Tis' the season to create new Christmas cocktails! I whipped up a new Christmas cocktail of my own because I'm hosting my first Christmas with my boyfriend for my family! It's a big deal. I have family members flying in and driving in next week, so I want to make sure every aspect of my holiday planning is spot on. After Thanksgiving blew over, I had some extra ingredients laying around, so I decided to put some of them to use and get creative. This time of year, you will notice many cocktails garnished with rosemary because it's great for cocktails and reminiscent of pine needles (which can sometimes be poisonous). I combined cranberry juice, rosemary, orange peels, lime juice and few other components to create an old time classic and festive favorite: Christmas Cosmos!
That's right, ladies. I'm bringing back the ladies of Sex and the City's favorite drink with a Christmas twist. My Christmas Cosmopolitans are bright pinkish-red and will pop with color against any table scape you have planned. To make this cocktail more "Christmasy," I added the rosemary garnish and made a rosemary-orange peel simple syrup for some extra layered flavors. If a full martini is too much for you, then split one of these full ones into 2 mini martini glasses so you won't get carried away. After all, the booze are flowing over the holidays. Using fresh lime juice is also import because, In my opinion, Rose's lime juice just makes this drink overly sweet for me. I got a bag of fresh limes at the store and juiced them beforehand. I stored the juice in a sterilized mason jar for up to a week.
I also recommend pre-freezing your martini glasses right before pouring your Christmas Cosmos in, so your drink will stay colder even longer. Want to be the hostess with the mostess? If one of your guests is taking their time sipping on the drink, simply pull a fresh, frozen martini glass out of the freezer and pour the leftover Cosmo into the new frozen glass. Not only will their drink get a cold refresher, but your guest will surely freak out - in the best way possible. You can use regular cranberry juice, but since I was adding a little bit of simple syrup, I chose to use light cranberry juice instead. The rosemary-orange peel simple syrup is easy to make, plus it spruces up your home with the most amazing scent. I let the leftover garnishes hang out in the sifter for a few hours after making the syrup. I hope my Christmas Cosmo cocktail recipe get you and your guest in the spirit for Christmas festivities and let me know what you think if you make it! Cheers.
Make *rosemary-orange peel simple syrup. In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec, lime juice and simple syrup with a handful of ice. Add your shaker tin top securely to your shaker and shake for about 10 seconds. Strain ingredients into a frozen martini glass and garnish with a small sprig of clean rosemary and a long orange peel. Gently squeeze the orange peel over the drink before placing in the glass to express it's oils and bring out its scent. Enjoy!
*To make a small batch of rosemary-orange simple syrup for 10-12 cocktails, boil 3/4 cup of water with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar along with 2 rosemary sprigs and 5 long orange peels over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved. Let syrup sit for 20-30 minutes before you strain the mixture (removing rosemary sprigs and orange peels) with a sifter into a container for future use. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
