Holiday Cocktails For Everyone On Your Guest List

Planning a holiday party can be incredibly stressful, especially when it comes to selecting what drinks to serve to guests, each with varying taste. Here is a list of drinks that are perfect to please everyone on your guest list:

The Whiskey Connoisseur

Keep this one simple, serve a delicious whiskey neat and give guests the option of adding ice or water. The trick with this is to serve a high quality whiskey that people want to sip. I recommend Egan’s Irish Whiskey for its Amber like color, delicate aroma and malty and creamy taste, with complex hints of cereal and a smooth silkiness, Egan’s is guaranteed to please even your pickiest guest.

http://www.eganswhiskey.com/

 

The Classy Socialite

For those on your list that will keep the party going long into the night, serve them the Midnight Zest. The tantalizing, elegant and intriguing blend of botanicals and notes of blueberry and blackberry in Brockmans Gin shine when mixed with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and topped with champagne, making it the perfect companion to turn your holiday party into a night like no other.

Midnight Zest

50ml Brockmans Gin

25ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice

15ml Sugar syrup (created by mixing equal parts sugar and water until completely dissolved. Speed the process with hot water and then cool the syrup

Top with Champagne, Prosecco or good quality English sparkling wine

Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup with cubed ice. Strain into a champagne flute and top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with a twist of lemon zest.

 

The Wino

It can be very tricky to please the wine lovers on your list. It is important to find the right balance between taste and price, luckily, Caldora offers the perfect solution with its Chardonnay Terre di Chieti from Abruzzo, Italy. This chardonnay is full-bodied and balanced with notes of tropical fruit making it easy to drink and approachable for everyone at your party.

http://www.caldoravini.it/eng.htm

 

The “Who wants a shot?!” Guy

Not everyone is interested in or can handle a straight shot of tequila, so purchase a few packs of LIQS Cocktail Shots, ready-made fusions of premium spirits, real fruit juice and natural flavors and everyone on your guest list will be able to join in. LIQS comes in four flavors, Lychee Grapefruit, Kamikaze, and Lemon Drop as well as a Cinnamon Orange Tequila, which means they offer a little something for everyone!

http://www.liqsshot.com/

A little sip of summer

It’s officially summer, which means longer days, warmer weather, and of course outdoor imbibing at picnics and barbecues! Whether you’re laying by the pool or or sticking to the shade, these refreshing cocktails are the perfect choice to cool you down as you kick back and relax this season.

For the Whiskey lovers:

Jameson & Ginger

• 1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 4 parts quality ginger ale
• 1 lime wedge

Fill a glass with ice. Pour Jameson over ice. Fill with ginger ale. Stir briefly. Squeeze lime wedge and drop into glass. 

For the Rum drinkers:

The Malibu Passion Breeze – perfect for summer!

Malibu Passion Breeze

• 1 part Malibu Rum
• 1 part cranberry juice
• 1 part pineapple juice
• 1 lime wedge

Add ice cubes to a chilled highball glass. Add Malibu, cranberry juice and pineapple juice. Garnish with lime wedge. 

 

For the Vodka Fans:

Absolut Mule  

• 2 parts Absolut Vodka
• 3 parts ginger beer
• 1 part lime juice
• 1 lime wedge

Fill a mule mug with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Garnish with lime. 

Holiday Gift Guide for the Spirits Lover

‘Tis the season for running around looking for last minute gifts for loved ones and acquaintances alike. When you want to avoid the crowds of people at the mall and have run out of time to order online, the liquor store is by far the best option (although I may be just slightly biased on this one).

For the art aficionado – Absolut Vodka is offering a Limited Edition Andy Warhol bottle.  The distinct package is available as a bottle only option or within a decorated Warhol gift box and is available in 750ml and 1L sizes of ABSOLUT ORIGINAL 80. This unique and colorful bottle is sure to brighten up every home bar.

For the Scotch sipper – Chivas Regal is offering three stylish value-added packages, making it easy to share the smooth taste of Chivas® 12 or 18 Year Old with friends and family. Chivas gift packs include: a handsome Chivas 12 Year Old 750ml Made for Bremont Gift Tin, a Chivas 18 Year Old 750ml Gift Tin, and a Chivas 12 Year Old pack that includes a 750ml with two branded rocks glasses. 

For the Gin guy or gal – Beefeater is offering a British-themed gift pack including a 1.75L of Beefeater and a special pourer/stopper to help ease the pouring process and impress guests.

Happy Holidays and Happy Gifting (and remember that no one would judge if you happen to buy a couple for yourself 🙂 )

-KJ

Kahlua’s Classic White Russian

I can’t say for sure whether it was the subliminal messaging  from the slew of Halloween costumes of “The Dude” I encountered this Halloween, or the cold end of autumn weather outside that has me craving the coffee flavor of Kahlúa, but I am  counting down until I can head home from work and cozy up on the couch with a deliciously classic, White Russian.

Academy Award-winning actor, Jeff Bridges, has been in the mood for the Kahlúa classic as well with his recent role in a  Kahlúa Productions short film in which Bridges recounts an adventure-filled story with twists and turns for the characters, all while sipping on a classic White Russian cocktail. In a company release Bridges states, “The White Russian is one of the most popular classic cocktails and it’s seeing a massive revival right now, so to work with Kahlúa on this project is great timing.”  Bridges continued, “As a short film entirely inspired by a simple classic cocktail, this story is creative, enigmatic and beautifully shot.”

Check out the short film here: YouTube.com/KahluaVideo while you sip on a classic White Russian of your own:

Kahlúa White Russian

• 1 part Kahlúa
• 2 parts Absolut Vodka
• 1 part Cream

Fill a glass with ice. Add Kahlúa, Absolut Vodka and cream.

Apple of Ones Eyes

By now fall is in full swing and I’m sure everyone’s newsfeeds are filled with photos of pumpkin carving and apple picking, pumpkin lattes and apple cider. While these autumn activities are enjoyable, it’s time to spice up your cool weather concoctions with a spiked apple cocktail.

Apple of Ones Eyes

• 2 parts Martell Cognac
• .5 part Lime Juice
• 3 parts Apple Juice
• 1 part Ginger Beer/Ale

Shake and strain first three ingredients over ice. Top with ginger beer/ale.

Happy apple sipping!

-KJ

No end in sight this summer!

As Labor Day arrives it brings along with it summer’s last hurrah–the last long weekend of the season and the last chance to soak up the sunny and lazy afternoons that accompany summer BBQs. This year, make summer last forever with a delicious Chivas Regal Endless Summer cocktail. With refreshing muddled cucumber, lime and ginger beer, the Endless Summer is the perfect cocktail to pair with your end of summer celebrations.

 

Endless Summer

• 2 parts Chivas Regal 12
• Muddled Cucumber Slices
• .5 part Lime
• .5 part Simple Syrup
• Top with Ginger Beer

Shake and strain all ingredients except ginger beer over ice. Top with ginger beer.  

Enjoy and have a safe holiday weekend!

-KJ

 

J.P. Wiser’s – Official Sponsor of Fantasy Football

While I am a big fan of summer and will never admit to rushing the beginning of fall, I do have to admit that I am ready for football season. As much as I love spending Sunday’s out in the sun, there is something truly wonderful about Sundays spent drinking and eating on the couch rooting for your favorite team (or fantasy football roster).

This 2014-2015 football season North American Whisky brand J.P. Wiser’s®  announced  it will be the Official Spirits Sponsor of ESPN Fantasy Football. Produced at the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario, J.P. Wiser’s is the best-selling whisky family in Canada. It draws everyone from whisky drinkers to seasoned whisky enthusiasts with its unique portfolio including J.P. Wiser’s Rye, J.P. Wiser’s Spiced, and J.P. Wiser’s 18 Years Old. J.P. Wiser’s Rye, in particular, is a smooth, approachable and versatile whisky that tastes great neat, but also pairs well with mixers , such as cola or ginger beer.

I’ll toast to J.P. Wiser’s and Fantasy Football with a Spiced Apple and Ginger

• 1 part J.P. Wiser’s^® Spiced Whisky
• 3 parts apple juice
• 3 parts ginger ale

Build all ingredients in a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a lime zest.

Enjoy!

-KJ

Summer Blue Lagoon

There are many reason’s to sport red, white and blue this week: the World Cup (Go USA), the 4th of July…okay so maybe there are just two reasons, but they are great reasons! Today I’ve got a delicious, frozen blue cocktail to cool you down from the summer heat while showing off your American Pride (HINT: if you pour your blue drink into a red cup with a white straw, there ya go red, white and blue!)

Blue Lagoon Cocktail

Blue Lagoon

• ¼ part Hiram Walker® Blue Curacao
• 1 part ABSOLUT® Vodka
• 1 part Pineapple Juice

Blend with ice and serve.

Enjoy and Go USA!

-KJ

National Ice Cream Soda Day

On a particularly hot day in 1874, the Ice Cream Soda was invented by Robert McCay Green. Today, on this beautiful (almost) summer afternoon, I’ll be toasting to National Ice Cream Soda Day with a spiked version of this warm weather treat.

Root Beer Float

• 1 part Hiram Walker Root Beer Schnapps
• 2 parts Milk or Cream
• 4 parts Lemon-lime soda

Combine ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

-KJ

National Iced Tea Month!

June is National Iced Tea Month, which I believe to be a fitting beverage for the warming weather and sunshine that comes in this early summer month. Iced tea is extremely versatile and can be sweetened, unsweetened, flavored or my personal favorite…spiked!

Refreshing Peach Tea-perfect for a summer picnic

Peach Tea

• 2 parts Hiram Walker® Peach Schnapps
• 1 part Fresh Lemon Juice
• 4 parts brewed Iced Tea

Add all ingredients to a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

If you’re feeling adventurous and prefer blueberry flavor over peach, I recommend substituting 2 parts of Mama Walker’s Blueberry Pancake Liqueur and enjoying a nice and sweet breakfast spin on your iced tea.

Enjoy and Happy National Iced Tea Month!

-KJ