S7E14: Ringing in the holiday season with our annual Christmas cocktail special!

Whether you’re entertaining a crowd or planning a quiet evening in, having a special drink to mark the occasion always adds a little something extra to the event. It’s become our December tradition to head into our Christmas break with a special round of cocktails perfect for impressing yourself and your friends and family this season. This year, we’re again gathered at Moncton’s Sophia & Spritz with James & Chelsea Hughes and the talented Sebastian Alary, who’ve created three seasonal drinks you’re sure to love! Tune in to hear how to make an incredible seasonal Sangria, a Hot Buttered Rum Toddy, and a fantastic Clementime Spritz!

The Clementime Cocktail

  • 1 oz of freshly squeezed clementine juice
  • .5 oz lemon juice
  • .75oz of Aperol aperitivo
  • 1 oz gin of your choice
  • .5 oz of passion fruit syrup (or any citrus syrup of your choice)
  • pomegranate seeds (for garnish)

To make the syrup: Add 1 part sugar and 1 part of your preferred juice to a sauce pan. Bring to simmer and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. You can make this in advance and store in your fridge.

Spiced Apple Cider Sangria

Batch Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups Verger Belliveau Apple Cider
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 oranges, sliced
  • 2 apples, sliced
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 750 ml bottle dry white wine (James & Seb used a pinot grigio and said you should choose “a fruity wine you enjoy – pick a good one!”)
  • 1 cup brandy

Begin by slicing the apple, orange, and lemon. Heat the Verger Belliveau Apple Cider in a medium sauce pan. Add the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the fruit, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add wine and brandy. Let cool, then bottle.

Sangria is best made as a batch, and should sit for at least a day before you indulge, according to James. (It can sit in a mason jar in your fridge several days – if you can keep your hands off!)

When you’re getting ready to serve, cut up more apples and oranges to use in each glass. Fill the bottom of the glass with ice, layer apple and orange slices across the width of the glass, add a cinnamon stick and pour over the sangria.

Hot Buttered Rum

This is a great make-ahead option for keeping on hand at home or for gifting, paired with some nice glassware and a bottle of rum!

For the butter, you’ll need:

  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Soften the butter, then beat it until it’s soft and fluffy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup. Beat again for about one minute; it should be smooth. Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Store in an airtight container. (If you’re planning to gift this, you might want to double or triple the recipe.)

To make the drink, you’ll need to put the kettle on!

  • 1 oz rum (James’ choice is Flor de Caña – he says the older the rum, the better for a drink like this!)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 12 oz boiling water

Add the rum and butter to the mug, then top with water. (It can be a bit below boiling, but needs to be hot enough to dissolve the butter.) Seb topped off the mugs with some whipped cream, cinnamon, and star anise. Great as a dessert option on a cold night – or as an alternative to egg nog for a gathering! (You can also easily enjoy this without the rum; it tastes lovely alcohol-free, too!)

Let us know if you try out any of these drinks this season! 

You might also enjoy:

The Jenna & Tosh Show is a co-production of Pickle Planet Moncton and The Podcast Hub, and is recorded & aired by Rogers TV New Brunswick. New episodes resume January 13, 2025!

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