Five Festive Winter Cocktail Recipes

By Eric Twardzik · 12/11/2020

Your holiday celebrations will probably be a bit more low-key in 2020—so you may want to eschew the punch bowl full of eggnog and stir up a fancy cocktail instead. And considering this year, you’ve definitely earned it. Take this as your permission slip to cozy up with a festive holiday cocktail. Ahead, you’ll find our favorite recipes from Boston-area bars and holiday pop-ups.

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Josephine Baker
This rich flip, made with cognac, port, and a whole egg, dates back to the 1930s—but Yvonne’s has updated it for the 21st century. Bartenders at the Downtown Crossing spot tweak its ratio in favor of cognac, infuse the port with hibiscus, and add a cinnamon simple syrup. It’s named in honor of a Jazz Age entertainer who went on to aid the French Resistance in WWII and championed the civil rights movement in the United States. Toast-worthy indeed.

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And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
This recipe from Miracle, an annual holiday pop-up hosted in bars across America, breaks the seasonal mold by embracing both tequila and mezcal. But the heart of the drink may be its spiced brown sugar syrup, which includes a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cloves, and orange peels. Afterward, the ingredients are shaken with lime juice, pear brandy, Angostura bitters, and an egg white to produce a frothy, slightly smoky highball with just the right amount of Christmas cheer.

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Christmas Eve of Destruction
A product of the tiki-themed holiday pop-up Sippin’ Santa, which happened at South End bar Shore Leave last year, Christmas Eve of Destruction lives up to its title with a 138-proof rum and 80-proof Benedictine. To stand up to these high-octane ingredients, this swizzle also includes an equal amount of tart lime juice and a spicy nutmeg syrup that’s easily made by simmering ground nutmeg with water and sugar. Definitely one for the naughty list.

Tom & Jerry
A complicated set of nature-bound rules determines when and for how long No. 9 Park serves its famous Tom & Jerry. But by following this recipe, you can enjoy the boozy and creamy winter warmer whenever you wish. Just be sure to have rum and cognac on hand and prep the egg-based Tom & Jerry batter ahead of time.

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Holiday Punch
Seaport-based America’s Test Kitchen provided the recipe for this bubbly punch, made with dry sparkling wine, grape juice, orange liqueur, a house-made “Fruits of the Forest” liqueur, berries, and mint leaves. Don’t get tripped up by the scratch-made ingredient’s fancy name: All it requires is vodka, simple syrup, and freeze-dried berries. And after you’ve made it, it will keep for up to a year.

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