HOUSTON – If you’re hosting an upcoming Christmas bash, why not put a festive touch in your drinks?
Rebecca Burkart, bartender at Johnny’s Gold Brick in The Heights, showed us how to craft 3 easy Christmas-themed cocktails to help you spread holiday cheer.
Johnny Gold Brick is hosting Miracle Christmas Pop-up, a national pop-up cocktail bar that offers holiday cocktails in a festive setting.
“We’re fortunate to have the bar all decked-out about as Christmas as you can ever go with fun glassware and fun drinks,” said Burkart, who shared the recipes below.
To see Burkart’s complete interview watch the video above.
THE RUN RUN RUDOLPH
Ingredients:
• 1-ounce London dry gin, like Beefeater
• 1 ½ ounces mulled wine puree *
• ¾ ounces lemon juice
• Bar spoon of simple syrup 2:1
• Lemon peel, to express and garnish
• Prosecco, to top
*Mulled Wine Puree
(30 servings)
• 1.5 L (1 bottle) red wine
• 7 ounces sweet vermouth
• 7 ounces Pedro Ximenes sherry
• 7 ounces port wine
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 3-star anise
• 3 grams whole cloves
• 10 grams whole black peppercorns
• 5 grams coriander seeds
• 5 grams ground nutmeg
• 6 ounces fresh orange juice
• 20 grams orange peel (peel of 1 orange)
• 500 grams white sugar
• 10 grams citric acid
Mulled Wine Puree directions:
1. Crack the dried spices and add to medium sized pot. Heat until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients. Boil until it is reduced in volume by half.
2. Cool, then pour through a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth lined fine mesh strainer to remove graininess of spices.
3. Bottle.
Cocktail directions:
1. Add all ingredients except the prosecco to a cocktail shaker.
2. Fill shaker with ice.
3. Shake and strain into ice-filled Collins glass and top with prosecco.
4. Zest lemon over glass. Garnish with lemon peel.
2. CHRISTMAPOLITAN
Ingredients:
• 2 ounces vodka,
• ¼ elderflower liqueur, like St. Germain.
• ¼ ounces dry vermouth,
• 1 ounce spiced cranberry sauce *
• ½ ounce lime Juice,
• Absinthe spritz
• Rosemary sprig
*Spiced cranberry sauce
(64 servings)
• 32 ounces organic cranberry juice (no added sweetener)
• 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
• 20 ounces water
• 600 grams light brown sugar
• 300 grams white sugar
• 4 ounces orange juice
• 20 grams orange peel
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 5 grams ground allspice
• 5 grams kosher salt
• 3 grams ground nutmeg
• 2 grams ground cloves
Spiced cranberry sauce directions:
1. Crack and heat all dry spices until aromatic in a medium saucepan.
2. Add all remain ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer and reduce liquid for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Allow to cool.
5. Strain with a Coco fine mesh strainer
6. Bottle and refrigerate.
Cocktail directions:
1. Spray a chilled coupe with absinthe mist.
2. Place all ingredients in shaker, top with ice, shake and fine strain intro prepared coupe.
3. Garnish with rosemary sprig.
3. CHRISTMAS CAROL BARREL
Ingredients:
• 1 ¾ Blanco tequila, like Espolon
• 1-ounce coffee liqueur, like Mr. Black
• ¼ ounce Cocoa Nib-Infused Grand Marnier *
• 6 ounces iced hot chocolate *
• Coffee and cocoa nib dust, to garnish
• Dehydrated orange wheel, to garnish
*Cocoa nib-infused Grand Marnier
• 30 grams of roasted cocoa nibs per
• 1 750 ml bottle of Grand Marnier
Cocoa nib-infused Grand Marnier directions:
• Heat cocoa nibs in a dry pan and add to Grand Marnier.
• Infuse for 48 hours then strain and re-bottle.
*Iced hot chocolate
(21 servings)
• 600 grams Swiss Milk Chocolate flavor cocoa mix
• 1-gallon water
• 12 cinnamon sticks
• 5 grams whole cloves
• 8 grams dried long peppercorns
• 12 grams paprika
Iced hot chocolate directions:
1. Crack the dried spices and toast in saucepan over medium-high heat, until aromatic.
2. Add water and bring to boil.
3. After 3 minutes of boiling, lower the heat and add the Swiss Miss.
4. Simmer the mixture on low for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Once cool, strain by pouring through a fine mesh strainer to remove any sediment from the spices.
6. Bottle and store in refrigerator.
Cocktail directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake.
2. Pour into Christmas mug and fill with crushed (pebble) ice.
3. Dust top of drink with coffee and cocoa nib mix
4. Garnish with dehydrated orange wheel, and a green cocktail parasol.
Recipes provided by Miracle Pop-Up.