The Spirits of the Season

Recipes courtesy of Bobbie Ames | Contributor

Try one of these delicious handcrafted cocktails to add a festive note to your holiday season. To make your cocktail a holiday cocktail, use ingredients that create deep elegant colors or warm spicy hues. To take it up a notch, add something sparkling – prosecco, sparkling wine or Champagne. Your signature cocktail should be easy to prepare ahead of time and so simple to serve that your guests can even serve themselves.

Coming Up Roses

A perfectly elegant concoction! (8 servings)

• 4 limes, sliced into wedges
• 5 oz. rose syrup (buy it or make your own)
• 16 oz. Bacardi Razz or other raspberry rum
• 16 oz. brut Champagne
• 24 rose petals

1. Muddle the lime wedges and rose syrup.
2. Add the Bacardi Razz, pour into a glass pitcher and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pour into highball glasses filled with ice.
3. Top each glass with 2 oz. chilled Champagne and garnish with rose petals.

Cinnamon Fig Martini 

Spicy and special, the fig is the surprise ingredient that adds that deep purple hue. (8 servings)

• 12 oz. vodka (Belvedere is my favorite)
• 2 oz. Grand Marnier
• 12 oz. lime juice, fresh squeezed if possible
• 8 oz. blood orange juice
• 3 tbsp. simple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 8 fresh fig slices

1. Mix all ingredients, except fig slices, in a glass pitcher and refrigerate.
2. When ready to serve, pour one serving into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake and pour/strain into a martini glass.
3. Garnish with a fig slice.

The Ginger Caipirissima

The ginger brings a little heat and tang to this drink, and it’s as refreshing as it is festive. (8 servings)

• 5 – 6 limes, sliced into wedges (40-48 wedges)
• 8 cubes brown sugar
• 6 oz. ginger syrup (buy it or make your own)
• 16 oz. white rum
• Crystallized ginger for garnish – optional

1. Muddle lime wedges and sugar cubes, reserving 8 wedges for garnish.
2. Mix with ginger syrup and rum and transfer to a glass pitcher.  When ready to serve, stir vigorously and pour into collins (short) glasses filled with crushed ice.
3. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and a piece of crystallized ginger, if desired.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Fizz

1. Mix together ¾ cup sparkling wine, 1 tablespoon Cointreau, ¼ cup fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice.
2. Add ice cubes.

For a non-alcoholic version of any of these specialty drinks, simply replace the alcohol with equal amounts of club soda. Don’t forget to garnish!