Bloomery Plantation’s Premiere Mixologist Eric Bell shares some of his favorite handcrafted cocktail recipes for the holiday season.
The New Old Fashioned
1/2 SweetShine Ginger
1/2 Bourbon
Splash of Black Walnut SweetShine
Shake. Serve on the rocks in an old fashioned glass.
Add a cherry. Enjoy.
The Berry Merry ‘Tini
1/3 Gin
2/3 Raspberry Lemon SweetShine
Dash of Grapefruit Bitters
Shake with ice.
Serve in a martini glass.
Optional: Add fresh mint and rim the glass with colored sugar.
Limoncello Martini
1/3 Vodka
1/3 Limoncello
1/3 Hard Lemonade
Shake with ice.
Strain into a martini glass.
Or serve on the rocks.
Optional: Serve with a sprig of cedar, rosemary or lime.
Pumpkin Pie Cocktail
1/2 Pumpkin Spice SweetShine
1/2 Apple Cider or Hard Cider
Splash of Spiced Rum to taste
Splash of Ginger SweetShine to taste
Shake with ice.
Strain into a glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
Garnish with cinnamon or nutmeg.
Decadent Chocolate Dessert Martini
1/2 Double Espresso Vodka or Vanilla Vodka
1/2 Dark Chocolate Raspberry SweetShine
Shake with ice.
Strain into a cocoa rimmed martini glass.
Garnish with shaved chocolate.
Or shake without ice and serve warm in a coffee cup.
Garnish with sweetened whipped cream.
Mix it up to make it your own unique cocktail, says Bell. For the perfect party, set out several mixers from the SweetShine collection. A few staples are Limoncello, Raspberry Lemon, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Raspberry, Black Walnut, Hard Lemonade and Peach. Add bourbon, whiskey, flavored vodkas, sparkling wine (Prosecco), club soda, apple cider.
Garnishes can include rosemary sprigs, lemons, limes, cherries, slices of clove studded oranges, whipped cream, peppermint sticks, shaved chocolate, spices such as cinnamon, ginger, anise, cardamom, colored or sparkling sugar.
To find cocktail shakers, glasses, stirrers, ice buckets and decanters, visit flea markets, thrift shops and antique malls. Also pick up some cocktail napkins, quirky or elegant.
Place olives, nuts, a selection of salami, cheese and crackers on trays.
Let your guests be creative. Write up some recipe suggestions and place them on the server €“ then you can be a guest at your own unforgettable cocktail party.
