Getting ready for a Holiday Party - Cocktails

It's always great to have a well-stocked bar for when friends come over.  But for a party, I like to keep it simple. 

I usually include:

a few bottles of Presecco or Cava

great bottle of gin (I prefer Hendrick's) 

good bottle of vodka

plenty of tonic (and maybe even a bottle of diet tonic too)

sodas - coke, diet coke & either ginger ale or sprite

at least one juice to mix (usually cranberry)

I like to always have a bottle of St-Germain on hand too.

photo from the late, great Domino Magazine

As I was trying to decide what drink to serve at this year's holiday party, I studied each of these recipes below, not being able to decide which I should serve.

In the end, I went with a very, very, very simple idea that was an absolute hit.  I served Presecco with a little pomegranate juice and garnished with pomegranate seeds. It was beautiful, festive and SO easy.  I had a bottle of St-Germain for people to make the drink a bit sweeter if they wished.

Let me know what you decide to serve!

The Vieux Mot

From the lovely Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper Blog

The Vieux Mot

1 oz Gin

1 oz St-Germain

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1/4 oz Simple Syrup

1/4 oz Cointreau

1. Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker and shake for about 20 seconds.  

2. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a cherry, and enjoy!

Champagne Cocktail 

From Sweet Paul online magazine   if you have not seen this magazine - make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, set aside 30 minutes and let yourself get lost in his dreamy magazine.

Sweet Paul's Champagne Cocktail

For 1 Glass:

3 oz of champagne 

1/3 oz of cognac 

2 dashes of Angostura bitters 

1 sugar cube 

1.) Soak sugar cube in champagne flute with angostura bitters 

2.) Add champagne and cognac 

3.) Garnish with a sprig of currents

Elderflower Champagne Cocktail 

from zested blog 

Elderflower Champagne Cocktail

1. Fill a tumbler with ice. 

2. Fill three-quarters of the glass with dry champagne or prosecco. 

3. Add thinly sliced cucumber and fresh mint. 

4. Top off with St-Germain.

Kumquat-Champagne Cocktails 

from Martha Stewart 

Kumquat-Champagne Cocktails

makes 1 dozen drinks

2 pints kumquats, pricked a few times with a pin

• Cold water
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 bottles chilled Champagne
• Tangerine wedges, for garnish
• 
  
• 1. Place kumquats in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Drain immediately. Repeat twice.
• 2. Add sugar and 2 cups water to drained kumquats in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately, and let kumquats and syrup cool completely.
• 3. Spoon 3 kumquats and 1 tablespoon syrup into each of 12 Champagne glasses. 
• 4. Top off with Champagne, and garnish with tangerine wedges.

Cranberry Cosmopolitans 

by Martha Stewart

Cranberry Cosmopolitans

makes 10 drinks

• 1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
• 5 ounces Cointreau
• 10 ounces cranberry-juice cocktail
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• Fresh cranberries, for garnish
• 
  
• 1. Fill a large pitcher with ice. 
• 2. Pour in all ingredients except cranberries; stir vigorously. 
• 3. Strain into glasses, discarding ice. 
• 4. Garnish with berries.

Blissini 

from Giada De Laurentiis

Blissini 

1 1/2 cups Prosecco, chilled

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, chilled
• Mint leaves, for garnish
• 1. Combine the Prosecco, orange juice, and pomegranate juice 
• 2. Pour into 4 Champagne glasses. 
• 3. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.