Festive Holiday Cocktails

Entertaining for the holidays is a perfect time for signature cocktails.

Here are a couple of recipes for variations on pomegranate martinis that are red in color. Red, being the key to complement a special decorative rim of flaked coconut that gives the cocktail glass the look of Santa’s hat or a snowy touch. It’s a festive look to serve up some holiday spirit with your … spirits.

Things needed to make the decorative snowy coconut rim:

• 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 Teaspoon water
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut (makes 4 or more decorative glass rims)

Combine the powdered sugar and water.

Place the mixture on a plate and roll the outside of the rim of the glass in the sugar mixture or brush it on fairly thick and about a half-inch wide on the outside rim of the cocktail glass.

The coconut needs something to adhere to. If the rim is coated too thin both in mixture and width the coconut will not stick well. You can see the difference in the photo.

Take the sugar rimmed glass and press a handful of coconut to the rim. You can chop up the flaked coconut if you want a finer texture. To me, the longer coconut flakes looks like the fur on Santa’s hat and the finer texture – snow. I like both.

The coconut rim can be made days ahead. Once the coconut and icing dries it is set.

Cocktail Recipes:

We were experimenting at Thanksgiving making our own version of a pomegranate Cosmopolitan. We came up with this yummy concoction.

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan

• 7 parts Citron Vodka, of choice
• 3 parts Limoncello (a sweet lemon liqueur)
• 1 part Pama Pomegranate liqueur
• 1 part POM Pomegranate juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake to chill. Pour into two martini glasses. Can be additionally sweetened with simple syrup to taste.

Simple Syrup Recipe

• 2 parts granulated sugar
• 1 part water

Combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool and store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Here’s a cocktail using Malibu Rum which is coconut flavored. The cocktail does not have an overwhelming coconut flavor but just a hint. All the flavors complement each other well.

Naughty but Nice Cocktail

• 2 parts Malibu Rum
  Splash each of:
• Triple Sec
• Pomegranate juice
• cranberry juice
• Dash of lime juice
  * Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice ~ shake ~ and pour.

Tips for making cocktails:

• To try the flavors of a cocktail recipe that you’re unfamiliar with and don’t know if you’ll like, purchase the small shot size bottles instead of committing to the larger standard size bottles. It’ll save a lot of money while you experiment. I found the mini Malibu Rum bottles at BevMo.
• Make a batch of martinis in bulk a day ahead of your party. Keep in a pitcher in the fridge but not in the freezer. The cocktails will not dilute to the right strength if they are too cold going into the cocktail shaker. Place the pitcher on the bar and shake per order.
• Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice and pour in enough of the recipe for one or two cocktails. This is the time to add some simple syrup. Shake for a full 30 seconds or until the shaker is frosty and icy cold.
• Garnish the drink with a cocktail pick of cranberries. The glass snowflake cocktail picks were purchased at Pottery Barn a couple years ago. They usually carry them every year or something as equally irresistible. 🙂

Cheers!

* This post was picked up by the a few Patch sites in New Jersey, Bloomfield and Montclair (the two that I know of) so a special hello to you Jersey gals or guys out there!

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