Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to shift gears to holiday party season! While December 1 is still a few days away, I’m already in that holiday mood. The decorations are coming out later this week, my holiday dishware and glassware has been moved to the front of the cabinet, and egg nog will certainly make its first appearance in my fridge sometime this week.
Besides cheer and sequins, what else does holiday party season bring? Cocktails! And, I’ve got a few tips for you today on an easy and delicious festive cocktail, as well as how to assemble a tray full of your cocktail essentials.
ASSEMBLING A PARTY READY COCKTAIL TRAY
You’ve probably seen those perfectly Instagram-ready cocktail trays out there. Like a bar cart, but ready to go in the moment, with all the pieces of your favorite cocktail at your fingertips. So, how do you achieve that look for your next party? Think liquor, mixer, garnish, and sparkle. As you’ll see in the last section of this post, I like giving guests the option to pour their own signature cocktail and the cocktail tray is the fool proof way to do this.
For this festive cocktail, the cranberry mule, I’ve pulled together Absolut Elyx Vodka, my new go-to, cranberry juice, ginger beer, and fresh cranberries for garnish. But don’t stop with just putting the ingredients on a pretty tray — make sure your mixer is decanted into an attractive vessel and house that garnish in a pretty dish. Finally, add in your sparkle. For this occasion, I chose holiday glasses with gold details and a copper pineapple. Isn’t that warm shade of copper enough to make any party vignette glow?
CRANBERRY MULE
Now that your party ready cocktail tray is ready, it’s time to mix your signature drink. You seriously cannot beat how easy this Cranberry Mule is.
2 ounces Absolut Elyx Vodka
2 ounces cranberry cocktail
4 ounces ginger beer
Cranberries to garnish
Fill glass with ice. Mix in vodka, cranberry juice, and ginger beer. Add cranberries to garnish. Enjoy!
WHY ABSOLUT ELYX?
You’re probably curious about this copper colored bottle from Absolut. Using the finest winter wheat available, all sourced within a 15 mile radius in Sweden, and a vintage copper still dating back to 1921, Absolut Elyx brings a new level of quality control to vodka production. The end result is a smooth luxury vodka purified naturally through the use of copper in the distilling process. It’s the perfect addition to your bar cart and the vodka I reach for whenever I’m making a crisp, pure tasting cocktail.
ENTERTAINING WITH COCKTAILS
Of course you’ll want to enjoy your cranberry mule and other vodka cocktails this holiday season, and you’ll want to enjoy them with your family and friends. One of my favorite tips when entertaining with cocktails during the holidays is to have one signature cocktail for the evening, but give your guests the flexibility to customize it. Rather than pre-mixing the signature cocktail, put all of the elements out, with instructions, and let guests customize to their liking. It’s fun to see what everyone comes up with and who doesn’t love gathering around the bar?
