My natural propensity for eye rolls and sarcastic comments often convinces people I’m a cynic. Come Christmas, then, they wouldn’t recognize my surprisingly joyful state. All it takes is a half hour of watching Frosty the Snowman or a plate of gingerbread cookies, the crispy-edged little men embellished with lopsided royal icing grins, and once again I’m a wide-eyed kid fueled by wonder, not skepticism. Throughout the holiday season I gawk at lights, consistently tear up every time Judy Garland encourages us to have a merry little Christmas, and seek out festive cocktails.
When I lived in New York, the latter was much easier to indulge in. As soon as Thanksgiving feasts were cleared away, restaurants and bars began hawking their own cheerfully named renditions of pervasive eggnog, hot buttered rum, and boozy hot chocolate. I relished the Coquito, the Puerto Rican spin on eggnog with coconut milk and cream of coconut, and I still dream of the warm, frothy “batter-made” Tom & Jerry twist from the storied Elizabeth Street bar of the same name. Some classics, particularly the dessert-like Grasshopper and Brandy Alexander, reeled me in every year, too.
I keep up with the U.S. culinary and beverage scene from Budapest, where I’ve been living for over a decade now. I gush over menus and reading about this year’s crop of Christmas specials like the Cranberry Bourbon Mule at The Dominick hotel in New York, the El Silencio Piñata de Navidad at San Patricios in Jersey City bolstered by spiced guava, pear brandy, apricot liqueur, and cinnamon tincture, and the spiced Cognac and sandalwood Velvet Reserve at Four Walls in Nashville, I get wistful. After moving to Hungary, the holiday concoctions sadly tapered off.
Instead, I’m surrounded by mulled wine. The spiced drink is a staple of the European Christmas markets I love wandering despite the hordes of tourists. Holding a scorching cup of it as I peruse hand-painted ornaments and jars of artisanal honey briefly casts the illusion I’m a good-natured protagonist in a time-wasting Hallmark Channel film. Recently, I savored a stand-out fancy version of mulled wine at the Nimb Hotel in Copenhagen, where it’s called gløgg. Served in a goblet and crowned with slivered almonds, it was just the fortification I needed before stepping into the illuminated fairy tale that is the Tivoli Gardens amusement park.
But I usually crave something bolder, something more imaginative this time of year. I crave a playful cocktail that captures the energy of the holiday. I was thrilled when Elysian, one of Budapest’s best bars, announced its flight of tipples reinterpreting a trifecta of Hungarian Christmas desserts. By mixing Takamaka rum, almond orgeat, cherry compote, and salted vanilla foam, for example, the team immediately brings chestnut puree to life. Likewise, I yearned for another sip after tasting a friend’s comforting Christmassy zabaglione-inspired drink on the culinary-driven menu at subterranean lair 1930 in Milan last month.
So, this December, like every December since I’ve been abroad, I will become bartender, albeit a sloppy, largely incapable one, and meld brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves before combining it with dark rum and boiling water. On lazier evenings, I’ll spike my hot chocolate—I always whisk pieces of dark chocolate and milk over a saucepan—with Frangelico, the Italian hazelnut liqueur I prefer over the season’s ubiquitous Baileys, and I will enjoy it beside my petite, angel-topped tree.
If I close my eyes long enough, though, I will be at Mace in New York’s Greenwich Village, where the bar is transformed into the otherworldly Miracle on 8th Street. I remember the pop-up’s early days fondly. Reveling in an aromatic Snowball Old Fashioned by the fireplace, surrounded by a barrage of kitschy red and green décor, is all I really want for Christmas.
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Alia’s Go-To Holiday Cocktail Recipes to Make at Home
Frangelico Hot Chocolate
- 1.5 ounces Frangelico Italian Hazelnut Liqueur
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 oz quality dark chocolate (I use 70 % cacao), finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Whipped Cream for Garnish
Instructions
Pour the milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, just until milk is hot and steaming. Then add the finely chopped chocolate and salt. Whisk without interruption until the chocolate is completely melted. Lower heat and whisk to thicken. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla extract and Frangelico. Top with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
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Mistletoe Martini
Available at Blitzen’s Bar at Omni Hotels & Resorts
Instructions
Combine all ingredients into a stirring vessel and stir for 10–15 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with red and green olives skewed on a holiday pick. Garnish with red and green olives skewed on a holiday pick.
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Coquito
Available at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
- 6 oz Coconut Milk
- 14 oz Condensed Milk
- 12 oz Evaporated Milk
- 7.5oz Cream of Coconut
- 5 oz White Rum
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Dash of cinnamon
Instructions
Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until mixed well. Pour into a bottle and refrigerate. Serve in small glasses and garnish with cinnamon sticks.
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Candy Cane Colada
- 0.75 oz Second Sip Gin
- 0.75 oz Coconut Syrup
- 0.5 oz Branca Menta
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 0.25 oz Green Crème de Menthe
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
Instructions
Method: Swizzle with crushed ice, and garnish. Serve in a Hurricane Glass and garnish with a mint plouche and two mini candy canes.
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Mott & Mulberry
- 1 oz Second Sip Gin
- 1 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
- 0.5 oz Lemon
- .25 oz Maple Syrup
Instructions
Shake, strain over double rocks, add Hoshi ice, and garnish. Serve in a double rocks glass with an apple fan garnish.
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Naughty or Nice
- 2 oz El Tequileño Platinum
- 1 oz Apple Cinnamon Syrup
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Red Wine Float
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, shake until the ice cold, double strain into a cocktail coupe and add a red wine float using a bar spoon.
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The Pomegranate Margarita
- 1.5 oz Teremana Tequila Reposado
- 1 oz Pomegranate Juice
- 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 0.5 oz Cinnamon Syrup
- Pinch of Salt
- Cinnamon Stick Garnish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and rosemary sprig.
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Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
- 2 oz Dark Rum (I use Diplomatico)
- 2 tbsp Spiced Butter Batter*
- 2 Cups Hot Water
- Whipped Cream and Cinnamon Stick Garnish
Instructions
Combine the rum and spiced butter batter. Top off with the hot water (let it sit about 30 seconds after boiling) and stir until the spiced butter mixture is completely dissolved. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.
*Spiced Batter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, light, and fluffy. Save extra batter in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two days.
