Holidays on the Rocks: Expert Holiday Cocktails

Get ready to sip, savor, and celebrate! The holiday season is in full swing, and we’ve got the perfect way to elevate your winter gatherings. Our friends at Agave FINE Magazine have teamed up with renowned mixologist Julie Harrington Giffin and a couple of others to bring you some seriously festive cocktail recipes.

These aren’t your average holiday drinks. These are elevated holiday drinks, crafted with the smoky, complex flavors of mezcal. So, grab your shaker, gather your ingredients, and let’s get mixing!

Ready to impress your guests? Check out these exclusive recipes below and let us know which one you’ll be trying first!

Raspberry Lime Holiday Cocktails

• 5 Raspberries
• 6-8 Mint Leaves
• .75 oz. Lime
• 2/3 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Kahlua
• 1 oz. Dos Armadillos Tequila Anejo

Muddle raspberries and mint. Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with mint sprig and a dash of powdered sugar.

Compliments of: Dos Armadillos Tequila

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Rossini For Your Holiday Spirits

1 oz Doladira

1 oz Strawberry Puree

2 oz Sparkling Wine

Shake all ingredients but sparkling wine on ice until well chilled. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and stir gently. Garnish with a half strawberry

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BOULEVARDIER For You Manhattan Holiday

1.5 oz Doladira

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

1 oz Rye or Bourbon

Stir on ice, strain over a large cube. Add an orange peel for garnish

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DOLADIRA Holiday SPRITZ

3 oz Doladira

2 oz Sparkling Wine

1 oz Soda

Build in a rocks glass and stir gently. Garnish with a Rosemary sprig

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Carpe Dia Punch

• 2 parts Milagro Añejo      
• 1 part Lime Juice
• 0.75 parts Blackberry Syrup
• 1 Sage Leaf
• 1 part Hibiscus Tea
• 1 part Ginger Beer
• Garnish: Blackberries & Sage
• Glass: Punch Bowl

Build all ingredients except ginger beer in a punch bowl over a block of ice.  Top with ginger beer right before stirring intermittently.

Compliments of: Milagro Tequila

Scarlet Letter

• 1.5 oz. vanilla bean infused Tito’s*
• 1 oz. unfiltered apple juice
• .75 oz. cranberry puree
• 2 dashes Chinese bitters*
• .5 oz. each of lime juice and simple syrup
• * Vanilla-infused Tito's Handmade Vodka recipe: 
• 3 whole vanilla beans (split open to expose the flavorful seeds inside) 
• 750 mL bottle of Tito's Handmade Vodka 

Put whole vanilla beans in Tito's bottle, pouring out a little bit (drink it, don't throw it out) to make room for the beans if necessary. Recap and leave at room temp for 5-7 days, shaking the bottle once a day or so to agitate the infusion. If the vanilla is too strong for your taste, add more vodka. If you'd prefer more vanilla flavor, either add another bean and infuse for another 5 days or cheat and add a few drops of real (not artificial) vanilla bean extract. This infusion will keep for a very, very long time.

*Chinese Bitters available at Bev-Mo

Kex Nog

• 2 oz. Zaya Rum 12 year
• 3 oz. Egg Nog (Recipe below)
• 2 Dashes Black Walnut Bitters*
• Nutmeg Zest

Combine rum, eggnog, and bitters in a shaker and shake until well blended. Pour over crushed ice and top with nutmeg zest.

Egg Nog

• 12 eggs
• 10 oz. Heavy Cream
• 10 oz. Demerara Syrup *
• 5 oz. Biscotti Liqueur *

Beat eggs then blend with the cream, syrup, and Liqueur.

Demerara Syrup can simply be made by cooking 2 parts Demerara sugar to 1 part water in the saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temp and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Faretti Biscotti Liqueur (available at Holiday Wine Cellar & Bev Mo) 

Befuddled Monk Holiday Cocktails

• 2oz Pear and Hazelnut Infused Mezcal
• ½  oz Orgeat
• ½ oz Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Pineapple Juice
• Mist of Frangelico
• Garnish: Pineapple Leaf
• Glass: Collins Glass

Build in a glass shaker, add ice, shake, and strain over fresh ice.

Treble Triple

San Diego Brewer dares to impress with his triple-threat approach to a Belgian Ale. Cask conditioned 3 different ways Henley captures a depth in aroma, flavor, and character delivering a distinctively, unique style that only the best brew masters can produce.  

The three-prong cask approach was with

• blueberries and cherries,
• port wine-soaked oak spirals,
• coffee, chocolate, and vanilla bean.

Tasting Notes: Aromas of pear, ripe apple, honey, and jasmine give way to toasted grain, spice, and sweet Belgian esters on the palate. Pours a shiny, deep golden with a pillowy white lacing, and finishes dry like a bottle of fine champagne.

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• 3 Holiday Mocktails to Impress Your Friends With