Category

Cocktails

Category

Whiskey Apple Ginger Punch & Other Holiday Drink Recipes // A Well Crafted Party

This festive cocktail is sweet with a kick. It is easy to throw together and serve at a party. I didn’t own a punch bowl and picked up this great Libby bowl from a craft store for around $7. Pretty sure it is going to become a staple in my future parties!

Bourbon Apple Ginger Punch

Serves 12

Ingredients:

  • 1 Apple cored and sliced
  • 2 Bottles of Ginger Brew or approximately 6 cups of Ginger soda (I used Trader Joe’s Ginger Brew – you want to use a very gingery ginger brew. If you can only use gingerale get as gingery as you can otherwise it will sweeten the punch significantly.)
  • 2 Cups Bourbon (I used Eastside Distilling’s Burnside Bourbon)
  • 4 Cups Apple Juice ( Use a nice organic, 100% Apple Juice… you won’t be sorry)
  • 1 22 oz Bottle of Sweet Apple Cider ( I used Portland Cider Company’s Sorta Sweet)
  • 1/2 Cup Sweet Vermouth
  • 8 Dashes of Bitters

Directions:

  1. Pour all contents into a large punch bowl. Put into fridge to chill. You may add ice to chill, but it will dilute the drink some so use sparingly.
  2. Dish into glasses and enjoy!

Holiday Party Drinks // A Well Crafted Party

Photo credits from top left clockwise: AWCP // Motormouth Studios for AWCP // I’m Bored, Let’s Go // Cooking with BS // The Spicy Bee // Merlot Mommy// Urban Bliss Life // Cooking with BS // The Goodhearted Woman

Holiday Cocktail Roundup

These drinks would be fun for your Christmas parties or New Year’s Eve events! Thank you to all the bloggers who participated! If marked (NA) the drink is non-alcoholic and does not contain any alcohol.

Punches or by the Pitcher

Cocktails

Hot Drinks

Wines

12 Days of Christmas DIYs // A Well Crafted Party

This post is the sixth in my series of the 12 Days of Christmas DIYs for A Well Crafted Party. Check in each day for the next 12 Days for new DIY posts. There will be LOTS of free printables to boot! (Check out yesterday’s post: “DIY Branch Holiday Card Display“)


Chocolate Peppermint Martini // A Well Crafted Party

Chocolate Peppermint Cocktail

Anyone else a little obsessed with the chocolate-peppermint combo during the holiday season? No, just me? Well, I’ll take two of these then…

Last week I was wondering around the Clackamas Town Center (aka The Mall) and ran across the most amazing thing in the whole world. There is a East Side Distilling storefront IN THE MALL. Can I tell you how much better holiday shopping is after tasting some Burnside Bourbon? SO much better. One of my discoveries while there was a delicious Holiday Peppermint Bark Liqueur. Chocolate. Peppermint. Liqueur.

As soon as I bought it I thought of re-doing a nice chocolate martini to make this tasty rendition. But, first… my DIY for today!

DIY Peppermint Rimming Sugar // A Well Crafted Party

DIY Peppermint Cocktail Rimmer

I love a good rimmer. Bud um dum.

This candycane sugar rimmer is super easy to make. You can rim your martini glasses or hot cocoa mugs by simply dipping the glass into chocolate sauce and then dipping it into the sugar. If you don’t want the glass to have the chocolate on the rim (it does look a little messy) then you can dip it into simple syrup and then into the rimming sugar.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Candy Canes

Directions (with a food processor):

  1. Put all into a food processor and process until similar sized grains.
  2. Put onto a plate for rimming!

Directions (without food processor):

  1. Put candy canes and sugar into a ziplock bag. Double bag it. Hit with a hammer or meat mallet until all of the candy canes are broken into small bits. Mix well.
  2. Put onto a plate for rimming!

Note: I used organic candy canes and they stuck together quite a lot… it still worked wonderfully, but need to be broken up with a fork if you store it at all. Store in an airtight container or baggy.

Chocolate Peppermint Martini // A Well Crafted Party

Chocolate Peppermint Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz of Holiday Peppermint Bark Liqueur by Eastside Distilling
  • 1 3/4 oz of Vodka
  • 2 oz of Half & Half
  • Dark Chocolate Syrup
  • Shaker with ice
  • Peppermint Cocktail Rimmer

Directions:

  1. Take your martini glass and rim with chocolate syrup and peppermint cocktail rimmer.
  2. Swirl chocolate syrup around the inside of your glass.
  3. In a shaker pour the Peppermint Bark Liqueur, Vodka, and Half & Half over ice. Shake well.
  4. Strain into the martini glass.

You can garnish with a little candy cane and enjoy!

Chocolate Peppermint Martini // A Well Crafted Party

This post was not sponsored. I really did find this stuff in a MALL. And, I will be going back… soon!

Easy Bloody Mary Bar for the Holidays // A Well Crafted Party

Disclosure: Powell & Mahoney shared a  complimentary bottle of their Limited Bloody Mary mix for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliate links. Purchases made from affiliate links help support this blog. Thanks for reading! 

Anyone else have the realization that this is the last weekend before the crazy hits? Just me? Couldn’t be.

This weekend is my prep weekend to make it through the next two months. On my calendar I’ve got 3 parties, two photoshoots, 1 fun holiday blog series (with 12 free printables!), holiday visitors, holiday gifts to buy… well, you get the idea. Today is all about prepping the house, the blog, and my holiday gift/card lists. Bring on the bloody marys!

Easy Bloody Mary Bar for the Holidays // A Well Crafted Party

Make a Quick Bloody Mary Bar for Busy Holiday Prep Days

Sometimes I like to take the time to make my own bloody mary mix. I enjoy trying different spices and ingredients. However, I’m a big believer in making life as easy as possible while preserving the tastiness… so, when I find a good bloody mary mix I stock up to bring out as needed. This Siracha Bloody Mary Mix by Powell & Mahoney is exactly what I’d make for myself…. without all the work!

The holiays are surrounded by days where a quick bloody mary bar will be welcome to all involved. Having the family over for a day of cooking for Thanksgiving? Set up the bloody mary bar and a coffee bar for a fun way to start Thanksgiving. Lots of adults trying to stay awake on Christmas morning? Make the early morning wake up easier by setting out your favorite bloody mary mix, some Vodka and/or Tequila and some easy garnishes. DONE.

Easy Bloody Maria // A Well Crafted Party

Lately I’ve really been digging Bloody Marias instead of my normal bloody mary. What’s the difference? Tequila!

Easy Bloody Maria or Easy Bloody Mary

Ingredients: 

  • Glass with Ice
  • Rimming Salt (optional)
  • 1 1/4 oz Tequila (for Bloody Maria) OR 1 1/4 oz Vodka (for Bloody Mary)
  • 4 oz Bloody Mary Mix (I used Powell & Mahooney Limited Sriracha Bloody Mary Mix)
  • Garnishes of choice! I used Bacon, pickled carrots, jalapeno olives, salami, lemons & limes. Other garnishes that would be great include celery, pickles, pickled green beans… the list goes on and on.

Directions: 

  1. Rim glass with salt (optional) by rubbing a lemon around the edge and dipping into rimming salt
  2. Pour Bloody Mary Mix & Liquor of choice over ice
  3. Stir mixture
  4. Top with Garnish & Enjoy!

Easy Bloody Mary Bar for the Holidays // A Well Crafted Party

 

Okay, now I’m off to work on that to-do list!

What are your plans for this weekend before the holiday business begins?