At the request of a few readers, Honey and I did the hard work of making and tasting cocktails to revive the Happy Hour posts of yore! :-) I received a lot of good feedback that you particularly loved the Empress Gin series because you could buy one nice bottle and make a good variety of drinks! With all of that in mind, I’m excited to share with you three Empress Holiday Cocktails for this Christmas Happy Hour.
Each of these make 1 cocktail. We double for the two of us and shake up at one time. If you’re only going to try one, the Rosemary 75 was my favorite, followed by the Yule Mule. Honey’s favorite was the Yule Mule, followed by the Rosemary 75. We made a couple others that didn’t pass our taste test so rest assured these are the best of the best. We loved all three!
Empress Cranberry 75
A holiday twist on the classic Empress 75 featuring the tart, festive flavour of delicious cranberry.
INGREDIENTS
1½ OZ EMPRESS 1908 GIN
½ OZ LEMON JUICE
1 OZ CRANBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP
SPARKLING WINE
CRANBERRIES TO GARNISH
METHOD
Shake all ingredients but sparkling wine on ice, and fine strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with cranberries.
CRANBERRY SYRUP
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup fresh cranberries. Once cranberries start to split, use a fork to gently mash. Let cool, strain through mesh strainer, and store in sealed jar in fridge.
NOTES
- I usually half this recipe for specialty syrups since there are just two of us drinking. However, if you plan to make the Yule Mule too do a full batch.
- I love the small blue cans of Simple Wine (4 pack) from Trader Joe’s for 75 drinks. Since you only need a little to top off the drinks, you don’t end up with a whole bottle open. One can gets us 3-4 75 drinks.
- Find my recipe for sugared cranberries HERE. I like to make a batch each season to use for a fun garnish.
- This is my favorite organic lemon juice. (Publix juice aisle top shelf)
Empress Rosemary 75
A holiday twist on the classic Empress 75 featuring the herbal flavours of rosemary and a bright addition of pomegranate seeds.
INGREDIENTS
1½ OZ EMPRESS 1908 GIN
¾ OZ FRESH LEMON JUICE
½ OZ ROSEMARY SYRUP
SPARKLING WINE
ROSEMARY & POMEGRANATE SEEDS TO GARNISH
METHOD
Shake all the ingredients on ice, fine strain into a chilled champagne glass, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and pomegranate seeds.
ROSEMARY SYRUP
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 large sprig fresh rosemary. Let cool and store in sealed jar in fridge.
NOTES
- I usually half this recipe for specialty syrups since there are just two of us drinking.
- I love the small blue cans of Simple Wine (4 pack) from Trader Joe’s for 75 drinks. Since you only need a little to top off the drinks, you don’t end up with a whole bottle open. One can gets us 3-4 75 drinks.
- This is my favorite organic lemon juice and I also use the lime juice. (Publix juice aisle top shelf.)
Empress Yule Mule
A holiday twist on the Moscow Mule. We perfected this recipe ourselves!
INGREDIENTS
2 OZ EMPRESS 1908 GIN
3/4 OZ LIME JUICE
1.5 OZ CRANBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP
3-4 OZ GINGER BEER
CHRISTMAS CUBES, CRANBERRIES, THYME TO GARNISH
METHOD
Shake all ingredients but ginger beer on ice, and pour into lowball glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish.
CRANBERRY SYRUP
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup fresh cranberries. Once cranberries start to split, use a fork to gently mash. Let cool, strain through mesh strainer, and store in sealed jar in fridge.
NOTES
- Q Ginger Beer is our favorite. It comes in 7.5 oz can 4-packs at Target. One can is perfect for 2 drinks.
- This is my favorite organic lemon juice and I also use the lime juice. (Publix juice aisle top shelf.)
- Darling drink stirrers from Simply Jessica Marie.
Christmas Cubes
The Christmas Cubes are so easy and would make any holiday drink or punch look delightful! Use whatever you have on hand and need to use up. I had rosemary, cranberries and pom seeds.
You can find our Eggnog cocktail here:
And TONS Of Empress Cocktails HERE!
Christmas cheers, y’all!
Dixie Delights Classic Christmas Home Tour 2020
video tour | exterior + entry | living room + office
den + powder room | kitchen, dining + mudroom
master + kids bedrooms | porch + pool
Christmas Decor Shopping List
Remote Tree Switch | Monogram Guest Towels | Magic Light Wand
Balsam & Cedar Candle | North Pole Pillow
1″ Red Velvet Ribbon | 3″ Double Face Satin Red Ribbon
Record Player | Elf soundtrack vinyl
affiliates
Holiday DIY Video Series
How to Make Christmas Bows | How to Spruce Up a Basic Wreath
How to Make a Greenery Bouquet | Easy Flower Arranging Tips + Tricks
2 Ways to Tie the Perfect Bow
Other Holiday DIY
2 Easy Ways to Hang Christmas Wreaths | Paper Bow DIY
Painted Lamp Shades | Reindeer Kid Art
All Holiday & Seasonal Decor | All things Christmas
DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED
Amanda, I have so enjoyed your Celebrating Christmas 2020 series! You have added a bright spot and encouraged us to make it special. Thank you!
You are the epitome of gracious entertaining. It must be that Southern upbringing! I just love following along with you and your blog along with your travels, etc. Your family is blessed to have you. Merry Christmas and Happy 2021 to you and all of your family.