7 Cocktails to Make This Holiday Season

Pumpkin Margarita 

2 oz. Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz. Lime juice
3/4 oz. Pumpkin Carrot Spice Syrup
1 Lime wedge
Black salt
Pumpkin Carrot Spice Syrup
5 oz. pumpkin puree
5 oz. agave nectar
2 1/2 oz. carrot juice
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Whisk to combine syrup. Run a lime wedge along half of the outer rim of a rocks glass and roll in black salt. Then set it aside. Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, then strain into the prepared glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
From Jose Cuervo Tequila

---

Tito’s Pecan Old Fashioned

2 oz. toasted pecan-infused Tito’s Handmade Vodka
3 dashes of orange bitters
1-2 brown sugar cubes
1 orange peel
1-3 cranberries
Toasted Pecan Infusion
750 ml. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
1 1/2 cup toasted pecans

Toast pecans in a 350 F oven until they become aromatic. (About 5 minutes.) Let pecans cool, drop them into a resealable jar and fill with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Store in a cool, dark place for 1 month.

Muddle 1-2 brown sugar cubes and 3 dashes of bitters. Add toasted pecan-infused Tito’s Handmade Vodka and one large ice cube. Stir with a bar spoon and twist orange peel directly over your drink. Garnish with cranberries.

From Tito’s Handmade Vodka

--

Bacardí Bat Brew
1 1/2 oz. Bacardí Coconut Flavored Rum
1 oz. Cold Brew
3/4 oz. Monin Vanilla Syrup 

Combine Bacardí Coconut Flavored Rum, cold brew and Monin vanilla syrup. Shake all ingredients together with ice. Strain into chilled coupe or martini glass. Serve chilled. From Bacardí

--

Zombie Madness

1 1/2 oz. Wheat Penny 1958 Bourbon
1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
1/2 oz. Kraken Black Spiced Rum
1/2 oz. Irish Mist
1 oz. Lime Juice
2 1/2 oz. No Pulp Orange Juice
1/2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
1/2 oz. Agave Syrup
3 Dashes Cardamom Bitters
1 Maraschino Cherry
1 Orange Wheel

Fill a hurricane glass with ice. In a shaker tin, add all the ingredients except for cherry and orange wheel and add ice. Shake and strain into the hurricane glass. Garnish with the cherry and orange wheel. From Cleveland Whiskey

--

Warm Apple Pie

2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Winter
Jack Tennessee Cider
3 oz. Hot Chai Tea
1/2 oz. Maple Syrup
1 Lemon Slice
Whipped Cream

Squeeze lemon in bottom of mug. Add tea and Winter Jack. Stir in maple syrup and top with whipped cream.  From Jack Daniel’s Whiskey

--

Pear & Bubbles
1-1 1/2 oz. Pear Brandy
Sparkling Wine
Pour brandy into champagne flute and fill the rest with sparkling wine to taste. From Hood River Distillers

--

Salted Caramel Truffle
1 oz. Noble Cut Salted
Caramel Whiskey
2 oz. chocolate liqueur
2 oz. Noble Cut Signature Vodka

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass. Add whipped cream over the cocktail. Shave chocolate over the whipped cream. From Noble Cut Distillery

--

Hot Spiced Apple
150 ml. Hendrick’s Gin
750 ml. Spiced Apple Juice (see below)
3 Apple slices
Grated nutmeg

Simmer the apple juice with spices in a pan. Add gin. Serve in a tankard or teacup and garnish with three slices of apple and a dusting of nutmeg. From Hendrick’s Gin 

Spiced Apple Juice
2 whole cloves
2 crushed cardamom pods
2 star anise
juniper berries
1 orange peel

Proof Magazine is for Ohio spirit lovers. It is produced by Great Lakes Publishing three times a year. Don’t miss an issue by subscribing to Ohio Magazine. View a digital version of the Proof Magazine Winter 2023 edition here.