Drinks

6 Delicious Cocktails to Serve at Your Holiday Parties

New cocktails recipes (from this year's Crate and Barrel x Western Living #CrateCocktails event) just in time for the holiday season.

By Vincent Plana / December 16, 2017

New cocktails recipes (from this year’s Crate and Barrel x Western Living #CrateCocktails event) just in time for the holiday season.

At this time of year, you must be at least partially ready for your holiday get-togethers—Decorations? Check! Perfect-for-sharing appetizers? Check!—but perhaps you’re in need of some new cocktail recipes? After all, there’s only so much rum and eggnog one can handle.Earlier this year, Western Living teamed up with Crate and Barrel to host #CrateCocktails events in Vancouver and Calgary, bringing together each city’s top bartenders for a night of sippin’ and shoppin’—and now, just in time for your upcoming holiday parties, we’re sharing the evenings’ drink recipes for you to try at home.

1. Aperol Bellini

Cameron Brown, head bartender at Botanist Restaurant in Vancouver, uses Aperol (and peach sorbet!) to lend a unique citrus flavour to this classic cocktail. Simply garnish with orange zest for a drink that looks as good as it tastes.

2. Bonsai

Give the ol’ gimlet an upgrade! This cocktail from the Lobby Lounge at the Fairmont Pacific Rim mixes the usual gin and lime juice with grapefruit, sake and fresh basil. For the brave (or just the slightly tipsy), you can fill glasses via cocktail tower for extra style points.

3. The Four Horsemen

Finding it hard to stay awake on New Year’s Eve? The Four Horsmen, from Jay Jones of Vij’s, is just the kick you need—similar to an Old Fashioned, it’s mean enough to keep you and your guests up until the clock strikes midnight.

4. My Dress Hangs There

Dylan Macleod, bar manager at Native Tongues Taqueria, presents another fresh way to boost your gin-based cocktails; the addition of honey syrup and chili liquer adds a vibrant sweet-and-spicy flavour to pair with the lavender bitters.

5. Lindsay Park

For a cocktail that’s anything but ordinary, try the Lindsay Park—Model Milk‘s Zakk MacDonald mixes two types of brandy with cinnamon syrup, chartreuse and sparkling chardonnay for a luxe beverage that’s perfectly suited for the holidays.

6. Chasing Summer

Calgary’s Proof cocktail lounge is crazy for wine and spirits; here, bartender Ian Storcer combines Grand Marnier with citrus, cinnamon and plum bitters for a festive, spiced cocktail.