This year we thought we would add a little more “cheer” to the rest of 2020. With the help of my best friend Shauna, who is a self-proclaimed mixologist, we are bringing you a new festive cocktail every day. Shauna has a real knack for discovering and creating these amazing holiday cocktails every year and I am so happy she is sharing them with our Modern Mama followers!
In BC there have been several distilleries that have opened up over the last few years. Many of them are just around the corner! In our effort to #supportlocal, I encourage you to do a distillery tour one day and check out all the amazing artisanal spirits that they have to offer! May have tasting rooms with seating areas, with COVID many have opened up outdoor heated patio spaces. One of this years sponsors, Roots and Wings Distillery has a wonderful tasting room with an outdoor heated sitting area, where you can enjoy a cocktail in a beautiful quiet part of Langley.
Be sure to check back daily until Dec 25, as a new festive cocktail will be posted to this blog as well as Modern Mama Vancouver and Modern Mama Fraser Valley Facebook and Instagram.
December 2: Elf’s Kiss
1 1/2 oz Vodka
1 part Melon Liqueur
1/2 part Simple syrup
1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 slices of Fresh Ginger, Peeled
Cranberry juice
Garnish: Cranberries
In a shaker, muddle ginger and simple syrup. Then add melon liqueur, Vodka, and lemon juice and shake until chilled. Strain into an ice filled glass and gently top with a float of cranberry juice. Garnish with cranberries and serve
December 3: Burnin’Love
This is a fun way to celebrate 2020, set something on fire!
Fresh Thyme Sprig 0.5 oz
Green Chartreuse 0.5
Fresh Lime Juice 0.5 oz
Maraschino Liqueur 1 oz Gin (we used Aviation Gin @aviationgin)
Place Thyme in heavy rocks glass and pour in Chartreuse. Pour all remaining ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Using a lighter, light the thyme sprig on fire. Shake your cocktail while your sprig burns. Pour the shakers contents, ice and all over the burning sprig to extinguish the fire. Enjoy!
December 4: Cranberry Blackberry Smash
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Usually it’s just a Cranberry Smash, but we had a few Blackberries in the fridge just begging to be eaten so we added them in and it was a great addition.
1 oz Simple Syrup
2 Lemon Wedges
5 or 6 Cranberries 5 and/or 6 Blackberries
2 oz Bourbon 2 Dashes Angostura
Bitters Garnish with a skewer of Cranberries Combine the Cranberries, Blackberries, Lemon Wedges and Simple Syrup in a cocktail shaker and muddle to lightly crush the fruit. Add the bourbon and bitters. Add Ice and Shake. Pour through a fine mesh strainer over crushed ice into a rocks glass and garnish with the cranberry skewer.
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December 5: Red Wine Sour
2 oz Rye Whiskey
1 oz fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
1 oz Medium Bodied Dry Red Wine
Add the Rye Whiskey, lemon juice, simple Syrup and Bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add the ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass and full with fresh ice. Hold a spoon just above surface of the drink with the back facing up and gently pour the wine over the spoon to float it on the top.
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December 6: Winter Sidecar
1.5 oz Brandy 3/4 oz Cointreau or orange liqueur
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Rosemary Honey Syrup
Ice cubes
Lemon Wheel for Garnish
For the Rosemary Honey Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Honey
1 fresh Rosemary sprig
Combine water, Honey and Rosemary in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring until the honey has dissolved. Cool and remove the Rosemary sprig. Syrup is good for two weeks in the refrigerator. Add Brandy, Orange
Liqueur, Lemon Juice and Syrup to cocktail shaker, add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into coupe glass and Garnish with Lemon wheel.
December 7: Winter Negroni
1 1/2 oz Fresh Blood Orange Juice
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 Fresh Rosemary Sprig (extra for garnish)
2 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 Egg White
2 Dashes of Orange Bitters
Ice Cubes
Add the blood orange juice, sugar, and rosemary to a cocktail shaker. Middle until the Rosemary starts to break down and become more fragrant. Add the gin, Campari, vermouth, egg whites and Bitters.
Shake with vigour for 1 minute, add ice and shake for an additional minute.
strain the cocktail into a rocks glass and garnish with a Rosemary sprig.
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December 8: Winter Paloma
3 Large sage leaves
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 oz Mezcal
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Ruby red grapefruit juice
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice Soda water to top
Garnish with sage sprig
Combine the Sage leaves and simple Syrup to cocktail shaker and muddle to lightly crush the sage. Add the mezcal, grapefruit juice and lime juice. Shake with ice, and strain into a tall Collins glass over ice and top with soda water. Then garnish with a sprig of sage.
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December 9: Pomegranate and Ginger Spritzer
2 oz pomegranate and ginger syrup (recipe below)
1 oz Vodka
2 oz aromatic bitters
Ice cubes
1 oz soda water
Pomegranate Arils for garnish
1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp Fresh lime juice
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger thinly sliced
Make the pomegranate and ginger syrup. Combine the pomegranate juice, sugar, lime juice and ginger in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 5-8 minutes until the liquid begins to thicken slightly, periodically press the ginger to bring out its flavour. Remove from heat and let cool, strain into an airtight container. Syrup is good for two weeks in the fridge.
Add the syrup, vodka and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds.
Strain the cocktail into a highball glass filled with ice cubes, too with fresh soda water and garnish with pomegranate arils.
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December 10: Blood Orange Sparkling Mule
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Fresh Blood Orange juice
1 oz Fresh lime juice
2 Dashes orange bitters
1 oz Dry Sparkling wine2 oz Ginger beer
Fresh mint and Blood Orange Wheel for garnish
Add Vodka, Blood Orange juice, lime juice, and bitters to a cocktail shaker. As ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds.
Strain the cocktail into a copper cup filled with fresh ice cubes. Add the ginger beer and top with Sparkling wine. Garnish with Mint and orange wheel
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December 11: Midnight On The Lake
8oz Hot Chocolate
Pinch Smoked Salt
Whip Cream (optional)
Fresh mint (optional)
Make hot chocolate to package directions. Pour 1 oz Absinthe into bottom of glass and top off with hot chocolate. Add a pinch of salt and stir. Top with whip cream (optional) and a pinch of salt. Garnish with a sprig of mint
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December 12: Kir Royale
A simple but delicious, festive cocktail.
1/2 ounce cassis (blackberry)
3 oz dry sparkling wine
Lemon peel for garnish
Add the cassis to a flute or wine glass. Top with Sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon Peel
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December 13: The Mele Kalikimaka
1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz Almond Syrup (Orgeat)
In a shaker with ice mix the Coconut Rum, lemon juice, almond syrup and pineapple juice. Shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over crushed ice. Slowly pour the Gin over the back of a spoon to float it on top. Garnish with pineapple wedge.
Note: Sand was shamelessly stolen from my son’s kinetic sand collection.. it may or may not smell like a pineapple was spilled all over it.
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December 14: The Vanilla Comice Pear
1/8 cup granulated sugar
Seeds of 1 Madagascar Vanilla Bean
3 oz of fresh pear juice (we used Garside’s Farm Comice Pears)
1 1/2 oz Vodka
1/4 oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 Dashes of Orange Bitters (we used Fee brothers bitters)
Ice and a Pear slice for garnish
Rim the glass with sugar and half the vanilla seeds from the bean. Try to evenly distribute the Vanilla beans. Roll the outside of the rocks glass in the sugar mixture.
Add Pear juice, vodka, lemon juice, bitters and the rest of the vanilla seeds to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds.
Fill your glass with fresh ice cubes, strain the cocktail into glass and top with soda water if desired.
Garnish with a Pear slice. We used our own Garside’s Farm Comice pears but Bartlett or Bosc Pears would work nicely too.
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December 15: Vanilla Snowflake Martini
2 1/4 oz Vanilla Vodka
3/4 oz Blue Curaçao
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 tbsp Cream of Coconut
Dip the rim of a martini glass in honey and gently coat with flakes of coconut.
Add vanilla vodka, curaçao, pineapple juice, cream of coconut to shaker glass with ice. Shake vigorously for10 to 15 seconds to blend the cream of coconut.
Strain and pour into coconut rimmed glass.
December 16: Amaretto Sour
1 1/2 oz Amaretto Liqueur
3/4 oz Bourbon
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Rich Simple Syrup
1/2 egg white
Garnish Lemon peel
Ice
Add Amaretto, Bourbon, lemon juice, simple Syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake again until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish
December 17: True Canadian
3 oz Fresh pressed apple cider
1 1/2 oz Rye Whisky
1/2 tbsp of Pure Maple Syrup
2 dashes of aromatic bitters
Craft Ice
Garnished with dehydrated apple slice
Add the apple cider, Rye Whisky, maple syrup, and bitters to pitcher and stir to combine. Full rocks glass with craft ice and pour cocktail over ice. Garnish with your dehydrated apple. *Could also serve this drink warm.
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December 18 : A Dilly Caesar
A unique vodka with a kick – dill pickle vodka from Roots and Wings Distillery in Langley, BC.
1 oz Dill Pickle Brine from our own
Garside’s Farm Garlic Dill Pickles
Juice from a lime wedge
Tabasco seasoned to preference
Worcestershire seasoned to preference
Seasoning mix to rim glass
Garnishes – pickles, picked asparagus/beans, olives
Rim the glass with your Caesar seasoning mix, we use
d Seasar Pleaser from Saltwest Add your Dill Pickle Vodka, brine, Walters craft Caesar mix, tabasco, Worcestershire, lime juice and top with ice. Garnish and Enjoy!
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December 19: “The Vaccine” AKA The Penicillin
To celebrate the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine coming to British Columbia we made a Penicillin and added some dry ice. We generally feel this cocktail should fix whatever ails you. This is one of my all time favourite cocktails.
2 oz Single malt or blended Scotch (we used a 10 year Glenmorangie)
1/3 oz Islay whisky
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz Honey ginger syrup
Syrup recipe:
3 1/2 oz honey
3 1/2 oz water
1 oz Fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
Add ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then strain to remove ginger. Store in fridge, will keep for about one week. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice and pour over one large ice cube or ball into a rocks glass. We generally don’t add the Islay whisky to the shaker, we prefer to float it on top of the drink instead. This makes the Peat notes more evident.
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December 20: Zombie Tiki Cocktail
1 3/4 oz spiced rum
3/4 oz of my own
Garside’s Farm Falernum (optional but it defiantly adds to the flavor)
1 oz Cinnamon syrup
1 1/2 oz Pineapple juice
1/2 oz Orange juice
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
1/4 oz of grenadine
Garnish: cherry, orange and mint
Cinnamon syrup –
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cinnamon sticks
Bring water, and sugar to a boil. Blend till sugar dissolved and then add cinnamon sticks. Turn off heat and let the cinnamon sticks steep for 30-45 minutes. Add ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir to combine. Strain liquids into tiki mugs filled with ice. Garnish with maraschino cherries, orange slice and mint leaves.
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December 21: The Winter Solstice
1 1/4 oz Brandy
1 3/4 oz Rosemary infused Pear Nectar
2/3 oz Grand Marnier
Garnish Sprig of Rosemary
Recipe for Rosemary infused Pear Nectar
1 1/2 cups of Pear Nectar
5 springs of fresh Rosemary
Place Rosemary sprigs in a jar with Pear Nectar and let sit a minimum of 12 hours.
Full cocktail shaker with ice.
Add Brandy, Rosemary infused Pear Nectar, Grand Marnier then shake vigorously.
Strain into a martini or crystal glass and garnish with a sprig of Rosemary.
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December 22: The Poinsettia
1 oz vodka
1 sparkling wine
cranberry juice
crushed ice
Cranberries or oranges – Garnish
Put crushed ice into a tall class, add 1 oz vodka then fill glass with equal parts cranberry juice and sparkling wine. Adding the sparkling wine, second to avoid fizzing over. Garnish with cranberries or oranges.
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December 23: Gingerbread White Russian
2 oz Kahlua
1 1/2 oz Cream
3/4 oz Vanilla Vodka
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Place Vanilla Vodka, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a cocktail glass, stir until combined. Add Kahlua and ice, stir. Then slowly pour the cream over the back of a spoon to float the cream on top. Garnish with a gingerbread .man.
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Christmas Eve: Little Snowflake
This one has some prep work involved, but it is so worth it for this awesome looking festive cocktail!.
This is a recreation of a cocktail found on Instagram created by @djrobinjames and @missthingshawaiian
The process: Coat the top of a Collins glass with icing and rum with shaved coconut. Then skewer 3 small marshmallows with a toothpick to make the snowman and add two cloves for the arms. Stick the exposed end of the toothpick (which should be on the bottom) into the large marshmallow along with the sprig of Rosemary and place at the bottom of the rimmed Collins glass with just a splash of water. Set in the freezer and let freeze. After it’s frozen, just pour in the mixture with some loose coconut shavings and enjoy!
1 oz Gin
0.5 oz St Germain elderflower liqueur
5 oz Strawberry, raspberry, Supasawa Cordial
Gently pour the cocktail in with the snowman. Use a straw to drink.
Cordial: let whole raspberries and strawberries sit in cold water. Leave it long enough for the water to take on the flavour but not the colour of the berries, add the Supasawa and simple Syrup for the cordial.
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December 25: Classic Rum and Eggnog
1oz Rum
Eggnog
Nutmeg/Cinnamon
Put 1 oz of run in a glass, fill rest of short glass with eggnog and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon
Note: served best in a moose mug
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December 26: Elder Orange Fizz
2 1/2 oz Ginger Beer
1 oz dry gin
3/4 oz elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
1 oz Fresh Blood Orange juice
2 Dashes of orange bitters
Ice cubes
Garnish: Fresh Thyme sprig
In a rocks glass, add ginger beer, gin, elderflower liqueur and lime juice.
Top the glass with ice.
Slowly add the Fresh Blood Orange juice and add in bitters.
Stir to combine.
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December 27: Blackcurrant Drop
2 oz Gin @newwavedistilling
1 oz Fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Okanagan Spirits Blackcurrant Liqueur
Add Ice to shaker and add gin, lemon juice and simple Syrup. Shake vigorously.
Using a spoon carefully pour the Blackcurrant Liqueur over the back of the spoon and down the side of the glass, to ‘drop’ it in the bottom of the glass.
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December 28: Baked Apple Toddy
2 Dashes of apple bitters we used @garsidesfarm homemade apple bitters
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 oz Cinnamon syrup
4 oz Hot apple cider
2 oz Apple Brandy
Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cinnamon sticks
Bring water, and sugar to a boil. Blend till sugar dissolved and then add cinnamon sticks. Turn off heat and let the cinnamon sticks steep for 30-45 minutes.
Add all ingredients to a mug and stir.
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Are you a local Distillery or Craft Brewery?
If you are a distillery or craft brewery ? Would you be interested in being featured in next years advent cocktail feature or something else in the year, send me a message tina@modernmama.com. I would love to work with local distilleries and breweries to highlight yummy unique spirits and beers .
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Midnight on the Lake looks delicious – and like something that could take the edge of 2020!
It was strong so definitely took the edge off last night! So good though
Oh I love this! If a year ever needed a cocktail countdown calendar, it’s 2020!! And since we can’t go anywhere right now, a drink a night sounds like a fabulous idea! The Cranberry Blackberry Smash is my favourite on the calendar so far.
I agree!
Id really love to try the Cranberry Blackberry Smash. It looks and sounds delicious and refreshing. I love cranberries… And bourbon lol
It is delicious!
I would most like to try the Cranberry Blackberry Smash!
Midnight on the lake looks so good
It was amazing!
They all look good and festive! I do agree the Cranberry Blackberry Smash would be great, love cranberries and blackberries!
I love them too!
I don’t drink but the Cranberry Blackberry Smash looks like one I would enjoy as a mocktail.
You could easily make that one a mocktail!