Merry Mixology
More than ever the holidays are the time to embrace the nostalgic and familiar. These festive drinks embody the season and range from deep and sultry to effervescent and uplifting. Photographs by REN FULLER
hile big family gatherings aren’t in the cards for you this year, don’t let that stop you from making a celebratory, party-worthy cocktail. Even it’s just you and close family and friends (socially distanced, of course, possibly wearing redand-green-checked face masks tricked out with Rudolph-style noses), few things uplift spirits more than, well, spirits—mixed with seasonal ingredients in a cocktail that looks and tastes like the holidays. These three drinks from Very Merry Cocktails, written by Jessica Strand and photographed by Ren Fuller (who shot much of our recent camping issue), fill the bill perfectly. Since you’ll likely be making these for a smaller group than you might otherwise, be sure to buy the best ingredients possible. Splurge, if you can, on top-shelf bottles, using high-quality crisp, dry sparkling wine, and make merry in the moment with gratitude and good cheer. Bonus: The leftover honey and cinnamon syrup can be drizzled over waffles or pancakes or used to sweeten hot tea and other beverages.
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HEARTH AND HOME 2020
SUNSET
Reprinted from Very Merry Cocktails, by Jessica Strand, with permission from Chronicle Books, 2020
