Festive Holiday Cocktails to Enjoy This Year

‘Tis the season to sip, savor, and spread festive cheer! This wintertime, there’s no better place to enjoy a small gathering with family than your spacious and comfortable Cothran home. And of course, there’s no better way to kick off the holiday fun than with a few sips of something sweet and spirited! From wintry margaritas to photo-worthy martinis, here are the tastiest treats of the season:  

Who says margaritas can only be enjoyed in the summer? This season, ditch the salt and switch up a few ingredients for a holiday treat like no other. Ingredients 14-oz. can coconut milk, 12 oz. silver tequila, 8 oz. triple sec, 1/2 c. lime juice, 2 c. ice, 1/2 c. mint, for garnish, lime sliced into rounds for garnish, lime wedge for rim, sanding sugar for rim, cranberries for garnish Directions In a blender, combine coconut milk, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice, and blend the mixture until it’s smooth. Rim each glass with a lime wedge before dipping into sanding sugar. Pour the drink into your glasses and finish off with your lime and cranberry garnishes.

 It’s almost too beautiful to drink, but that just makes it even more delicious… this sweet and “snowy” drink will be a holiday hit in your home. Ingredients 3 oz. white chocolate liqueur, 2 oz. vanilla vodka, 2 tbsp. heavy cream, 1/2 c. ice, 1 lemon wedge for rim, 1/3 c. white sanding sugar for rim Directions Wet the rim of each martini glass with a lemon wedge and dip into sanding sugar (the rim should sparkle like a snowflake!) Next, pour chocolate liqueur, vanilla vodka, and heavy cream into a cocktail shaker, and top with ice until full. Shake well, strain the mixture, and pour into each glass.

 What’s more comforting around the holidays than a refreshing, mint-flavored treat? Put a Christmas twist on a classic you know and love! Ingredients Handful of fresh mint (or fresh peppermint), 2 oz. vodka, juice of 1/2 a lime, 6 oz. ginger beer, crushed candy cane for garnish, whole candy cane for garnish, crushed ice Directions Muddle crushed ice and a handful of mint in a copper mule mug, then stir in vodka and lime juice and top with ginger beer. Sprinkle the crushed candy cane as desired and finish with a whole one!

 If you feel especially celebratory around the holidays, this sparkling drink is for you! Fun to look at and even more fun to drink, everyone will smile over this flavorful spritzer. Ingredients 1 bottle prosecco, 2 ounces peach schnapps, 4 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, 4 ounces pom juice, 1 small bottle mango flavored soda water, 6-8 sprigs rosemary, 1 fresh pomegranate, .5 cup sugar, 1 cup water Directions In a small pan, bring 1 cup of water and 2-3 sprigs of rosemary to a boil. Add sugar to boiling water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from heat, strain the rosemary leaves, and set them aside to cool. After cleaning and de-seeding the pomegranate, set the seeds aside. Pour prosecco into 4 cocktail glasses and add .5 oz. of peach schnapps, .5 oz. of rosemary simple syrup, 1 tsp. of lemon juice, 1 oz. of pomegranate juice, and a splash of mango soda water, and stir! Finally, add 1 tbsp. of pomegranate seeds to each glass, allowing them time to float to the top of the glass. Finish with a sprig of rosemary.  No matter what you decide to sip on this winter, whether sweet and creamy or sparkling and fruity, you’re sure to enjoy a happy holiday season in your new home in South Carolina. Turn on the twinkling lights, hit the holiday tunes, and pass around the glasses… it’s time to toast to the best season of all!