25 Unique Christmas Cocktails and Recipes for your Bar or Restaurant Looking for some seasonal drinks and appetizers for your bar or restaurant this Christmas? Try out a few of these recipes and mix up your menu for the holiday season. Cocktails 1. Candy Cane Cocktail This festive drink makes use of all those extra candy canes you’re sure to have lying around! 1 candy cane, crushed, for garnish 2 ounces strawberry vodka 4 dashes white creme de menthe 2 1/2 ounces cranberry juice Ice cubes Place crushed candy canes on a small plate or saucer. Wet the outside rim of a chilled martini glass with water. Holding the glass by the stem, rotate the rim to coat with candy. In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, creme de menthe, cranberry juice, and ice; shake until well combined. Strain into prepared glass; serve immediately. (Recipe and image from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/318807/candy-cane-cocktail) 2. Dead By Christmas A name like this lets your customers know exactly what to expect. Fill a highball glass with ice. Then add: 1 ounce of strawberry liqueur 1 ounce of absinthe 1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice A splash of soda water Just stir and enjoy. (Recipe from Hubpages: http://nylady.hubpages.com/hub/10-Tipsy-Christmas-Cocktails) 3. Sweet Tea Hot Toddy Hot toddies are the quintessential cold-weather drink for anyone feeling under the weather during the holidays. 1 tea bag (suggested: chamomile) Juice of ½ a lemon 1 tablespoon honey 1 ounce whiskey of your choice Hot water Steep the tea in the hot water until it’s ready. Add lemon juice, honey, and whiskey. Stir to combine. Add more honey to taste. 4. Cherry Gin-Gria Cherry syrup and red wine give this sangria a bold holiday hue. Ingredients: Ice cubes 2 ounces cherry syrup (recommended: Giammona) 2 ounces gin 5 to 6 ounces club soda 1 ounce red wine Maraschino cherries Fresh or frozen raspberries Directions: Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Pour in the cherry syrup and the gin; stir to mix together. Lighten the drink with a generous splash of soda. Float a layer of red wine on top by pouring it over the back of a wide, flat spoon. (Don't worry if it doesn't float; it tastes great either way.) Drop a few maraschino cherries and raspberries into the glass. Drink. (Recipe and image from Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cherry-gin-gria- recipe/index.html) 5. Maple Butter Kiss The addition of real maple syrup makes this holiday cocktail extra special. Ingredients: Ice 1 1/2 ounce vodka 1/2 ounce DeKuyper Buttershots liqueur or butterscotch schnapps 1/4 ounce real maple syrup 1 ounce half-and-half Fresh-ground nutmeg Directions: Pour liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and top with fresh-ground nutmeg. Recipe from Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/maple-butter-kiss-recipe/index.html 6. The Grinch If you have a customer who’s a bit more Scrooge than Santa, try serving this drink. 2 ounces Midori 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1 teaspoon simple syrup Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. (Recipe from Mix that Drink: http://mixthatdrink.com/grinch/) 7. Citrus Cider Citrus fruits are abundant in winter, so why not take advantage of them with this seasonal cider? Ingredients: 2 quarts apple cider or apple juice 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup honey 8 inches stick cinnamon, broken 8 whole cloves 3 slices fresh ginger Directions: In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, combine cider, orange juice, lemon juice, and honey. Stir to dissolve honey. For a spice bag, cut a 6-inch square from a double thickness of 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Place cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in the center of the cloth. Bring the corners together and tie closed with 100%-cotton kitchen string. Add spice bag to slow cooker. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the spice bag and discard. (Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/drinks/citrus-cider/) 8. The Red Hot Santa Tini Spice up this Christmas cocktail by using chili-infused vodka and a Thai chili pepper. 2 ounces chili-infused vodka 2 ounces Godiva chocolate liqueur Cocoa powder Cayenne pepper Sweetened whipping cream One small Thai chili pepper Mix some cocoa powder together with a pinch of cayenne pepper, and rim a chilled martini glass with it. Shake the vodka up with the chocolate liqueur and pour the mixture into the glass. Top it off with the whipping cream and garnish by floating the chili pepper on top of the cream. (Recipe from Mix that Drink: http://mixthatdrink.com/the-red-hot-santa-tini/) 9. Bourbon and Ginger Cocktail Bourbon and ginger will heat anyone up on a cold winter night. Ingredients: 4 ounces bourbon 4 glasses filled with ice 1 can (12 ounces) ginger ale 4 lime wedges Directions: Divide bourbon among 4 glasses filled with ice. Divide ginger ale among glasses and squeeze 1 lime wedge into each. Serve immediately. (Recipe from Everyday Food: http://www.marthastewart.com/335072/bourbon-and-ginger) 10. Frozen Cranberry Margaritos This cross between a margarita and a mojito uses cranberry sauce for a holiday twist. Ingredients: 1 (10-ounce) can frozen mojito mix 3/4 cup tequila $ 1/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce $ 2 tablespoons orange liqueur 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice Ice Directions: Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender. Fill blender with ice to 5-cup level, and process until smooth. Serve immediately. (Recipe from Southern Living: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/frozen-cranberry-margaritos-10000001665298/) 11. Cherry Bombs For your customers who don’t drink alcohol, try serving this holiday spin on the Shirley Temple. Ingredients: 1 cup grenadine 1 liter clear citrus soda, or seltzer 18 maraschino cherries Directions: Place 2 cups water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add grenadine; stir to combine. Pour mixture into two ice-cube trays. Freeze until solid, 2 hours or overnight. Fill six glasses with grenadine ice cubes. Top with soda. Garnish with cherries, and serve. (Recipe from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/336439/cherry-bombs?czone=entertaining%2Fholiday- entertaining%2Fholidaycenter-drinks&gallery=856474&slide=336439&center=1009068) 12. Blood Orange Champagne Cocktails If you’re looking for a simple cocktail, it couldn’t get any easier than this classy champagne and blood orange juice mixture. Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups freshly squeezed or frozen blood-orange juice 2 750-ml bottles champagne, chilled Directions: Pour 3 tablespoons juice in each champagne flute. Fill flutes with champagne, and serve. (Recipe from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/331801/blood-orange-champagne- cocktails?czone=entertaining%2Fholiday-entertaining%2Fholidaycenter- drinks&gallery=856474&slide=331801&center=1009068) 13. Mistletoe Martini This martini combines cranberry tea with citrus flavors. Ingredients: 2 ounces vodka 2 ounces orange juice 3 ounces cranberry tea, chilled 3/4 ounces lemon juice 3 teaspoons sugar Directions: Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses. (Recipe from Cocktials: http://cocktails.about.com/od/vodkadrinkrecipes/r/mistletoe_tini.htm) 14. Hot Chocolate Shots These (nonalcoholic) shots are a unique way to enjoy hot chocolate. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup chocolate ice cream 1 square unsweetened baking chocolate 2 1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon orange extract Directions: In a saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, ice cream, and baking chocolate until smooth. Whisk in the water and orange flavoring. Heat over medium-high heat, just until steaming. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkling of orange zest and grated chocolate in chocolate-dipped shot glasses. Recipe from Babble: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/hot-chocolate-shots/ 15. Christmas Coffee Cocktail Need to stay awake while celebrating? Try out this caffeinated cocktail. 1 ounce creme de cacao 2 ounces coffee 1 teaspoon superfine sugar Instructions: Stir well with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of lemon peel. Recipe from Esquire: http://www.esquire.com/drinks/cafe-cocktail-drink-recipe 16. Mocha Eggnog Punch If you’re tired of basic eggnog, try out this mocha twist that makes enough for a crowd of customers. Ingredients: 10 parts Kahlúa Mocha 5 parts vanilla vodka 20 parts eggnog Directions: Combine ingredients and serve. Appetizers 17. Spicy Pecans Don’t just put another bowl of peanuts on the bar…try these spicy pecans. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coarse salt 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 cup sugar 2 large egg whites 5 cups (20 ounces) pecans Directions: Step 1: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar. Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Whisk in spice mixture. Stir in pecans. Spread coated pecans in a single layer onto the baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Rotate the sheets in oven, and cook for 10 minutes more. Step 3: Immediately spread pecans in a single layer on clean parchment paper; let cool before serving or storing.