Holiday Cheer was a'flowing...


...even as arteries were a'clogging. Friday evening, I hosted the December meeting of the NY Cocktail Club with a holiday theme. The beverages were creamy, frothy, sweet and strong. It was not a place for the faint of spirit or weak of heart!

The Poinsettia
We started the evening with a sparkling delight called the Poinsettia from my new favorite cocktail book: Peterson's Holiday Helper. The recipe calls for champagne, Cointreau, simple syrup, and 100-percent cranberry juice. (I adapted slightly by using Prosecco, Grand Marnier, and a splash of agave.) Refreshing, sparkly and sweet-tart!

The most usual suspect on the menu was eggnog. Prior to Friday, I had only ever had the store-bought version--too sweet and processed. I never cared for it. But real eggnog! Oh my. Cream, milk, eggs, sugar, rum, bourbon and nutmeg... It might just have been a come-to-baby-Jesus moment. 'Tis the season after all!

I think the key to our success was the eggs. I bought a dozen at the Greenmarket in Union Square on Wednesday. When LP saw the bright yellow yolks, she declared, "Those eggs are from happy chickens!" Indeed. Happy, pasture-fed chickens. Happy chickens make merry eggnog!



Fresh eggnog from happy chickens
A less known, but similar, holiday star is the Tom and Jerry. The Tom and Jerry is served warm rather than cold, and there is no cream. Rum with brandy rather than bourbon, and cinnamon, also changed the flavor profile. It was deeper and spicier. The Tom and Jerry is named after Jerry Thomas and was once called the Thomas Jerry. Yes, confusing, but after a few you will stop trying to figure it out!

Between the T&J and the nog, we had to beat a dozen eggs into a frenzy. Thank goodness for clubettes! HA and Trader Vicky made quick work of the eggs, and LP managed the liquor. The hardest part was nestling the punch bowl for the nog into a vat of ice. It took at least three reindeer, and it was a messy process!

Eventually the bowl sank into the ice,
but it took awhile (photo by TV)
The last drink on the menu was a naughty or nice martini. I used the recipe for dirty martinis from Dale DeGroff's The Essential Cocktail, which has very particular preparation instructions. Rightfully so as it's hard to make a great martini. I broke two rules--I used olives with pits and failed to chill them before serving, which according to Mr. DeGroff is "tantamount to putting a reverse ice cube into a nicely chilled drink." In the holiday spirit, my friends forgave me, but we almost lost Santa to an errant pit.

Trader Vicky and LP were up to their wonderful mixologists tricks as usual. Trader Vicky made two cordials: walnut and cranberry clove. The walnut was delightful in Rudolph's Red Nose, her new creation. And, a dash of the cranberry clove spiced up our final round of Poinsetta's.

LP brought homemade pomegranate grenadine! She experimented with an adaptation of a Pink Lady. It was a beautiful cocktail, but alas, it didn't taste so good. The grenadine, however, is fabulous, and I cannot wait to mix an unadapted Pink Lady soon.


The failed but beautiful Pink Lady variation
The table was loaded with morsels to keep us sober enough to open the presents that were part of our "Boozeois Elephant" gift exchange. I made the following bites:
The table was also graced by wonderful olive bread from New Jersey, a homemade mustard from HA, and little chocolate "bottles" that were surprisingly tasty!

All in all, it was a fantastic way to kick off the holiday season.

I'm sorry I've run on so long. It's late on a Sunday, so please forgive any typos. And, enjoy the recipes below! I've also included a few ideas for holiday gifts, several of which were from the boozeois elephant exchange.

Let us be merry and bright, my friends, from now until New Year's and perhaps even beyond!

Recipes
Eggnog
How many reindeer does it take to get the punch bowl on ice?
6 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
5 ounces Woodford Reserve Bourbon
5 ounces Gosling Black Seal Rum
Freshly grated nutmeg (fresh is a must)

Note: You will need a punch bowl and a bigger bowl that you can fill with ice to put the punch bowl in. We started with DeGroff's recipe, but we wanted less sugar and more booze, and the punch bowl just wasn't big enough for all that milk.

Beat the yolks until almost white, adding half of the sugar as you go. Stir in the milk, cream, bourbon, rum, and some freshly grated nutmeg. Transfer to a punch bowl. Beat the whites with the remaining sugar until white and fluffy. Fold the whites in to the yolk mixture.

Fill the large bowl with crushed ice and water and place the punch bowl in the ice water. Grate nutmeg over the top of the bowl and again in each cup as you serve.

Rudolph's Red Nose
2 ounces brandy (I like Torres)
1 ounce walnut liqueur
.5 ounce Grand Marnier
3 shakes chocolate bitters

Holiday Gift Ideas
Peterson's Holiday Helper, Festive Pick-Me-Ups, Calm-Me-Downs & Handy Hints to Keep You in Good Spirits by Valerie Peterson: I highly recommend this little book for the lush-ous lady in your life. But give it to her before the holiday so she can make good use of it!

Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters:* These bitters are pricey, but delicious. There are many flavors. What better gift for your favorite mixologist?

Fragoli:* This sweet liqueur is made from (and filled with) wild strawberries. Trader Vicky says that tiny berries fall into each pour making it a delightful and festive taste! (Also, what a nice way to enjoy strawberries off-season.)

Whiskey Decanter and Glass Set:* Give the whiskey drinker in your life a way to drink in style with a decanter and glass set!

Dripless Wine Pourer:* I don't know about you, but I hate cleaning up all those red drops. I have no idea if this works, but for a few dollars, you can find out! Looks like a perfect stocking stuffer.

Cocktail Kit: Picnics, road trips, dinner parties... the possibilities for the traveling bartender are endless with an on-the-go kit like this one!

Carpano Antica Formula: (Sweet Vermouth): You'll never go back to Martini & Rossi after you've had this delightful vermouth. Drink it straight on the rocks or make a fantastic Manhattan!

Vintage Tom-and-Jerry Bowl and Mugs: For anyone you know who loves vintage and has enough storage space to keep this for the one time a year they will use it! eBay is your best bet.

*Boozeois gift items

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