The holidays place much emphasis on well-planned menus, from theming festive appetizers to culinary highlights on the table where there’s a dainty balance between traditional main dishes, complementary sides, and accouterments. Cocktails, however, are often overlooked but are also an integral part of any festive spread. A spiked hot chocolate, for example, can add a little sparkle to Christmas morning, a merry welcome drink can set the tone for dinner parties, and a festive after-dinner libation can keep the spirits high throughout the night (or day).
Whether elevating a classic cocktail by swapping traditional ingredients for winter flavors or opting to impress with a unique mixology masterpiece, gather inspiration from some of Napa’s premier bars and restaurants who share their favorite holiday spirits below.
Festive Holiday Punch
“Punch is a communal experience, bringing people together around the bowl, which is what the holidays are really about,” shared Michael Coyne, director of wine and spirits at Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection. “Beyond being simple, it looks fun and festive, making it the perfect libation to serve at your soiree because it keeps you mixing and mingling with your guests instead of mixing drinks behind the bar all night.” // www.aubergeresorts.com/stanlyranch
recipe // makes 2 quarts, serves 8-10
- 26 oz chilled water
- 13 oz Cognac
- 6 oz aged rum
- 13 oz demerara sugar
- 6 oz lemon juice
- 3 lemons (peeled)
- 8 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Garnishes: Lemon wheels, fresh whole cranberries, whole allspice cloves, fresh thyme sprigs, fresh rosemary, shaved nutmeg, a splash of your favorite amaro.
Method: The night before: Make a giant ice cube using a fun mold or a basic bowl by filling it with filtered water and freezing overnight. Peel three lemons and place the peels in a jar with a lid or a Tupperware container. Add the demerara sugar over the lemon peels, cover tightly and place in the fridge overnight. The day of: Add 6 oz of lemon juice to the sugar/lemon peel mixture and shake well to mix. Pour this mixture into the punch bowl and add the Cognac, rum, Angostura bitters, salt, and water.
Stir well until all ingredients are dissolved. Add other ingredients as desired and place the giant ice cube in the center of the punch bowl. Finish by shaving fresh nutmeg (1/3 clove) over the top of your wonderous holiday creation and serve.
Hot Buttered Rum
A combination of Clement VSOP rum, spiced rum, butter, cinnamon, and clove makes this “the perfect cozy sip for winter months,” shares Megan Anderson, food and beverage manager for Violetto at Alila Napa Valley. “Hot Buttered Rum showcases the warm, baking spice flavors often found in traditional American holiday dishes, making it an ideal pairing with your favorite winter meals. The infusion of orange into the Clément rum adds a bright, seasonal touch, inspired by California’s citrus abundance during the holidays.” // www.alilahotels.com/napa-valley/dining/violetto
Pumpkin Pie Martini
Rich, seasonal flavors with balanced sweetness and a creamy texture allow this martini, built with vodka and pumpkin puree spice blend, to evoke the feeling of indulging in a creamy, spiced pumpkin pie, according to Bar Lucia founder Kara Haspel Lind. “The final touch, often a whipped cream topping, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, gives the martini both a visual and flavorful nod to classic pumpkin pie.” // www.barlucia.com
Golden Equinox
At Charlie’s in downtown Napa, chef Elliot Bell used the heat wave lingering into fall as inspiration to play with a classic tiki drink called Saturn. “We swapped gin for a warm spiced rye and added a cinnamon coconut foam to combine both summer and fall flavors,” he shared about the cocktail that’s currently on their bar menu and combines rye whiskey, Falernum, lemon juice, almond-passionfruit syrup and burnt cinnamon-coconut foam. // www.charliesnv.com
Holi-date cocktail // Photo courtesy of Sky & Vine
Holi-date
Lead bartender at Sky & Vine, Christopher Martinez has embraced the shift in seasons since mid-October with an aromatic date-based cocktail. “Each sip takes me back to family holidays,” said Martinez. “The rich scent of date and banana bread hits before the first taste, evoking memories of grandparents, parents, and siblings all together.” //
www.skyandvine.com
Recipe
- 2 oz Kōloa dark rum
- 0.75 oz date syrup
- 0.25 oz simple syrup
- 0.5 oz pineapple juice
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 1 egg white
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method: combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until chilled and strain into a coup glass with grated nutmeg over the top.
Broken Ornament
This proprietary cocktail returns to Solbar at Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, for a fourth iteration. “This year, we’re taking the milk solids leftover from our Clarified Milk Rum Punch (so whole milk that solidified around ground lemon peel, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, nutmeg, and vanilla, and we’re adding rum); it’s almost like a new take on eggnog,” said Carly Hiebert, bar supervisor at Solbar. The drink presentation was inspired by one of her childhood memories; her parents asked her to throw away some old glass ornaments.
“Being the little chaos monkey I am, I decided throwing them against a brick wall in the back driveway would be way more fun.” So, to get to the cocktail, imbibers have to break the ornament with a hammer. “It can be a little messy, but everyone seems to really enjoy getting to destroy this beautiful thing.”
Classic Margarita
Use La Calenda’s classic margarita as a base to infuse it with seasonal flavors. General Manager Joel Muniz suggests experimenting with cranberry, pomegranate, or a dash of cinnamon to the traditional mix of 2 oz blanco tequila (they use Casa Dragones blanco), 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice, and 0.5 oz agave. // www.lacalendamex.com
Charter Oak’s Crimson Bloom cocktail // Photo by Ryan Anderson
Crimson Bloom
The exclusivity of the Crimson Bloom as an off-menu item at The Charter Oak this holiday season makes it all the more alluring. “The cocktail is mainly inspired by the changing of the seasons,” explained Jack Means, co-creator of the drink with Scotty Wippern. “We wanted both the flavors and appearance to reflect these seasonal differences: on the one hand, there are bright fall notes in both the gin and honey, paired with the more earthy and resinous flavors of the aperitif, rosemary, and cappelletti.”
The cocktail’s blood orange base is thanks to Wippern, who shares that it’s always been one of his favorite fruits. “Growing up in northern California, I’d always see blood oranges in the grocery stores with my mom and would beg her to get some.” // www.thecharteroak.com
Recipe
- 1.5 oz Mommenpop Blood Orange
- 1 oz Barr Hill Gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.25 oz Cappelletti aperitif
- 0.75 honey syrup (see below)
- Pinch of salt
- Rosemary sprig
Honey Syrup: combine 1/2 cup honey with 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until the honey is dissolved, then let cool)
Method: Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Serve in a chilled coup and garnish with a rosemary sprig. Briefly hit the rosemary sprig with an open flame from a lighter or match until fragrant.
