’Tis the season for bright lights, festive decorations, thoughtful gifts, the smell of gingerbread cookies and burning candles, and the occasional gathering with family and friends.
But with the season comes the cold, dreary winter weather, and baby, it’s cold outside. So stay in and keep yourself and your out-of-town guests entertained with these holiday cocktails that CityScene has made central Ohio-centric.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Cocktail
1 oz. OYO Honey Vanilla Bean vodka (Columbus) 2 ½ oz. Branstool Orchards apple cider (Utica) 2 oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur A few drops lemon juice Orange zest Agave syrup Crushed graham crackers
Combine liqueur, vodka, cider and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Line glass with crushed graham crackers and agave syrup, and pour mixture into glass. Top with orange zest and serve.
Mrs. Claus’ Maple Martini
1 ½ oz. Buckeye Vodka (Dayton) ¼ oz. Sticky Pete’s Pure Maple Syrup (Athens) ½ oz. butterscotch schnapps 1 oz. half-and-half Fresh-ground nutmeg
Combine vodka, schnapps, syrup and half-and-half in a cocktail shaker, then add ice and shake well. Pour into a martini glass, top with nutmeg and serve.
Grandview Stocking Stuffer
1 Tbsp. Krema peanut butter (Grandview Heights) ½ oz. Watershed Vodka (Grandview Heights) ½ oz. coffee liqueur ½ oz. dark rum 1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup 1 oz. almond milk Mini marshmallows for garnish
Mix chocolate syrup and peanut butter in a glass. Stir in liqueur, and when fully blended, add rum, vodka and almond milk. Pour into cocktail shaker, add ice and shake well. Strain product into martini glass. Top with toasted marshmallows and drizzled chocolate syrup and serve.
Columbus Candy Cane
1 qt. Johnson’s Peppermint Stick ice cream (Bexley) 1 qt. Hartzler eggnog (Wooster) 1 cup rum 2 cups ginger ale Peppermint sticks
Stir ice cream in a large bowl, gradually adding rum and eggnog. When softened, pour mixture into punch bowl and add ginger ale. Add peppermint sticks for decoration and serve. Total yield is 18 servings.
Tessora Limone Illusion
1 oz. Tessora Limone (New Albany) 1 oz. pineapple vodka ½ oz. melon liqueur ½ oz. Chambord Kiwi slice Strawberry
Combine Tessora, vodka and melon liqueur in a shaker with ice and shake until cold and frothy. Pour Chambord into a martini glass, then strain mixture on top of it. Garnish with kiwi slice and strawberry.
Alex Wallace is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
