Photo: Cultura/DUEL.
A nice cocktail can make any holiday better. Lets face it, sometimes it’s not that easy visiting the family if you don’t have a little something to take the edge off. The key is finding the right holiday cocktails. You probably wouldn’t enjoy sipping a Hot Toddy on the fourth of July or a mojito on a snowy, February evening. There’s a time and place for every cocktail.
Labor Day Cocktails
Nothing says, “Hold on to those last few weeks of summer for dear life” like a great, tropical rum drink. A rum punch like the Planter’s Punch is the perfect drink to celebrate the demise of sunny, summer days. Planter’s Punch, the first ever rum cocktail, consists of dark rum, simple syrup, orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, grenadine and angostura bitters.
Planter’s Punch
- 2/3 oz Fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/6 oz Fresh orange juice
- 1 ½ oz dark rum
- 1/3 oz grenadine
- 1/3 oz simple syrup
- 1 1/6 oz pineapple juice
- 4 dashes of bitters
Preparation: All ingredients, except the bitters, are added to a shaker. The contents are shaken vigorously before being poured into an ice filled glass and topped with bitters and garnished with a slice of pineapple.
Related: Liven Up The Holidays With These Delicious Holiday Cocktails
Halloween Cocktails
October 31st is a night for zombies, vampires and frightful ghouls. It’s also a great night to enjoy a cocktail or two. Chances are, you’ll be throwing a party (or at least attending one). The Dark ‘N’ Stormy is the perfect drink for Halloween. Not just because of its name, but because it the combination of ginger beer, bitters and rum is terrifyingly tasty. To make it:
Dark ‘N’ Stormy
- 3 1/3 oz Ginger Beer,
- 4 dashes of bitters
- 2 oz Dark Rum
Preparation: Fill a glass with ice and add the rum and ginger beer. Garnish it with a lime wedge.
Thanksgiving Cocktails
Turkey Day is a time for family and a time for Thanksgiving cocktails . You’ll need something delicious to wash down that belly-bursting buffet of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing. The perfect compliment to a well made meal is an after dinner Irish Coffee. Plus, it will help prevent the post dinner nap that usually accompanies Thanksgiving.
Irish Coffee
- 2 2/3 oz Hot coffee
- 1 1/3 oz Irish whiskey
- 1 tsp. Brown sugar
- 1 oz cream
Preparation: Heat up the coffee. Add the whiskey and sugar and top with fresh cream.
Related: Holiday Cocktails: Keep Warm With 5 Hot Cocktail Recipes
New Year’s Eve Cocktails
It’s un-American to watch the ball drop without smooching your best girl followed by a few sips from a glass of champagne. Why not step up your usual champagne game by making champagne cocktails featuring cognac and bitters? Now, that’s a happy new year.
Champagne Cocktail
- 3 oz champagne
- 1/3 oz cognac
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1 sugar cube
Preparation: Add one dash of bitters to a sugar cube and place it into a champagne flute. Add cognac and champagne. Garnish the drink with an orange slice.
Memorial Day Cocktails
Memorial Day still in that time period when it’s still a little chilly from the end of the spring and slightly warm from the beginning of Summer. This is the perfect time of year for Whiskey, especially in the whiskey sour cocktail.
Whiskey Sour
- 1 ½ oz bourbon
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ oz gomme syrup
Preparation: Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake vigorously with ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass.
Related: Top 10 Holiday-Themed Cocktails
Fourth of July Cocktails
Our Nation’s Independence Day is the perfect time to take to the beach and get some sun before the fireworks ahead. Nothing says “a day at the beach” like scotch. Well, scotch is a great beach drink when it’s combined with orange juice, vermouth and cherry heering.
Blood and Sand
- ¾ oz scotch
- ¾ oz orange juice
- ¾ oz vermouth
- ¾ oz cherry heering
Preparation: Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with and vigorously shake. Strain it into a cocktail glass.
