Twelve Drinks of Christmas
A year ago I introduced you to the Happy Hour at Home concept - drinks and cocktails meant to be created at home and presented along with some sort of appetizer to accompany them. In that very first introductory column I gave you the recipe for a Hot Buttered Rum batter that has become a staple in my winters. I recently repeated that recipe because I love it so much and it seems to be something people are often searching for.
I’ve had fun (and been challenged) coming up with the combinations over the last year and I hope you have enjoyed them, too!
Today, I’m going to look at another holiday tradition.
For several years a group of my friends would meet at the Sorrento Hotel in the Fireside Room to celebrate the holidays. The room is always festively decorated, there’s a fire in the fireplace, the room is full of cozy couches, over-sized armchairs and there is always musical entertainment.
One of our favorite parts of meeting there is perusing the menu, which at this time of year, has a page devoted to “The Twelve Drinks of Christmas”. The selections run to the decadent side of things: their normal hot buttered rum is enriched with a bit of Bailey’s; the egg nog has a drizzle of Tia Maria; and you’ll find drinks like Rudolph’s Raspberry Truffle made with hot chocolate, Chambord and Godiva Liqueur.
The last couple years we’ve decided to move our celebration to one of our homes. And this year we decided to create some of those Twelve Drinks of Christmas on our own. Those made with Champagne were most popular but there is one that I think makes an especially decadent treat at this time of year.
Nuts and Berries
- 1 oz Frangelico
- 1 oz Chambord
- Cream
Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. Add the Frangelico and Chambord to the glass. Top with an ounce or two of cream. Gently stir.
This drink is really very rich and, with the cream, is both a drink and a bite to eat all in one glass! You are best off with something a bit savory with this drink and you want to make sure it’s not too rich. Since this is the last weekend before Christmas and many of you are running around finishing last minute details I’m going to suggest that you just keep it simple.
Find a good brand of salted mixed nuts at your local store and serve those along with this rich, sweet beverage. The contrast of the salty and sweet will work perfectly and you won’t have to do too much work!
