What else would we serve for a citrus-inspired Christmas dinner than some citrus-inspired cocktails? My favorite way to make sure that every palate is pleased is to take a couple core ingredients – in this case ginger and tangerine – and use them in different ways to offer two drinks: one lighter and one a bit more complex…
The Christmas Mule // serves one
- 1 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz Mandarin Jigger (orange or tangerine juice will substitute!)
- ½ oz Fernet Branca
- Ginger Beer
- Tangerine for garnish
Pour the bourbon, juice and Fernet into a glass over ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish by slicing the top of a leafy tangerine! This is also an easy drink to make into a large punch, which we totally intend to do for our New Year’s Eve party this year. The Fernet and ginger together give this a lot of bite and flavor, which I love, but for those who prefer a more straightforward sipper…
Oh My Darlin’ // serves one
- 1 oz Vodka or Citrus Vodka
- 1 oz Mandarin Jigger
- Ginger Beer
- Cloves and Tangerine to garnish
Using the same base ingredients that we did for the Christmas Mule, we swapped out bourbon for vodka to create this super refreshing light drink! I love the sugared tangerine wedges as a garnish. We also added some orange peel and whole cloves for added holiday cheer. You could also test out a little prosecco with this concoction to take things up a notch!
Oh, and for the kiddos or the non-drinkers, ginger beer and mandarin make for a yummy mixture on their own! My favorite detail on these might be the garnishes – they always fancy things up a bit, don’t you think?
