Festive. Fabulous. Ho, ho, ho!
Here's one for sipping around the the tree, or in front of a roaring fire, or as the lead-in to a gigantic Christmas feast. It's sweet-tart, like so many other great cocktails. Stiff enough to do the job, yet light enough to go with heavy holiday foods. And the hints of cranberry and ginger give it a flair that's just perfect for the holiday season.
And with all those cranberries floating around in it, it's absolutley delightful to look at. Not that you'll be looking at it for long. This cocktail goes down easy, and rarely stays unsipped for long.
Mix up a bunch of these and have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Ginger Smash
- A good slice of fresh ginger - about 1/4 inch thick
- 8-10 fresh cranberries
- .25 ounce simple syrup
- 1.5 ounce gin
- 1.5 ounch apple cider (try it with hard cider, too)
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Muddle the first three ingredients in a shaker or mixing glass. Add ice and stir at least 30 seconds. Decant the whole thing without straining (you want the cranberries in the drink) into a rocks glass and have at it.
Nice to look at. Even nicer to drink!