Holiday Cocktail Party

Last month, we hosted our first cocktail party in nearly a year.

Planning the drink menu is one of my favorite things to do. I try to vary the flavors and booziness so there’s something to satisfy every palate. My recent fascination with the Celery Gimlet made it an obvious choice. El Higo Ahumado, a fig-and-mezcal concoction that I’d created a few years ago, seemed appropriate for the season. Eggnog is another holiday staple, but I wanted something less rich (and less obvious). Thumbing through my collection of cocktail recipes, I came across the Horchata Colada. My riff on the Piña Colada, it swaps out the creaminess of coconut for the lighter but still sumptuous horchata (a Mexican milk beverage flavored with almonds and cinnamon). Now, what should be the fourth option? I was leaning toward a whiskey drink to balance the lineup, but ultimately decided to go with the applejack-based Jack Rose. For the non-drinkers and designated drivers, I offered a non-alcoholic version of the Celery Gimlet and horchata sans rum. Menu in hand, it was time to notify the revelers. Let the party commence!

h.

Horchata colada

• 4 oz horchata (recipe)

• 1½ oz rum (I used Flor de Caña Extra Dry 4*)

• ground cinnamon, to garnish

• cocktail shaker, bar spoon, Hawthorne strainer, Collins glass

Steps

• add horchata, rum, and ice to the shaker

• stir until well chilled

• strain into Collins glass filled with ice

• dust the top of the drink with cinnamon to garnish

*Note: at the end of the night, I ran out of this rum and used Smith & Cross, a pot-distilled Jamaican rum. It made a much more complex and interesting drink – highly recommend!

Jack Rose

• 2 oz applejack (I used Laird’s)

• ¾ oz lemon juice

• ½ oz grenadine (recipe below)

• Lemon twist, to garnish

• cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, fine strainer, coupe glass

Steps

• add all ingredients except garnish to the shaker

• half-fill with ice and shake until well chilled

• double-strain into coupe glass

• garnish with lemon twist

Grenadine (adapted from Jeffrey Morgenthaler)

• 1 cup 100% unsweetened pomegranate juice

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 oz pomegranate molasses

• ½ tsp orange blossom water

• Small saucepan, funnel, glass bottle

Steps

• combine all ingredients except orange blossom water in small saucepan

• cook at low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar has just dissolved

• remove from heat and cool to room temperature

• pour through funnel into glass bottle and refrigerate