I absolutely LOVE a good festive cocktail -- or cocktail(s)! The holiday season is really the only time of year that I feel creative and ambitious enough to create a decadent mixed drink, but that makes it even more special to enjoy!
When I first started making mixed drinks, I truly had no clue there was a proper way to do it. While I'm still no expert, I enjoy concocting a nice blend of flavors to enjoy on special occasions! Particularly because peppermint is one of the key flavors of Christmas, and because chocolate is always delicious, I of course had to incorporate those elements into one of my favorite seasonal mixed drinks!
How to Make a Peppermint Chocolatini
This cocktail is minty, chocolately and outrageously festive -- plus it's an excuse to use my martini cocktail glasses! It's pretty rare that I use any kind of Irish cream liqueur in a drink, but this time of year is perfect to enjoy the decadence of a silky sweet cocktail. Mint and chocolate blend deliciously well together, so this cocktail is also a dessert in a fancy glass!
Ingredients: yields 1 serving
2 ounces of Irish cream (I used Carolan'S, but Bailey's is great too)
1 ounce of Kalhua
1 ounce of Smirnoff peppermint vodka
3-4 crushed ice cubes
Chocolate syrup
If it's too boozy, add a splash of milk
Directions:
Put 3-4 ice cubes in a shaker
Add Irish cream
Add Kahlua
Add peppermint Smirnoff
Fasten the lid and mix well for about 10 seconds
Swirl chocolate syrup into the martini glass (if you're feeling extra fancy, you can dip the rim of the glass in chocolate syrup and then dip it into crushed candy canes)
Pour cocktail into the martini glass
Sip & enjoy!
(Photo links to fabulous Like to Know It barware accessories)
Other Favorite Cocktail: Cranberry Moscow Mule
Ingredients: yields 1 serving
4 ounces ginger beer
4 ounces cranberry juice
2 ounces dark rum or vodka (or you could do one of each)
1halved lime
1-2 cups crushed ice cubes
Optional: a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries (I prefer frozen because they keep the drink chilled)
Instructions:
Add a handful of crushed ice into a copper mug
Add the ginger beer, cranberry juice, rum/vodka and the juice of the squeezed ½ lime in a shaker that is also filled with ice
Shake well for 20 seconds or until it's well-combined, then pour into the copper mug
Optional: top with cranberries and garnish with a lime wheel to serve