let disk cool quickly. Once your cocktail is rimmed and the drink poured, garnish with the disk.

The Use What You Have Method: The Grill Lighter

Sprinkle a thin layer of superfine sugar on the surface of your cocktail, light the grill lighter and in a circular motion, gently toast the sugar until browned.