There are few things our team loves more than gathering with close friends and families to share a slate of festive foods and cocktails this time of year. We love to experiment with new flavours and combinations that make our get togethers an indulgence we look forward to all year long.
Whether you’re looking to create your own dose of holiday cheer at home, or you’re excited about incorporating two seasonal cocktails into your big day, we chose two of our new favourite recipes to share with you. Just be sure to sample responsibly. Happy tasting!
The Seville
The Seville is the more festive cousin of a gin martini with a twist. Made with Lillet Blanc and making use of the wintry seville orange, the Seville is a romantic ode to the season.
This recipe is adapted from a New York creation by cocktail consultant Nick Mautone.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 ounce fino Sherry
- 2 seville orange twists
- Ice
- 2 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
- 2 dashes of orange bitters
- A dash of fresh squeezed seville orange juice to taste
First, chill your martini glass. Rinse the glass with your fino sherry (to rinse your glass means to pour your ingredient, in this case your sherry, and swirl it up the sides of the glass). Squeeze one of your orange twists into the glass.
Now mix your other ingredients. To a tall glass or a cocktail shaker, add ice. Then add your gin, Lillet, orange bitters, (optionally, you can add a tiny squeeze of seville orange juice if you like a bit more citrus flavour).
Now with a spoon or another instrument, stir your cocktail quickly until the vessel becomes very cold.
Strain into your rinsed martini glass. Add your second orange twist, and drop it into your glass.
If gin isn’t your thing, we’re also loving a rum based cocktail that reminds us of warmer locales at this chilly time of year.
The Air Mail
The Air Mail was apparently created by Esquire Magazine way back in 1949. Bringing together warm and festive flavours for an easy-to–drink, warm-your-bones type of cocktail, this one is strong—so drink responsibly!
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces golden rum
- ½ ounce lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 5 ounces brut champagne
It’s like a tropical beach vacation in a glass.
To make the Air Mail, chill your cocktail shaker first. Then fill it with cracked ice. We’re gonna be stirring for a bit, so make sure you’ve got enough ice to keep your drink cold.
Add your golden rum, lime juice, and honey to your chilled shaker, and stir. Stir, stir, stir. It can take a moment for the honey to integrate, but you want to make sure it does.
Next, pour straight into a Collins glass. Now, top up with your champagne and finish with a twist of lime.
Happy Holidays!
There you have it—two tasty cocktails for your fun-filled holiday parties (or for your at-home signature cocktail tastings!).
Thanks for another wonderful year. We are so happy to have all of you in our community, and we can’t wait to keep helping you find the gowns of your dreams.
