‘Tis the season…to fill your glass!  We know you love wine and trust us, we do too, but this holiday season let’s spike your drink with a little color and festive cheer.  I know it’s early on a Tuesday but it’s 5 o’clock somewhere and we’re making cocktails to celebrate!

Cocktail recipes are amazing because they’re amazing ways to step outside of the typical gin and tonic atmosphere at this year’s party.  Any time a drink involves more than two ingredients and actual steps beyond “add soda” you know the end result is going to be super fancy and delicious.  Let’s cook some drinks!

Grasshopper

Ingredients

1½ oz. cognac

1 oz. green crème de menthe

1 oz. white crème de cacao

1 oz. thick cream

½ oz gran marnier

Chocolate shavings

Instructions

1. Add everything except for the chocolate shavings into your shaker with ice and shake.
2. Pour into your glass and add the chocolate shavings on top.
3. Drink it and enjoy!

Hibiscus Martini

Ingredients

2 ounces Chopin vodka

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

1 ounce Fresh squeezed lime juice

3/4 ounce Hibiscus syrup* (recipe below)

Instructions

1. Make hibiscus Syrup: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 2 tsp dried hibiscus. Cook for 10 minutes and add 1 cup superfine sugar and cook until it dissolves.
2. Pour vodka and other ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an edible hibiscus flower.

Champagne cocktail

Ingredients

1 ounce orange liqueur

4 ounces champagne

Mandarin peel, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour liqueur into a champagne flute; top with champagne.
2. Twist mandarin peel over glass and gently drop into cocktail.

Happy Cooking!