Sometimes, you just don't feel like going out. We've compiled a list of holiday co*cktails from bars across Austin, so go ahead and make a stop at your neighborhoodliquor store on the way home from work instead. Impress your friends and family with the extent of your holiday cheer and whip up a drink like the Rosemary Toddyor Merry-mosa right at home.
Latke Punchfrom Kitty Cohen’s
Served at Kitty Cohen's pop-up Hanukkah bar, Get Lit, through December, this drink is aplay on the traditional Hanukkah potato pancake dish.The recipe is perfect for a single-glass co*cktail;multiply the recipe by the number of drinks you'll need if you're looking for a party punch bowl.($12 at the bar)
1 1/2 ounces potato vodka
2 ounces apple cider
1/2 ounceDomaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/2 ouncelemon juice
For garnish:
Cinnamon
2 dashes of bitters
2 dashes of mint
Combine all ingredients in a co*cktail shaker with ice. Shake. Serve in a rocks glass with ice piled high to the rim. Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon, two dashes of bitters and mint.
Read more:'Get Lit' this month at Kitty Cohen's pop-up Hanukkah bar
Merry-mosafrom Hotel Granduca Austin's Visconti Ristorante & Bar
Dust off your Champagne glasses for this winter fizz, designed in the Viscontibar that specializes in northern Italian cuisine and co*cktails.($14 at the bar)
1 sugar cube
8-10 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
6 ounces prosecco
Festive sprinkle garnish
Soak sugar cube in Peychaud’s bitters and top with prosecco. Line the rim with holiday sprinkles and enjoy.
Buddy'sElf Fashionedfrom Lala’s Little Nugget
Aclassicholiday-inspireddrink from a bar that celebrates Christmas year-round.You can't get any more authentic than this play on an Old Fashionedrecipefrom Lala's Little Nugget bar.
1 ounceAmador Double Barrel Whiskey
1 ounceSkrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
3 dashes of chocolate bitters
3 dashes of orange bitters
Orange peel (for garnish)
In a mixing glass, add Amador Double Barrel Whiskey, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, 3 dashes chocolate bitters and 3dashes orange bitters.
In a separate rocks glass, zest the rim with an orange peel, drop it in the glass and fill with ice.
Add ice to the mixing glass and stir 12-14 rotations. Strain into prepared rocks glass and enjoy.
More:Which Austin holiday bar you should go to based on your favorite part of the holidays
Bobby Burnsfrom the Roosevelt Room
Named after the 1700sScottish poet, thisstriking,scotch-forward drink is aperfect cold-weather warmer.($16 at the bar)
2 ounces Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch
1/2ouncePunt e Mes vermouth
1/4ounceBénédictine liqueur
2 dashes of Abbott’s bitters
1 squint of salt tincture (one part salt, five parts water andfive parts vodka)
For garnish: 4 sprays of Ardbeg An Oa Scotch
Build in a mixing glass. Add ice cubes and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with lemon oils, red plaid ribbon clipped around the stem with a mini dark wood clothespin and four sprays of Ardbeg An Oa Scotch on the red plaid ribbon.
Hot Buttered Painkillerfrom Tiki Tatsu-Ya
Take a stab at this more ambitious tropical co*cktail recipe made with hot tea, rum,sweet butter batter and a special whipped creamthatwill be available in-house at Tiki Tatsu-ya until Jan. 1.($14 at the bar)
1 1/2 ounces Caribbean rum blend
1tablespoon butter batter (recipe follows)
4 ounces hot coconut chai
2 ounces Painkiller whipped cream (recipe follows)
Freshly grated nutmeg
For the butter batter:
8 ouncesunsalted butter
6 ounces Steen's Louisiana Cane Sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon shiro miso
For the painkiller whipped cream:
8 ounces Thai coconut milk
1 ouncedark rum
2 ounces tangerine juice
4 ounces pineapple juice
6 ounces granulated sugar
Add the rum and specified amount of prepared butter batter to your favorite festive coffee mug. Pour piping hot tea over batter and rum. Stir to combine. Top with specified amount of painkiller whipped cream, which can be made ahead of the season in larger batches and kept in the freezer for up to three months. Grate fresh nutmeg over top and enjoy.
More:Tiki Tatsu-Ya will be the most surreal restaurant and bar in Austin
Rosemary Toddyfrom Austin Motel’s Pool Bar
The perfect warmwinter drink complemented byearthy and citrus tones, this trusty toddy recipe from the Austin Motel is sure to be a holiday staple. ($12 at the bar)
1 1/2ounces bourbon
1/4 ounce honey
1 ouncelemon juice
4 ounces boiling water
1 sprig of rosemary
1 lemon wheel (for garnish)
Place all co*cktail ingredients into an insulated cup, stirand garnish with thelemon wheel.
Tiger’s Tailfrom Carpenters Hall
A festive,bright red beverage with aged rum, lime juice and pimento drammakes a rich co*cktail courtesy of the "New Eyes on Old Texas"-themed restaurant. ($15 at the Carpenter Hotel)
2 ounces El Dorado 12-year-oldrum
1/2 ounceHamilton Pimento Dram liqueur
1/2ouncelime juice
1/2 ounceDemerara syrup
4 dashes of angostura bitters
Microplaned nutmeg (for garnish)
Build in a shaker andshake vigorously for 10 seconds. Double strain into Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with microplaned nutmeg.
Zilker Park Punchfrom Hotel Magdalena’s Summer House on Music Lane
This Austin restaurant is known for its local-inspired co*cktail names, and this floral bourbon punch is no exception. Bring a little glass of home to wherever you travel this holiday season. ($14 at the bar)
2 ounces Old Forester Bourbon
1/2 ounceLucano amaro
1/2 ouncehoney cardamom syrup
Drop of orange flower water
Stir in mixing glass and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
Marshmallow World from Fierce Whiskers Distillery
Vanilla and pecan bring familiar holiday flavors to the warmth of rum and whiskey in this co*cktail from the Southeast Austin distillery, which opened its tasting room this year.
1 ounceaged whiskey
1 ounce silver rum
1 gram vanilla bean paste
1/4 ouncepecan syrup
1/4 ounceUnderberg digestif
Shaved nutmeg (for garnish)
Add ingredients to a mixing glass andfill with ice. Stir and strain over a large rock in a double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with shaved nutmeg.
Related:Get a sneak peek of Fierce Whiskers Distillery in Southeast Austin
