Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (After a Few of these Holiday Drinks)
If you celebrate the holidays just like DBH, then that means you haven’t stopped eating since October. There was the “pre-Halloween” preparation (aka sampling Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters) and then there was the post-Halloween clean-up (aka sampling the Halloween candy some more). And then don’t even get us started on the month long lead up to Thanksgiving. We needed to try those 4 different types of pie crusts and then experiment with a new stuffing recipe; just like we needed to eat it all afterward. We weren’t going to waste it, right?
And now...it’s the Christmas and Hanukkah season which means candy canes, grandma’s cookies, and all the chocolate gold coins we can eat. We give up. There’s no point in trying to be good anymore! So — we’ll just say it — go all in and have yourself a season to remember.
What’s the best way to do that? With an ugly Christmas/holiday party of course! Make sure there are piles of food and tons of drinks (so the loser of the ugliest Christmas sweater contest can drown their sorrows). Even grandma is ready to run wild and enjoy a little egg nog this year! Make your spirits bright and your ugly Christmas sweater party brighter with DBH’s favorite holiday drink recipes.
1) Good ol’ Nog
You can’t have an ugly Christmas sweater party without the “ugliest” drink of the holidays. No offense egg nog. You are kind of weird though...
Who wants to drink raw eggs with cinnamon? Who are we kidding? We do! Try a sip of Alton Brown's delicious Aged Eggnog concoction with us!
Ingredients:
12 large eggs (pasteurized if you need peace of mind)
1-pound sugar
1-pint half-n-half
1-pint whole milk
1-pint heavy cream
1 cup Jamaican rum
1 cup cognac
1 cup bourbon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (plus more for serving)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions:
Separate the eggs and store the whites for another purpose.
Beat the yolks with the sugar and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl until the mixture lightens in color and falls off the whisk in a solid "ribbon."
Combine dairy, booze and salt in a second bowl or pitcher and then slowly beat into the egg mixture.
Move to a large glass jar (or a couple of smaller ones) and store in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks. A month would be better, and two better still.
Serve in mugs or cups topped with a little extra nutmeg grated right on top.
In fact, we love egg nog so much that we’re recommending another one of DBH’s favorite egg nog recipes for you too!
Our DBH social media whiz even jokes that Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe is the one “egg nog to make people actually like egg nog” (aka it’s the one ring to rule them all)!
2) “Kiss Me” Mistletoe Mulled Wine
You can’t have the holidays without some mistletoe or mulled wine in the house so be sure to enjoy a glass of Mistletoe Mulled Wine! “Wine” down this holiday season with a taste of orange peel, cloves, and nutmeg!
Instructions:
1. Pour wine into pan and cook over low heat.
2. Make a sachet with the spices.
3. Put sachet in pan and simmer for 30 min.
4. Add agave nectar to taste.
5. Pour wine through strainer.
6. Serve in a heatproof glass.
7. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel (optional).
Ingredients:
1 bottle cabernet sauvignon
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tablespoon of cloves
3-star anise
1 whole nutmeg, cracked into two pieces
1 orange peel
Agave nectar to taste
3) Satan Claus’ Crass Devil Punch:
Celebrate another famous guy in a red suit this year with the Crass Devil’s Punch! Even the bad guys can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit over a delicious glass of this punch.
Instructions:
1. In a pitcher, muddle the sugar cubes with the raspberries and club soda until the sugar is fully broken up.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except the beer) and fill the pitcher three-quarters full of ice cubes.
3. Stir until cold, then strain into a punch bowl over 1 large block of ice.
4. Top with the beer
5. Garnish with the raspberries and serve with a ladle and punch glasses.
Ingredients:
12 white sugar cubes
15 raspberries
3 ounces club soda
6 ounces appleton estate v/x rum
3 ounces lime juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
3 ounces light beer (Hamm's, Olympia etc)
12 raspberries
4) Oh Snap, Gingerbread Cocktail:
The perfect holiday party guest is made of gingerbread and the perfect holiday drink is definitely made of gingerbread too! Try your favorite Christmas cookie as a cocktail this year!
Instructions:
1. Pour enough ginger beer into a saucer to cover and dip a martini glass into the saucer to coat the rim. Dip into a saucer with ground cookie.
2. Scoop ice into shaker. Pour ginger juice, rum and cinnamon schnapps into a shaker. Add a pinch of ground cloves.
3. Separate an egg and add egg white to shaker. Shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds until drink is frothy and foamy. The longer you shake, the foamier the drink.
4. Add ginger beer and stir slightly. Pour into glass.
5. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and crystallized ginger square and sprinkle the top with finely ground gingerbread cookie.
Ingredients:
1 oz. ginger beer
Ice
1 tsp. ginger juice
1 1/2 oz. dark rum
1 tsp. cinnamon schnapps
Pinch of ground cloves
1 egg white
Cinnamon stick
Crystallized ginger square
Finely ground gingerbread cookie
5) Cozy Chai Hot Toddy
Is there anything cozier than a hot toddy on a cold winter’s day? How about a hot toddy with chai!? Sign us up, please!
Instructions:
1. Bring chai tea concentrate and milk to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Stir in star anise to flavor. Remove from heat.
3. In a mug add brandy and butterscotch liqueur.
4. Pour chai tea mixture into mug. Stir slightly and dust with crushed graham cracker.
Ingredients:
One-part chai tea concentrate
One-part whole milk
1-star anise
1 oz. cognac/brandy
1 oz. DeKuyper Buttershots liqueur or butterscotch schnapps
1/2 graham cracker, crushed and powdered
Every ugly Christmas sweater party needs a perfect themed holiday drink; we hope you found one you like from DBH’s list of drinks!
If not, at least check out the Ugly Christmas Sweater Collection to find the best outfit for the party instead.
If a hot toddy can’t make your season bright, then a Christmas llama and sloth sure will! Get started on making your holidays a little warmer with a delicious cocktail or a DBH tee today!
