The first 3-day weekend of the year is a reason to kick back or have an adventure – and here are cocktails to accompany the ride!

The  year has started with a bang and now we are rolling into the first 3 Day weekend – ending in the presidential inauguration.  Skiing, hiking, travel, chilling or politics…what better way to compliment the activity than with something tasty. Here are the best cocktails for this winter 3 day weekend.

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Original Sin

What better way to start a 3 Day weekend and Inauguration weekend then with a little indulgence in with the original sin. The drink has multiple recipes – including one iwth absinthe, but this one should be easy, tasty and a perfect way to kick off the weekend.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces chilled champagne
• 1 ounce brandy
• Splash of triple sec
• Splash of grenadine
• Orange twist for garnish

Create

1. Combine ingredients in a brand snifter
2. Stir and add ice cube to chill to taste
3. Garnish with orange twist

The Americana Cocktail

Wha better way to celebrate Martin Luther King Day with an all American drink and a vision of a better tomorrow.  This drink is tasty and potent.

Ingredients

• 1 sugar cube (we prefer a demerara sugar cube)
• 4 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 ounce bourbon
• 2 ounces Brut Champagne
• Orange slice for garnish

Create

1. Coat the sugar cube well with the Angostura bitters – approximately 4 dashes
2. Drop the sugar cube into a chilled flute
3. Pour the bourbon over the sugar
4. Top up with the Champagne.
5. Garnish with an orange slice

Whiskey Smash

Why not try something different. You might not want to get smashed this weekend, but this cocktail can trace its origin back to the late 1800s. Tasty, refreshing and easy to make.  Great way to delight your taste buds.

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Frostbite

Weather skiing, hiking, road tripping or hanging out in DC – chances are the weather is going to be nippy. Why not lean into it and have this spicy frostbite to feel cozy and warm on the inside?

Ingredients

• 1 ounce tequila
• 1 ounce heavy cream
• 1 ounce white crème de cacao
• 1/2 ounce white crème de menthe
• Cocoa powder for garnish

Create

Lean into the joy of the holiday season with this merry cocktails – delight your taste buds and favorite people!

According to TikTok, it s the most wonderful, stressful, fun, boozy time of year. So why not lean into the season and make merry with something fun. Here are the best cocktails to make you feel festive, no matter what the situation. Plus, these are drinks you can make quickly with minimum effort and maximum fun. Pour one of these concoctions and have a moment of peace or share them with the one you like, love or tolerate at work. Sip, savor and bring a little ho ho ho into the moment.

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Christmas Old Fashioned

Here is a way to settle into a cozy beverage which will warm your body and soul. Bourbon has been part of the holidays for generations…and you can make this a new tradition.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes bitters
• 2 dashes orange juice
• Garnish: cinnamon stick and orange peel

Create

• Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice

• Stir for 20 seconds

• Strain into a rocks glass with ice

• Garnish with orange peel and a cinnamon stick

Easy, Tasty Egg Nog

You either you love it or hate it, but Egg Nog is a holiday staple. This recipe makes it lighter, tasty and a wee dangerous since it is so good. It bring a whole new take on a staid drink.

Ingredients

• 2 oz store bought egg nog
• 1 oz milk (2% is the best)
• small splash vanilla
• 1 oz Licor 43

Create

1. Combine egg nog, milk and vanilla
2. Stir until well mixed
3. Add Licor 43 and stir again
4. Pour into a fun glass and enjoy

White Bishop

The Bishop’s Wife is a great holiday movie filled with the Christmas spirit and some never ending booze. This drink is an embraces the fun, warmth, snow, and spirit of the evening.  Perfect as a dessert drink, a morning treat or just to lift your holiday mood.

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Poinsettia Champagne Cocktail

Nothing says celebration like bubbles. Whether you use champagne or prosecco, this is bound to bring a smile to your face. And the poinsettia is Christmas tradition since

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz orange liqueur
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 3 oz of champagne or prosecco
• Garnish with fresh cranberries

Create

Why just have wine or beer for your Thanksgiving gatherings? Why not have a fun, festive cocktail around Turkey Day. 

Whether a family affair, a Friendsgiving, or just having fun on the long holiday weekend, why not spice it up with something delicious to drink? Here are the best cocktails for an easy, festive Thanksgiving.

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Pumpkin Margaritas

Most people indulge in pumpkin pie during the holidays.  Why not mix it and wow the taste buds with the classic flavor mixed with a a favorite drink?  While making the pie, set aside a little of the pumpkin and use it to make defiantly a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

1. Start by adding brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and water to a saucepan on low-medium heat

2. Whisk to combine and bring to a very low simmer

3. Once the sugar has dissolved, take the pan off of the heat

4. Pour the syrup into a container and place in the fridge to cool for 10-15 minutes

5. Add a handful of ice cubes to a cocktail shaker

6. Pour in the tequila, cointreau, pumpkin syrup, lime juice, pumpkin puree, and 3 dashes of angostura bitters

7. Close the lid tightly and shake for 15-30 seconds

8. Remove the lid from the cocktail shaker and gently strain the drink into ice filled glasses

9. Garnish with any herbs and spices like cinnamon sticks, freshly grated nutmeg, or rosemary

Amaretto Sour

• 1 1/2 ounces amaretto liqueur
• 3/4 ounce cask-proof bourbon
• 1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup
• 1/2 ounce egg white
• Garnish: lemon twist
• Garnish: 2 brandied cherries

Create

1. Add amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white to a shaker and dry-shake (no ice) for 15 seconds
2. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice
4. Garnish with a lemon twist and 2 skewered brandied cherries

Apple Pie Bourbons

What is more Thanksgiving than apple pie and bourbon? While not settle into a nice drink contain both of them. A rich, luscious, flavor to enjoy watch football or as a pre drink before the big meal.

Ingredients

• 2 apples (green and red), chopped
• 1 1” piece fresh ginger
• 1 whole nutmeg, slightly shaved
• 4 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 cup bourbon
• 3 sugar cubes

Create

1. Fill a mason jar with bourbon, apples, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
2. Let mixture sit 2 to 4 days. (Taste after 2 days and let sit longer as desired.)
3. Pour mixture into shot glasses and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Rose Kennedy

This cocktails also known as a “VSS” (vodka soda splash) is about refreshing as possible, and a low calorie alternative to other options.  Developed in DC in the late 80s, the original Rose Kennedy was garnished with lemon only and contained only enough cranberry to make the drink barely pink making the squeezed lemon and cranberry flavors faint but equal. At the time, the use of a lime made it an Ethel Kennedy.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 1/2 ounces soda
• 1/2 ounce of cranberry

Create

1. In a glass filled with ice, add vodka and soda
2. Splash cranberry juice and garnish with a lemon wedge

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Apple Cider Margaritas

While apple pie is the third favorite holiday (behind pumpkin and pecan), it is a delicious flavor to mix into the classic margarita…it give it an autumn feel and pairs perfectly with the tequila.

Ingredients

• 1 medium lemon
• 2 ounces Reposado or silver tequila
• 1 1/2 ounces apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
• 1/2 ounce maple syrup
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 cinnamon stick or thin apple slices for garnish

Create