Sip on This: 3 Festive Cocktails
Holiday Julep
Holiday Julep
Submitted by Gold River Distillery, 11460 Sunrise Gold Circle, Suite C, Rancho Cordova, 916-476-3868, goldriverdistillery.com
This crowd-pleasing cocktail is a take on the classic mint julep, except it uses absinthe rather than bourbon. As you start sipping, the light sweetness of sugar and anise are the cocktail’s dominant yet delightful first impressions. After the anise passes, savor hints of blackberry and soothing mint.
• 1.5 oz. Wheel House Absinthe Verte
• .5 oz. blackberry liquor
• 1 sugar cube
• 1-2 springs of fresh mint
• 2 oz. ice water
Muddle mint sprigs and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, absinthe, blackberry liquor, and water. Shake well and pour into a chilled martini glass or over ice in a tumbler.
“Gin”gle Bells
Submitted by J.J. Pfister Distilling, 9819 Business Park Drive, Sacramento, 916-672-9662, jjpfister.com
J.J. Pfister Capitol Gin is made entirely in-house using nine botanicals sourced from around the world and a rye base from Sacramento Valley grains. Extremely smooth and sippable, it’s delicious on its own or as a mixing component for premium cocktails such as “Gin”gle Bells.
• 1.5 oz. J.J. Pfister Capitol Gin
• .75 oz. pomegranate-rooibos honey
• .25 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 oz. spiced apple cider
Pomegranate-Rooibos Honey
• 2 cups raw honey
• 1 cup water
• 6 bags rooibos chai tea
.75 cups pomegranate molasses
Make pomegranate-rooibos honey. Combine honey and water in a saucepan on medium heat until incorporated. Add tea bags and let steep for 1 hour. Remove tea bags, add pomegranate molasses, and stir. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Combine gin, pomegranate-rooibos honey, lemon, and cider in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain mixture into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with apple slices and freshly grated cinnamon.
Cranberry French 75
Submitted by California Distilled Spirits, 12205 Locksley Lane, Suite 11, Auburn, 916-599-6541, californiadistilledspirits.com
A carefully curated composition of rare botanicals and the complex floral flavors of Darjeeling tea, this gin offers a mouthfeel unlike any you’ve had before. Gently provocative on the palate and smooth, this ruby-hued cocktail is guaranteed to please.
• 1 oz. Darjeeling Gin
• .5 oz. fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz. simple cranberry syrup
• 2 oz. sparkling wine
Simple Cranberry Syrup
• 1 1/4 cups of water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Make simple syrup. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries; simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries soften and pop. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard cranberries. Refrigerate.
Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple cranberry syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Champagne flute; top with a lemon twist and sugared cranberries.
By Ashleigh Gruenwald