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12 Holiday Cocktail Recipes That Deserve a Spot at the Party

12 Holiday Cocktail Recipes That Deserve a Spot at the Party

Let’s skip the sad eggnog and get to the good stuff. This is a roundup of holiday cocktail recipes that are festive, flavorful, and just a little over the top in the best way. No syrupy shortcuts. No peppermint schnapps disasters. Just solid seasonal cocktails—some...

Fireside Orchard: A Spiced Tequila Apple Cider Cocktail

Fireside Orchard: A Spiced Tequila Apple Cider Cocktail

Everyone expects whiskey to carry the weight of fall and winter cocktails. Tequila? Not so much. But the Fireside Orchard changes that. It’s a tequila apple cider cocktail—topped with a brûléed apple slice because you can be cozy and extra at the same time. This isn’t...

Blue Christmas Cocktail: Spiced, Creamy, and Unexpected

Blue Christmas Cocktail: Spiced, Creamy, and Unexpected

This is the holiday cocktail for when you want to surprise people—and maybe yourself. The Blue Christmas cocktail combines blue curaçao, almond milk, lime, warm spices, and tequila into something festive that doesn’t taste like a melted candy cane. It’s creamy,...

Apple Pie Margarita: A Fall Margarita Recipe That Actually Slaps

Apple Pie Margarita: A Fall Margarita Recipe That Actually Slaps

Let’s get this out of the way: this is not a syrupy, artificially flavored abomination pretending to taste like pie. This is a legit apple pie margarita built with real ingredients—tequila, apple cider, lime, and spiced syrups. It's warm, tart, just sweet enough, and...

Spiced Cranberry Gin and Tonic | Festive Gin Cocktail

Spiced Cranberry Gin and Tonic | Festive Gin Cocktail

If your usual gin and tonic shows up to the party in a crisp white button-down, this spiced cranberry gin and tonic walks in wearing a velvet blazer and a clove-studded orange. It’s bold, aromatic, and just festive enough without screaming “holiday.” Built for slow...

5 Bell Pepper Cocktails That Actually Work (and Taste Amazing)

5 Bell Pepper Cocktails That Actually Work (and Taste Amazing)

Let’s get something straight: bell pepper belongs in more than stir-fries and hummus trays. It belongs in your cocktail glass—when it’s used right. These five bell pepper cocktails combine savory flavor with bright citrus, fresh herbs, bold spirits, and just the right...

Sage Ceremony | A Bright and Herbal Shochu Cocktail

Sage Ceremony | A Bright and Herbal Shochu Cocktail

Most cocktails demand attention. This one invites quiet curiosity. Sage Ceremony is a savory, herb-forward shochu cocktail built on Honkaku Spirits' Colorful Shochu. It’s layered but clean—blending fresh sage, lime, red bell pepper, and a finishing splash of Fontbonne...

Bell Pepper Negroni: Earthy, Bold, and Just a Bit Weird

Bell Pepper Negroni: Earthy, Bold, and Just a Bit Weird

This is the Negroni you make when you’ve seen some things. It’s not trying to be edgy. It just is. Equal parts brooding, herbal, and vegetal, the Bell Pepper Negroni swaps out the usual Campari for Cynar and adds muddled red bell pepper to bring in some garden drama....

Red Flag: A Red Bell Pepper Cocktail That’s Actually Good

Red Flag: A Red Bell Pepper Cocktail That’s Actually Good

Most people don’t look at a red bell pepper and think, “Let’s drink that.” But that’s where I come in. If you’ve been hunting for a red bell pepper cocktail that actually delivers on flavor? You’re home. Red Flag is a cocktail that shouldn’t work—but does. It’s built...

Green Bell Pepper Cocktail with Tequila & Mezcal | Green Ghost

Green Bell Pepper Cocktail with Tequila & Mezcal | Green Ghost

This is the drink you serve when you want people to ask questions. Green Ghost is sweet, smoky, citrusy, and entirely its own thing. It starts with pineapple and agave, punches in with mezcal and tequila, and finishes with a clean vegetal snap from green bell pepper....

Best Gin For Negroni Cocktail

Best Gin For Negroni Cocktail

A classic Negroni—equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth—served with orange peel and ice. Ah, the Negroni—a cocktail that doesn't ask for your opinion, it tells you what’s up. Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, (or try out Modern Negroni for a more...

Holiday Gin And Tonic

Holiday Gin And Tonic

For the Holiday Gin and Tonic I took the standard gin and tonic and added some holiday-adjacent flavors. It's going to be a bit sweeter than a typical G&T, but I think the tonic bitterness keeps it in check! Enjoy! See the recipe What Is A Gin And Tonic? A gin and...

Christmas Gin Highball

Christmas Gin Highball

It's Christmas time yet again (seems to happen every year by my calculations), which means trying to shoe-horn some of my favorite spirits into cocktails that help me feel festive. In this case, I'm throwing some delicious local gin into a highball for some...

Christmas Mai Tai

Christmas Mai Tai

Mele Kaliki Maka ya bunch of haoles! Check out this holiday riff on a classic tiki recipe that can add some tropical flare to any Christmas party. At the very least you'll get drunk of the Christmas Mai Tai. If you're lucky, you may even enjoy the political commentary...

Christmas Tequila Cocktail

Christmas Tequila Cocktail

Feliz Navidad, bitches! I don't know about ya'll, but when I picture a family gathering around the holidays, I can't imagine it being complete without tequila. But every family has that one lightweight who won't shoot it straight, so here's a SOLID Christmas tequila...

Cinnamon Cranberry Gin Sour

Cinnamon Cranberry Gin Sour

The gin sour is a freakin classic. But the greatest thing about any sour is the ability to customize it. For this variation, the holidays are fast approaching so I decided to throw in some holiday flavor. Enjoy the Cinnamon Cranberry Gin Sour this Christmas! See the...

Spiced Old Fashioned

Spiced Old Fashioned

Nothing quite matches the quiet peace of sitting in the comfy chair by the fire, solid book in hand, and sipping your whiskey to the sweet sweet sound of your children screaming bloody murder at your husband who is trying to get them to brush their freakin teeth...

Clove Syrup

Clove Syrup

One of the easiest ways to up your cocktail game isn't dropping mad money on a new liqueur spirit. If you're looking to get some different flavor profiles for your home cocktails, do NOT overlook the power of specialty syrups, which are an absolute breeze to make....

Cinnamon Syrup

Cinnamon Syrup

One of the easiest ways to up your cocktail game isn't dropping mad money on a new liqueur spirit. If you're looking to get some different flavor profiles for your home cocktails, do NOT overlook the power of specialty syrups, which are an absolute breeze to make....

Christmas Margarita

Christmas Margarita

Who doesn't love a good summertime margarita? If you're a fan, prepare to be amazed. Margaritas don't have to stop just because summer's over! Check out this recipe for a cold-seasonal variation, whether you're looking for a Christmas Margarita, non-denominational...

Santa’s Sidecar

Santa’s Sidecar

The colder seasons are upon us, which means it's time to roll out the holiday and seasonal cocktails! Which for me means taking all of my normal summer cocktails and throwing a holiday spice twist on them. This bad boy is just a normal sidecar with the addition of...

Homemade Orange Liqueur

Homemade Orange Liqueur

If you've ever strolled down the cordial aisle of your local, you've probably seen a variety of orange liqueurs. This is one of those spirits that's a must-have in a home bar, whether you enjoy it straight as a nightcap or in cocktails ranging from margaritas to...

Kentucky Mai Tai

Kentucky Mai Tai

So you've tried a Mai Tai, and let's just say, mommy likey. But now you're curious about what else the tiki world has to offer. Maybe rum isn't quite your style, or you want something a little more artsy to sip on. Check out this bourbon Mai Tai variation which I've...

Mai Tai

Mai Tai

Aahhhhhhhh the Mai Tai. Is there any other cocktail that SCREAMS (or just softly sighs) that it's a beautiful summer afternoon by the pool? Nope! There's just something about tiki drinks that instantly puts me into chill mode. Kids screaming at each other in the pool...