EGGNOG COCKTAILS

It's that time of year again when eggnog comes knocking on our doors and I, for one, think it is not drinkable without some booze in it.  Eggnog without alcohol is just too sweet, too thick and no fun. So below I have a few of my favorite ways to make this holiday tradition truly drinkable and way more fun.

EGGNOG COCKTAILS   CHOCOLATE BOURBON EGGNOG  EGGNOG MARTINI MACCHIATO EGGNOG PUMPKIN EGGNOG MARTINI WHITE CHRISMTAS MARTINI    December is National Eggnog Month, December 24th is National Eggnog Day.
Updated 12-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

GINGER BOURBON SNAP COCKTAIL

It's the holidays and, yes, I went and visited Gingersnap Cocktails again, only this time with bourbon and coffee. Why? Because I was eating one of my favorite gingersnaps one morning and happened to dip it in my coffee. I discovered gingersnaps are way better dipped in creamy coffee than they are in milk.
I figured creamy coffee with booze would be even better. I was right. Yes I dipped that little gingersnap man in my cocktail and sent him to gingersnap man heaven. Then followed him by finishing the cocktail.

The GINGER BOURBON SNAP Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Knob Creek Bourbon 1 Oz. Homemade Gingerbread Liqueur 1/2 Oz. Coffee Liqueur (My goto coffee liqueur is Café Borghetti) 1 Oz. Half & Half
Garnish: Whipped Cream, Gingerbread Man
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Cocktail or Coupe
DIRECTIONS Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with  ice. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish and serve.
Bailey was outside watching the quails and missed the whole thing. That's what saved my whipped cream topping.

Looks nice with my Make Some Magic Today Necklace from CocktailsAndJewelry.Com.

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CRANAPPLE PUNCH - A Cranberry Apple Rum Cocktail

This cocktail is the result of using what you have available and not wanting to get complicated. I wanted a cool drink because, despite the fact it is Thanksgiving weekend, it is 89 degrees here in Tucson. For most people that's summer, for me it's summer enough to want a refreshing drink even though I still have a Thanksgiving turkey carcass in my refrigerator.
I peeked into the fridge, past the turkey, saw some apple juice and spied the nefarious leftover jellied cranberry and thought, why not?

The Not Quite Christmas Here Yet CRANAPPLE PUNCH
INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 Oz. Dark Rum 1-1/2 Oz. Apple Juice 2 Tablespoons Leftover Jellied Cranberry Sauce 2 Dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Garnish: Dried Apple Slice, Rum Soaked Dried Cranberries
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Low Ball or Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS Chill your glass in the freezer. Nuke the cranberry jelly just long enough for it to liquefy. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, add the rum, the apple juice and the liquefied cranberry sauce then shake until well chilled. Strain over a large ice cube into your chilled glass, add the bitters on top then garnish and serve.
Bailey approved.

If it was cold I would heat this, add some mulling spices and serve it in a nice mug in front of the fire. Sadly, the only fire we have right now is the last blasting rays of a beautiful desert sunset. I can't complain, at least I'm not shoveling snow off a driveway.

Updated 12-2018

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PRICKLY PEAR ( Cactus Pear) CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

I have been promising my friends and followers for YEARS I was going to start a line of handmade cocktail picks. I have made them for many years for myself and my cocktails and, when people kept asking me if I sold them or if I would make some for them, I threatened to start my own line of what I referred to as my "cocktail jewelry".

Yesterday I finally got the first ones up for sale. I thought that deserved a little celebration so I popped open a bottle of bubbly.
Of course there's one of them in my drink!

The PRICKLY PEAR CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 1 Split of Champagne or Prosecco 1 Tsp. Prickly Pear Syrup 2 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Garnish: Prickly Pear (Cactus)Candy, Lemon Twist
Glass: Champagne Flute
DIRECTIONS Chill a Champagne flute in the freezer for a minimum of half an hour. Pop the cork on the bubbly.  Add the Prickly Pear Syrup to the glass. Gently float the Champagne on top. Add 2 Dashes of the bitters. Garnish and serve. Guests may stir in the syrup as they desire.
Now settle in with your cocktail and go buy some of my fun Jewelry for Cocktails!

You might also enjoy my

Prickly Pear Martini

Prickly Pear Old Fashioned

Loaded Cactus Pear Sliderita

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SPICY MOLE RUM OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL

I was on an Old Fashioned kick last week for Old Fashioned Week but I wasn't quite ready to let go of my Old Fashioneds until I had one with rum. Being who I am I couldn't just switch out bourbon for rum, I had to go a few steps further.

Since I had worn my Petroglyphs Rock Paper Necklace (see photo above) to a meeting with a jewelry buyer earlier that day, it inspired me to go a little Southwestern so I added in a bit of spice to the mix.

The SPICY MOLE RUM OLD FASHIONED
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Rum 1 Tsp. Spiced Turbinado Rich Simple Syrup* 3 Dashes The Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters 2 Orange Wedges 3 Homemade Maraschino Cherries*
Garnish: Orange Peel, Homemade Maraschino Cherry
Tools: Muddler, Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS Chill your glass in the freezer. At the bottom of your cocktail shaker, muddle the simple syrup, orange slices, bitters and cherries. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice,add the rum and shake until chilled. Strain into your chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.
* Spiced Turbinado Simple Syrup
Ingredients 2 parts turbinado sugar 1 part water 3 dashes of Cholula Chipotle Sauce 
Directions Heat the ingredients on medium until the sugar dissolves. Then remove from heat, let cool to room temperature and transfer to a clean glass jar. Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
MORE OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL RECIPES

Visit PopArtDiva.Com for this

One-Of-a-Kind Statement Necklace.

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The PRICKLY PEAR (Cactus Pear) OLD FASHIONED Cocktail

Living in Tucson, it was almost a prerequisite that I do a Prickly Pear Old Fashioned for Old Fashioned Week. So I did.
I think I know exactly where the rest of my prickly pear syrup is going.

The PRICKLY PEAR (Cactus Pear) OLD FASHIONED
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Bourbon 1 Tsp. Prickly Pear Syrup 2 Tsp. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice 2 Orange Slices, cut in half 2 Dashes Dash of Bitter Bastards Chipotle Bitters
Garnish: Cactus Candy, Orange Peel, Homemade Bourbon Cherry
Tools: Cocktail Shaker, Hawthorne Strainer
Glass: Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS Chill glass in freezer. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake until well-chilled then strain into the ice filled chilled glass. Garnish and serve.
Yes, Bailey was all over this one.

If you like prickly pear you might want to try out my Prickly Pear Martini and my  Loaded Cactus Slideritas.
This cocktail paired nicely with my handmade, one-of-a-kind DREAM BIG Paper Necklace.

MORE OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL RECIPES

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY Updated 5-10-2025

TELEVISION COCKTAILS - Drinks Inspired by TV!

   I love watching television. I watch TV shows on my actual televisions, on my computer and on my phone. I  watch via cable, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and other streaming services. Blame the fact I grew up in the Golden Age of Television, when TV was new and it was a status symbol to have a hulking RCA or Zenith smack dab in the living room, but TV is a part of my personal cultural history. It was, and is, a window to the world, albeit a kind of dirty, smudged window these days, but there are still gems if you wipe off that grime. The gems inspire my foray into bespoke TV cocktails. 
At the end of a long work day I often mix up a cocktail, flip on a screen and shut my brain down by watching a few hours of the Boob Tube. It's like a small screen happy hour and, not surprisingly, I've come up with a few TV special drinks for viewing time.
TELEVISION INSPIRED COCKTAILS   BOARDWALK EMPIRE COCKTAILS
BREAKING BAD BLUE CRYSTAL MARGARITA
DOWNTON ABBEY COCKTAIL
GAME OF THRONES COCKTAILS
HAVEN DROWN YOUR TROUBLES MARTINI
MAD MEN COCKTAILS
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK CANTALOUPE DAIQUIRI
TWISTED FAIRYTALE for Once Upon A Time
ROMULAN ALE
ROWDY ROY ROGERS
SEX In The CITY COCKTAILS
SIMPSONS DUH-OH COCKTAIL
SONS OF ANARCHY SAMCRO BOILERMAKER
STAR TREK COCKTAILS 1
STAR TREK COCKTAILS 2
STRANGER THINGS SLUSHY
EMMY COCKTAILS
Then, of course, there's that children's virgin cocktail:

"Television is a weapon of mass distraction."

Updated 20-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY