Holiday Drinks & Cocktails

I dont know about you, but I sure love a great cocktail. I personally dont like super sweet drinks. I just have to find that happy medium. Here are some delicious and really easy drinks for all of your upcoming holiday parties.

White Cosmo
Servings: 2

1 cup white cranberry juice
4 oz vodka
2 oz Cointreau

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add cranberry juice, vodka, and Cointreau. Shake to combine well. Strain into two large martini glasses. Serve immediately.

Orange Champagne Cocktail
Servings: 10-12

2 1/4 cups freshly squeezed or frozen blood-orange juice

2 750-ml bottles champagne, chilled

Pour 3 tablespoons juice in each champagne flute. Fill flutes with champagne, and serve.

Lanesborough
Serving: 1
.5 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz  Cranberry Juice
.5 oz Passion fruit juice
2 oz champagne

Add Grand Marnier, cranberry juice, passion fruit juice or puree to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with an orange spiral twist.

Pumpkin Martini
Serving: 1

3 parts vodka
½ part Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
Splash Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients over ice and shake. Strain in to martini glass, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.


Spiced Apple Cider Sangria (this is the most "difficult" recipe but its soooo worth it!)
Serving: 5-6

For Spiced Apple Cider:
2 cups apple cider (the real stuff - opaque in color & found in the refrigerator section)
1/3 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 orange slices (rounds)

For the Spiced Apple Cider Sangria:1 bottle inexpensive Spanish red wine (we used Tempranillo)
2 cups spiced apple cider (recipe above)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brandy


Photos: Martha Stewart, Huffington Post, Mylifeasamrs, William Sonoma