entertaining
CLEVER COCKTAILS
A few festive and fun concoctions for the holiday season.
WRITTEN BY HEIDI BETHEL
PHOTOS BY JACI GOODMAN
Put that bottle of beer or your eggnog recipe aside and spice up your next gathering with extraordinary drink ideas provided by mixologists in The Biggest Little City.
Winter Lemonade
(Winter Lemonade pays homage to one of the most Old World-style gins, delivering tribute to the deserving palate. Courtesy of Christian O’Kuinghttons, sommelier/cellar master for Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno)
2 ounces Plymouth Gin
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce St.-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Dash orange bitters
Dash Angostura bitters
5 basil leaves
2 lemon-thyme leaves
In Boston Shaker, muddle basil and lemon-thyme leaves with simple syrup. Add remainder of ingredients and shake well. Pour into an Old Fashioned glass and top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with fresh basil.
The Dunagan
(Combining scotch with flavorful spices gives The Dunagan an extraordinary, smoky flavor and a warming effect for chilly fall and winter nights. Courtesy of Art Farley, owner of St. James Infirmary and Brasserie Saint James in Reno)
1¼ ounces J&B Blended Scotch
3 ounces Gosling’s Ginger Beer
¼ ounce Black Pepper, Vanilla, and Cayenne Simple Syrup (see below)
1 fresh sage leaf
In a Boston Shaker, combine ice and all ingredients. Shake vigorously, bruising sage leaf to release oils. Strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass and garnish with a fresh sage leaf.
Black Pepper, Vanilla, and Cayenne Simple Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
¼ tablespoon whole black peppercorn
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 whole vanilla bean, sliced open and scraped
Combine all ingredients and let boil for 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool. Strain off solids.
Flaming Boolies Pumpkin
(With rum set ablaze, the Flaming Boolies Pumpkin is an entertaining addition to a cozy evening by the fire or served alongside Thanksgiving dinner. Courtesy of Annalisa Huante, artisan cocktail master at Cin Cin bar in the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno)
2 ounces Pumpkin Butter (see below), chilled
1¼ ounces apple cider
1 ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce Brown Sugar Honey Ginger Simple Syrup
1½ ounces Mount Gay Rum
3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Dash ground cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Orange peel soaked in rum
Combine chilled pumpkin butter with all other ingredients. Shake with ice in a Boston Shaker. Place orange peel in cocktail glass and light on fire. Strain ingredients from shaker over flaming orange. Top with a cinnamon stick.
Pumpkin Butter
1 pound pie pumpkin, peeled, cubed, and boiled (or one 15-ounce can pumpkin — not pie mix)
1 cup raisins
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Blend all ingredients together, strain out solids, and store in airtight container in refrigerator for 24 hours before using.
As a former bartender herself, Heidi Bethel enjoys surprising her guests with tasty libations and looks forward to serving these new creative cocktails.
