Robin gave me a neat holiday gift this year: an advent calendar of cocktails. Each day, she handed me a little numbered and labeled bag with ingredients and a recipe for a different holiday-themed cocktail. If you’ve been following my instagram feed, I’ve documented most of them there.
The one in the picture above was the last little baggie on Christmas Day, Santa’s Whiskey Flip. It’s made with honey bourbon, brandy, calvados, and peach schnapps.
My favorite of the bunch was the Signal Fire, though. It’s basically a Manhattan with a bit of maple syrup and peaty Scotch instead of bourbon. A little sweet, bitter, and smoky all at the same time. I’ll be adding that one to the permanent repertoire in the Castle Frostbite bar.
That was a gift that took weeks of logistics and footwork for Robin, researching recipes and buying and stashing all the ingredients in secret. It was a lot of fun to try out a new cocktail together every night. Of all the Christmas gifts I’ve ever received, that was by far the most involved and thoughtful one.
With those gifts, how much of the holidays do you remember? :O