Thyme syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular fresh thyme leaves)
Cocktail:
- Ice
- 1 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 1/4 ounce thyme syrup
- 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 3 ounces chilled sparkling wine
- Garnish: thyme sprig
Syrup: Boil water and sugar in small saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from stovetop and add thyme leaves. Then, cover and set aside. After 1 hour, strain and refrigerate.
Cocktail: Fill glass with ice, then add gin, freshly-made thyme syrup, St. Germain and lemon juice and stir. Strain into champagne flute, then fill remaning room up with sparkling wine. Garnish with a thyme sprig.
Photo Recipe: Serious Eats
Thyme syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular fresh thyme leaves)
Cocktail:
- Ice
- 1 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 1/4 ounce thyme syrup
- 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 3 ounces chilled sparkling wine
- Garnish: thyme sprig
Syrup: Boil water and sugar in small saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from stovetop and add thyme leaves. Then, cover and set aside. After 1 hour, strain and refrigerate.
Cocktail: Fill glass with ice, then add gin, freshly-made thyme syrup, St. Germain and lemon juice and stir. Strain into champagne flute, then fill remaning room up with sparkling wine. Garnish with a thyme sprig.
Photo Recipe: Serious Eats
- 1 1/2 oz. Vikingfjord Chocolate Raspberry
- 2 oz. Blood Orange Juice
- 3 Muddled Dates
- 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
- 1/4 oz. Cinnamon Syrup
- Cinnamon stick
- Overall grumpiness-turned-sweet demeanor
Muddle dates in a cocktail shaker. Add all remaining ingredients. Shake and fine strain into a glass tea cup. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
- 3 Parts RumChata
- 1 Part Missisippi River Distilling Company Coffee Liqueur
- 1 part Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, strain, enjoy.
(Best served in martini glass rimmed or garnished with pinch of dark chocolate flakes or shavings.)
Photo: Stuart Webster / Flickr
- 2 cups cranberry tea
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 4 slices pineapple
- Several cranberries
Mix together tea and ginger ale in a pitcher filled with ice. Serve in highball glasses. Garnish with pineapple slice and a few cranberries in each glass.
Photo: BobbyProm / Flickr
1 part Absolut vodka
1 part Apple Juice
1 part Champagne
Shake Absolut with apple juice and strain into a tall cocktail glass. Top with chilled champagne.
Photo: TheCulinaryGeek / Flickr
- 1/4 cup crushed ice
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 (1/4-inch-thick) slice grapefruit
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces seltzer water
Garnish: grapefruit slices and rosemary sprigs
1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle together ice and rosemary. Add grapefruit slice, and muddle again.
2. Pour vodka and seltzer water over muddled grapefruit mixture. Strain into a glass. Serve with ice, if desired. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and a rosemary sprig, if desired.
Photo Recipe: Taste of the South Magazine, 2010
- 1 1/2 parts Pucker Vodka Raspberry Rave
- 3 cucumber slices
- 1 tsp. ginger puree
- 2 parts soda
- Splash of lime juice
Add cucumber and ginger puree to shaker. Muddle, then add ice, vodka and lime juice, shake. Add soda and pour.
Photo: Dana Beveridge / Flickr
- 1 bottle Thorny Rose Red Blend
- 16 oz fresh brewed black tea that has been steeped with dried Mirabelle plum and safflower (you may replace this with the tea of your choice)
- 8 oz Cognac - any good V.S, will do
- 4 oz vanilla bean/ cinnamon syrup*
- 1 orange and 2 lemons cut into half moons
- 3 plums cut into half moons
To prepare:
Combine all ingredients and chill overnight - serve in a large punch bowl with club soda
*Heat 12 oz (1.5 c) water to boiling point, immediately reduce to medium low heat, add two cinnamon sticks and
simmer for 15 minutes, add the paste from one scraped vanilla bean and 12 oz sugar, dissolve and simmer for an additional ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool and bottle - makes 16 oz syrup. You can use the remaining syrup from your sangria preparation to mix with club soda for those at your party who do not partake in alcohol.
Photo: God's Growing Garden
1 part Absolut Vodka
2 parts Cranberry Juice
Champagne
Shake Absolut with cranberry juice, and strain into a champagne flute. Top with chilled champagne. Garnish with a fresh berry.
Photo: Dinner Series / Flickr
- 2 tablespoons dry cranberries
- 1/2 cup organic pear nectar
- 32 ounces Moscato d'Asti wine
- 8 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1. Place cranberries in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons warm water. Soak until water is cool (approximately 15 minutes). Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate until serving.
2. Evenly divide pear nectar among eight champagne flutes. Add the cranberries. Then, gently pour Moscato d'Asti into the glasses and garnish each one with a rosemary sprig.
Photo Recipe: Martha Stewart
