The approaching holiday season is about to test your gift-giving instincts, your culinary savvy, and likely, your hosting skills. Need an easy way to up your holiday gathering game and impress your guests? Learn some home bartending skills.
Visitors will swoon over a well-executed winter daiquiri, apple cider spritz, or any of the other holiday drink menu additions Maggie Kappes shares below. Kappes is the tasting room manager at Spirit Hound Distillers’ Denver location, where she and other distillery staff create some masterful cocktail concoctions.
Kappes shared her tips for home bartenders hoping to nail the basics, experiment with seasonal flavors, and impress guests this holiday season (plus, if you need a little extra help, there’s a cocktail class in Denver that may just set you on the right course).
Tips and Tricks for Home Bartending
If you’re new to the home bartending scene, Kappes has a few pointers on gaining confidence and skill at the bar. Think of this as a quick at-home drink-making class.
Master Mixology Basics
Before you start pouring like an expert, you have to master the basics. Understanding flavors, learning which tastes pair well together, and choosing flavors that make sense for the season are key, said Kappes, who recommended The Flavor Bible for amateur mixologists looking to learn about proper pairings. If you want to learn from the pros at a cocktail class in Denver, head to Spirit Hound for a private class that’ll walk you through crafting two cocktails (the distillery’s Lyons location also offers classes).
Keep it Simple
Like so much of life, good mixology is about executing simplicity well, not making it overly complicated to impress others. Your drinks don’t need 15 ingredients to taste right — they need good ingredients and a solid foundation.
“If you have lemon juice and honey syrup, and then basically choose your base spirit from there, those all tie into classic cocktails,” Kappes said. “If you do lemon juice, honey syrup, and gin, you have a Bee’s Knees. If you take that gin out and you put whiskey in, you have a Gold Rush. If you take that whiskey out and you put rum in, you have a Honeybee.”
Simple ingredients in the right proportions make for delicious drinks, so try playing around with some of the variations Kappes mentioned above. To that end, Kappes also recommends practicing some restraint when it comes to garnishes.
“I like functional garnishes, so garnishes are not always my thing,” she said. “If it’s not something that I can add to my drink to elevate my drink, honestly, I tend to omit it.”
If you’re wondering how to host a holiday cocktail party without over-the-top garnishes, consider finding fun, statement-piece glassware to make your cocktail creations truly pop.
Go Seasonal for Holiday Mixed Drinks
Once you’ve mastered flavor basics, try changing things up to suit the season.
A Hot Toddy is usually made with Scotch or whiskey and honey, so why not use Spirit Hound’s Colorado honey-finished whisky for full depth of flavor? (Alternatively, when the snow starts to melt and it’s backyard patio weather again, try Spirit Hound’s Summer Toddy recipe for an iced variation built for chillin’.)
If you’re making a rum drink during the holiday season, try infusing Spirit Hound Rum with some wintry flavors like ginger, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. The distillery’s Peppermint Cafe Colorado Coffee Liqueur makes for fantastic winter sipping, whether on its own or blended into Spirit Hound’s home bartender-friendly Peppermint Coffee Smash.
Kappes also recommends these flavors for delicious syrups that can add a seasonal flair to any drink:
- Pumpkin spice
- Maple (especially paired with black pepper)
- Rosemary and thyme
Holiday Cocktail Recipes
Still mentally formulating the perfect holiday cocktails? Let Spirit Hound do the work for you. Here are a few of Kappes’ recommendations for cold-weather drinks and Christmas cocktails.
The Winter Daiquiri
- 2 oz. Spirit Hound Rum
- 1 oz. lime juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- ¼ oz cinnamon syrup
The Cold Brew Martini
- 1 oz. Spirit Hound Vodka
- 1 oz. cold brew
- ¼ oz. vanilla syrup
- 2 dashes of orange bitters
- 1 oz. Cafe Colorado Coffee Liqueur or Peppermint Cafe Colorado
The Apple Cider Aperol Spritz
- 1.5 oz apple cider
- 1 oz. Aperol
- 3 oz. Prosecco
- 1.5 oz soda water
Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail
- 4 oz. Spirit Hound Bourbon
- 4 oz. apple cider
- 1.5 oz. Autumn Spice Simple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste
If all of this has you Googling “mixology classes near me” for more guidance, remember: There’s a Denver cocktail class that can get you on the right path before the holidays. Check out Spirit Hound’s regular cocktail classes to learn some priceless skills and take your hosting game to the next level.