Holiday Spirit: 7 Festive Cocktails from the World’s Top Mixologists
Find fresh new ways to toast the season, with notable recipes from leading brands and hotels around the globe
Find fresh new ways to toast the season, with notable recipes from leading brands and hotels around the globe
It may be a side effect of the holidays, or simply the winter chill, but every day running up to New Year’s Eve seems to call out for a glass of something fabulous. So, put down the eggnog, step away from the mulled wine, and instead opt for these creative festive cocktails. Each has been created by the world’s most forward-thinking bartenders, and comes with a story that’s almost as good to savor as the drink itself.
From: Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.
Upon opening in 1956, Edward L. Varney’s Modernist marvel, the Hotel Valley Ho, in Old Town Scottsdale, instantly attracted Hollywood greats such as Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Humphrey Bogart, who sought refuge from Tinseltown within its gorgeous interiors.
Its signature cocktail, the French 75, has an equally illustrious history: Bogart famously consoles himself with one in the movie Casablanca, while John Wayne sips on his in Jet Pilot. A deceptively light and citrusy blend of gin, lemon juice, and champagne, its effervescence is perennially festive and is especially well suited to the holidays.
To make your own, pour 2 ounces (60 ml) gin, ¾ ounces (22.5 ml) fresh lemon juice, and ¾ ounces (22.5 ml) simple syrup (1:1 sugar/water ratio), into a shaker, fill with ice, and shake until cold. Strain into a flute, top with 2 ounces (60 ml) chilled champagne or brut sparkling wine, and garnish with a twist of lemon.
From: Petit St. Vincent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, The Caribbean
With its pristine beaches flanked by dense forests, the private-island resort of Petit St. Vincent—which has no cars and just 22 immaculate cottages—guarantees privacy, luxury, and complete peace. And Goatie’s Hammer, the island’s signature rum punch cocktail, promises to elevate that feeling of bliss—whether you’re sitting beside the ocean or enjoying more wintry festivities from home.
The cocktail, which is named after the hotel’s longest-serving member of staff, Noel “Goatie” Victory, combines 1-ounce (30 ml) measures each of dark rum, vodka, gin, and peach liqueur in a shaker. Add 3 ounces (90 ml) of orange juice, 2 ounces (60 ml) of cranberry juice, and ½ ounce (15 ml) lime juice, fill with crushed ice and shake until cold. Pour into a tumbler and finish it off with a slice of orange or lime.
Built by King Mohammed VI, the Royal Mansour is a palace in all but name. Lavish, beautiful, and designed to showcase the skills of the country’s most talented craftspeople, its 53 riads are a masterpiece of architecture and interior decor. And it offers service—and mocktails—at its iconic Le Jardin bar to match. Its bartenders recommend serving the drink at sunset; a time, they say, marks “the start of happy hour and is animated by a festive spirit.”
Their delicious take on a virgin mojito will certainly leave you feeling festive, and is wonderfully easy to whip up. Simply put three scoops of lemon sorbet, six fresh mint leaves, 2 ounces (60 ml) of lemon juice, and the zest of one lemon in a blender and mix until smooth. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve immediately.
From: Bacardi
Known for creating the world’s first light-bodied and mixable white rum in 1830, Bacardi is still a family-owned company today and owns more than 200 brands, including Grey Goose Vodka, Martini, and Bombay Sapphire. Its new Bombay Bramble, a distilled gin crafted with completely natural flavours from freshly harvested blackberries and raspberries, is perfect for cocktail creativity—and makes a winter warmer with a kick.
To create your own, add 2 ounces (60 ml) of Bombay Bramble, 4 ounces (125 ml) of red wine, and ½ ounce (15 ml) brown sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water ratio) to a pan. Warm slowly on a stove top until the flavor infuses, and serve once the temperature is above 122°F (50°C). Pour into glasses and garnish with an orange slice and cinnamon stick.
From: The American Bar, Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Gleneagles, with its world-famous golf-course, has always epitomized style and elegance, so it should come as no surprise that it’s selected the timeless martini as its signature cocktail—albeit reinvented in five uniquely Scottish forms.
Each one draws on the varied scenery of the surrounding countryside and uses a different Scottish gin. The Estate Martini takes the classic and gives it a sharp twist of raspberry by combining 2 ounces (60 ml) of South Loch Black Raspberry Old Tom Gin, ½ ounce (15 ml) raspberry leaf-infused vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of elderflower cordial into a mixing glass. It’s then stirred well to combine, strained into a chilled martini glass, and garnished with lemon peel.
From: Savoy Palace, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Renowned architect Nini Andrade Silva has taken Madeira’s Belle Époque glamour and abundant cultural heritage and woven them into the audacious design for this five-star hotel. In the same way, the mixologists at its rooftop Galáxia Skybar have reinvented the classic negroni with dried fruit notes, hazelnuts, and Madeira—creating an intoxicating blend of tradition and modernity.
For the hazelnut-infused gin add ¾ ounce (22.5 ml) roasted, shelled, and lightly crushed hazelnuts to a cup of gin. Cover and leave for five days. Sieve out the solids and store. For the cocktail, pour 1-ounce (30 ml) measures each of the hazelnut gin, Campari, and Henriques & Henriques medium-rich, three-year-old Madeira wine into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir until well chilled. Then strain into an old-fashioned glass and add a final flourish of orange peel.
From: Pure Scot, Bladnoch Distillery, Scotland
In 2015, Bladnoch Distillery owner David Prior and whisky expert Charles Maclean—author of 17 books on Scotch, and a Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame inductee—combined their knowledge to create a new label, Pure Scot. Its two blends, Pure Scot Signature and Pure Scot Virgin Oak (which is finished in virgin American oak casks) are made with Speyside whisky and have won awards for their smooth flavor and honey-filled notes.
Their new cocktail, The Entertainer, highlights the whisky’s “crisp, smooth and thoroughly modern taste” and promises to heat up even the coldest of winter evenings. To make, shake 2 ounces (60 ml) Pure Scot Virgin Oak with ½ ounce (15 ml) grapefruit juice, 2 teaspoons of orgeat syrup, and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Then double strain into a champagne flute, add a splash of soda, and garnish with grapefruit peel.