By: Yolanda Shoshana
‘Tis the season made for entertaining. Whichever holiday you invite people to celebrate with you, a punch is the way to go. It’s a great way to imbibe with family and loved ones, plus it saves you the hassle of having to continuous drinks during the night. Put out a punch bowl then pop a ladle in it, you will be good to go.
Must-Try Holiday Punches!
Blackened American Whiskey
As we know, celebrities love being in the booze game. Who would have thought that award-winning Master Distiller, Dave Pickerell, and Metallica would collaborate to create a bourbon. Maybe their song, “Whiskey In A Jar” was a big hint. Blackened American Whiskey is a marriage of the finest bourbons, ryes & whiskeys, however, it’s mainly bourbon. The whiskey gets finished in black brandy casks. Does it get any sexier than that?\
This is all to say that the whiskey would be perfect in a punch The first time I had Blackened was in a cold toddy. It’s the sibling cocktail to the hot toddy. It’s refreshing and is a holiday treat in a glass.
Related Link: Love & Libations: Autumn + Red Wine = Love
Cold Toddy
Ingredients:
- 1 medium orange
- 5 medium lemons
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- 2/3 cup honey
- 2 cups Blackened Whiskey
- 1 tsp. orange or regular bitters
- Orange twists (for serving)
Directions:
Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from orange and 1 of the lemons in strips, leaving white pith behind; slice fruit in half. Squeeze juice from orange into a small bowl. Squeeze juice from lemon into a measuring glass. Slice remaining lemons in half and squeeze juice into glass to measure 1 cup total; save any remaining lemon halves. Set orange and lemon juice aside.
Place zest in a small saucepan. Beat cinnamon sticks with the side of a chef’s knife to break up a little and add to saucepan along with smashed ginger, tea bags, cloves, and 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat; let sit 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, then stir in honey; let cool completely, about 15- 20 minutes.
Strain tea mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and add whiskey, bitters, and reserved orange juice and lemon juice. Add 2 cups ice and stir until ice is melted and the toddy is very cold.
To serve, pour toddy into glasses filled with ice and garnish with orange twists.
Related Link: Love & Libations: Holiday Cocktailing Like A Celebrity
Próspero Tequila
Another spirit that should make a guest appearance at your holiday table is tequila. You can make a yummy libation that pairs with your autumn dishes. I’ve recently discovered that tequila deserves more credit when it comes to pairing with food.
Did you know that Rita Ora has a female-driven tequila called Próspero Tequila? It’s a relatively new libation and a new area for Ora. The distiller of tequila is one of the few women in the industry. It’s smooth, elegant, and sassy, we couldn’t expect anything less from Ora.
What should you make with this tequila? The Texas Punch is a good way to go since it’s the perfect addition to any gathering. It’s a drink that your friends and family will love. It’s also a drink that you can make for you and your boo to keep in the fridge for after a hard day at work.
Texas Christmas Punch
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- 3 cups Próspero Tequila
- 1 cup lime juice
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 1 750-ml bottle sparkling wine (recommend Crémant or Cava)
- fresh cranberries to garnish
Directions:
In saucepan combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, dissolving the sugar. Remove from heat and cool completely. This will create what is known as simple syrup.
In a large punch bowl stir together the simple syrup, pomegranate juice, tequila, lime juice, and cranberry juice. Chill for 2 hours. Stir in the sparkling wine and serve for a very good time.
For more Love & Libations date night ideas and celebrity couple predictions from Yolanda Shoshana, click here.
Read more on Cupid’s.
