It’s the season to get tipsy. Here are the cocktails that make our holidays happy
We’re all about the holiday spirit, and we mean “spirit” quite literally. Your tree shouldn’t be the only thing getting lit this year, so we’ve rounded up some of our favorite festive drink recipes for you. Find them around Miami or get hands-on and make them yourself.
Fall Back White Sangria
What’s in it:
2 ounces of white wine
1/2 ounce of apple schnapps
1 ounce of brandy
1/4 ounce of cinnamon schnapps
1 ounce of orange juice
Muddled green apples
How to make it:
Stir the ingredients together and garnish with cinnamon tequila-compressed apples.
Where to get it: Gili’s Beach Club
18001 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach; 305-692-5777
Jezebel's 75
What’s in it:
2 strawberries
1/2 ounce of orange juice
1/2 ounce of simple syrup
2 ounces of Absolut Elyx vodka
Top with champagne
How to make it:
Muddle the strawberry in a tin, add all the ingredients except the champagne, shake and strain into a chilled Elyx Coupe. Then top with champagne.
Where to get it: Jezebel Bar + Kitchen
1625 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach; 786-275-6324
Grandma Sue's Bloody Mary
What’s in it:
1 1/2 ounces of vodka
3/4 ounce of lime juice
3/4 ounce of Malbec wine
3/4 ounce of Grandma Sue’s Secret Sauce*
3 ounces of tomato juice
How to make it:
Add ingredients to shaker, add ice and roll to cool and mix, but don’t break the ice or add too much water. Pour over ice. Garnish with olives and lime. We also use Hawaiian Black salt rim and snap peas.
*Onions, cilantro, sweet pickle juice, celery, Dijon mustard, Valentina Hot Sauce, Worchester Sauce, celery salt, black pepper, sea salt, blended.
Where to get it: Sweet Liberty
237 20th St., Suite B, Miami Beach; 305-763-8217
Old Fashioned
What’s in it:
1 1/2 ounces of Old Forester bourbon
1/2 ounce of Stolen Smoked Rum
1/2 ounce of Turkish coffee reduction
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
How to make it:
Stir and serve in a rocks glass over a single large ice cube with an orange zest.
Where to get it: Byblos Miami
1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-508-5041
El Leñador
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What’s in it:
2 ounces of hickory-bacon-smoke infused bourbon
1/3 ounce of maple syrup
5 dashes of bacon bitters
How to make it:
Bring all the ingredients to a mixing beaker. Stir until the desired dilution is reached. Strain over a big ice cube into an old-fashioned glass previously smoked with hickory wood. Garnish with a strip of candied bacon.
Where to get it: Leynia at the Delano Hotel
1685 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-674-5752
Midnight in Miami
What’s in it:
2 ounces of Stillhouse coconut whiskey
1 ounce of Creme de Cacao
1 ounce of Cafe Bustelo Espresso
1/2 ounce of half and half
How to make it:
Add Stillhouse coconut whiskey, Creme de Cacao, half and half, espresso and ice into a shaker. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Rim the glass with shaved coconut.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
Hustle Hard Cider
What’s in it:
1 ounce of chilled Stillhouse apple crisp whiskey
4 ounces of hard apple cider
How to make it:
In a pilsner glass, add the chilled Stillhouse apple crisp whiskey and top with hard apple cider. Garnish with a thin lemon slice.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
Sweet Winter Heat
How to make it:
Coquito
What’s in it:
3/4 ounce of lemon juice
3/4 ounce of cinnamon simple syrup
1 1/2 ounce of coconut water
1 1/2 ounce of Afrohead Premium Dark Aged Rum
1 egg white
How to make it:
Shake all the ingredients vigorously to incorporate the egg white. Top with grated nutmeg.
Where to get it: Repour Miami Beach
1650 James Ave., Miami Beach; 305-913-1000
Winter At Bay by Chicago's Scott Lobianco
What’s in it:
2 ounces of Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1/2 ounce of Tawney Port
3/4 ounce of simple syrup
3/4 ounce of lemon juice
5 pear slices (2 for garnish)
2 rosemary sprigs
How to make it:
Add three pear slices and one sprig of rosemary to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Combine all the remaining ingredients in the cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and two pear slices.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
Maine Event by Chicago's Kyle Davidson
What’s in it:
2 ounces of Knob Creek Rye
1 ounce of sweet vermouth
1 whole fresh cherry
Rinse of coffee liqueur
1 dash of Angostura Bitters
How to make it:
Muddle one cherry in a mixing glass. Add Knob Creek Rye, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters to the glass, and let it sit for about a minute. Fill the glass with the largest ice cubes available and stir until cold. Put a dash of coffee liqueur around the inside of a chilled, stemmed glass. Pour the cold drink into a rocks glass, using a strainer to catch any cherry bits.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
Scotsman's Holiday Spice
What’s in it:
1 1/2 ounces of Laphroaig 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky
1 ounce of Amaretto
3/4 ounce of lemon juice
1/4 ounce of simple syrup
1 medium egg white
Fresh cinnamon (for garnish)
How to make it:
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker tin and shake first without ice to emulsify the egg white. Open tin, carefully add ice and shake hard until cold and frothy. Double strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
Hot Buttered Rum
What’s in it:
1 ounce of Cruzan Single Barrel Rum
2 heaping spoonfuls of batter
Steaming hot water
Batter ingredients:
1 pound of brown sugar
1/2 lb. Salted Butter
4 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
How to make it:
Fill a coffee mug 1/2 full with hot water. Stir in the batter until it’s dissolved. Add rum and top with steaming hot water. Serve with a stir stick or a cinnamon stick.
Where to get it: Make it yourself.
This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 12:11 AM.