‘Tis the season to be jolly…for many, that means holiday parties. The holidays are my favorite time of year. The season is filled with parties and events that bring the spirit of the season out in everyone. It's a time to celebrate and if you're hosting a holiday party, you must have a great holiday cocktail. Holiday cocktails are a great way to make your holiday party a success. Some of the top restaurants in the area also get into the holiday spirit by creating some unique and tasty holiday cocktails in their bars. Here are some of my favorites.
Fire Oak Grill –“FOG Nog” & “White Christmas Martini”
Jennifer and Eric Hunter have been delighting Weatherford diners for several years now, and their bar program is top notch as well. They keep is simple with the FOG (Fire Oak Grill) Nog and fun and festive with the White Christmas Martini.
“Fog Nog”
2 oz. Brandy
Top off with egg nog
Whipped Cream and Nutmeg garnish
“White Christmas Martini”
1 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz Lt Crème De Cacao
Coco Lopez
Half and Half
Shake and top with red sugar sprinkles
GRACE - “Cinnamon Stick”
Adam Jones and the crew at GRACE have been one of the hottest restaurant bars in town since they opened. With such fun promotions like their celebrity bartender Tuesdays Women & Wine Wednesdays, there is typically a well-dressed crowd at the GRACE bar. Wine Guru and all around great guy Lioneel Penacerrada shared one of their popular holiday drink recipes.
“Cinnamon Stick”
1 ½ oz TX Whiskey
2 oz apple cider
½ oz cinnamon syrup(see recipe)
Cinnamon syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Warm all ingredients and stir until sugar just dissolves and cool to room temperature.
Serve cocktail in a Highball glass over a “Rock” (Grace 2”x2” ice cube”)
Garnish with a cinnamon stick
Reata – “Clausmopolitan”
This year at Reata had a contest open to their staff to determine their holiday drinks. Ashley Dysart came up with a twist on the traditional Cosmo and then Reata's Facebook followers helped come up with the name. The Clausmopolitan was one of the drinks selected and has been the top selling drink for the last two weeks.
“Clausmopolitan”
1 ½ oz. Whipped Cream Vodka
½ oz. Grand Marnier
2oz. Cranberry Juice
3 Fresh Cranberries soaked in simple syrup
Sugar rim
Little Red Wasp – “Cinnamon Spiced Coffee”
Bar Man Extraordinaire and General Manager of the new hot spot Little Red Wasp, Jason Miller, tells me that there is no better way to warm up after the last week of ice. He also tells me that they are working on adding a Rum Chata infused whipped cream with nutmeg as well.
"Cinnamon spiced coffee"
1 1/2 oz Rum Chata
1/4 oz St Elizabeth All Spice Dram
Fresh coffee
Top with fresh whipped cream
Eggnog Martini - Bonnell's
2 ounces vanilla vodka
1 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
2 oz eggnog
whipped cream
chocolate cookie
freshly ground nutmeg
red and green simple syrups
Place a small dollop of whipped cream on the side of a martini glass and stick a nutmeg sprinkled chocolate cookie to the whipped cream. Shake the martini vigorously over ice, then put in the glass garnished with whipped cream and cookie. Drizzle a touch of red and green simple syrup for final garnish
These holiday drinks should help put your guests in a festive mood and make great additions to any holiday party. On a quick side note, tickets to the inaugural Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival this spring make that perfect gift for that special someone. I hope that all of your holiday parties are a blast and until next time, Cheers!
