Yule Need a Drink Cocktail Book - Sample by cidermillpress

Yule need a Drink

Yule Need a Drink

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13-Digit

ISBN: 978-1-40035-271-5

10-Digit ISBN: 1-40035-271-1

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Cider Mill Press Book Publishers

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First Edition

Yule need a Drink

100+ cocktails to keep your season bright

WELCOME TO THE NAUGHTY LIST!

This isn’t your grandmother’s dusty cocktail book. It’s a totally unapologetic ode to the best part of the season. Spoiler alert—it’s not the parking lot panic at the mall or listening to that one uncle rant about inflation. It’s cocktails. This is your ultimate guide to surviving the season in style—and by style, we clearly mean with a cocktail firmly in hand. Whether you’re braving the holiday chaos or escaping it altogether, these drinks are here to make sure your glass (and your patience) stay full.

These beverages are designed to pair perfectly with every merry—and not-so-merry—moment the holidays throw your way. We’re talking drinks for when you’re flying solo with Love Actually on repeat in your coziest PJs and cocktails that’ll outshine the overpriced champagne at your friend’s posh holiday party. Need something to make opening socks from your office Secret Santa slightly less soul-crushing? There’s a drink for that. Hosting Christmas dinner and want to stun your in-laws? We’ve got you covered. This book is here to help you sip your way through the season, from the first holiday playlist in November (we see you, Mariah) to that blurry New Year’s Eve countdown.

Forget the endless gift-wrapping sessions, the passive-aggressive family group chats, and the

atrocity that is fruitcake. Inside these pages, you’ll find chapters to help you survive every up and down of the season. When you need to defrost after hauling in that overpriced Christmas tree, head straight to our chapter on hot drinks. These spiked delights will restore feeling to your hands and hopefully to your icy heart. When you need a companion to sit with through yet another round of holiday karaoke Shame, keep your spirits bright (pun intended) with our collection of festive sippers. When you need something to distract that one cousin who insists on talking politics over dinner, dazzle them with timeless, show-stopping classics. When you’re searching for the willpower to help you survive Grandma’s annual “Why aren’t you married yet?” interrogation, arm yourself with a strategically timed glass of bubbly. There’s even a chapter for the perfect party provisions in our batch cocktail chapter—because if your tree still isn’t lit, your guests definitely should be. With drinks that are equal parts delicious and festive, you’ll be so busy mixing, shaking, and toasting that you might even enjoy the holidays this year. Or at least make it through without texting your ex. Probably.

Now grab your shaker, raise your glass, lower your stress, and get ready to sleigh the holidays. Cheers to a season of strong spirits, zero regrets, and fewer awkward family conversations!

HOW TO SURVIVE HOLIDAY GATHERINGS 101

Ah, the holiday gathering—a delightful tradition where everyone pretends to enjoy each other’s company while silently panicking about overcooked turkey, cringeworthy small talk, and whether Aunt Carol is about to say something weird again. Fear not, for this chapter is your lifeline! With the right cocktail in hand, you can face anything—judgy in-laws? Boom, you ’re bulletproof. Random holiday party invite from “that one coworker”? You’re suddenly the life of the cubicle convoy. Surprise visit from your neighbor bringing fruitcake? Ew. Smile, sip, and keep them standing on the porch. These batch drinks are less about spreading cheer and more about faking it until the last sleigh bell rings. Strap in, mix up, and get ready to conquer every awkward moment with a little liquid courage.

merry mimosathon

Sugar, for the rims (optional)

1½ cups Grand Marnier

3 (750 ml) bottles of Champagne

3 cups fresh orange juice

If using the sugar, pour ¼ cup of the Grand Marnier into a bowl. Dip the rims of the champagne flutes into the liqueur and then coat them with the sugar.

Place the remaining orange liqueur, Champagne, and orange juice in a large punch bowl, stir gently, and pour into the rimmed glasses.

applelujah, it ’ s boozy

6 cups apple cider

3 cups bourbon

5 cinnamon sticks

3 orange peels, for garnish

30 to 40 whole cloves, for garnish

Place the apple cider, bourbon, and cinnamon sticks in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours, making sure the mixture does not come to a boil.

Cut the orange peels into rectangles and press the cloves into them. Garnish each glass with a clove-studded orange peel.

mocha me forget my family drama

8 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup sugar, plus more to taste

½ cup freshly brewed espresso

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup aged rum

1 tablespoon orange zest

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Place the milk, cream, sugar, and espresso in a saucepan and warm it over medium heat.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. When the milk mixture is hot, ladle 1 cup of it over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted, adding more of the warm milk mixture if the melted chocolate mixture is too thick.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the pot of warm milk and whisk to combine. Add the rum, orange zest, and salt and stir to combine. Pour into mugs and enjoy.

love actually sucks punch

3 cups light rum

1½ cups dark rum

1 oz. Angostura Bitters

3 cups orange juice

½ cup pineapple juice

1 cup triple sec

2 oz. grenadine

Orange slices, for garnish

Place all of the ingredients, except for the orange slices, in a large punch bowl, add blocks of ice, and stir to combine.

Serve over ice in Collins glasses and garnish with orange slices.

i ’ d rather be home with my dog

3 cups bourbon

1 cup whole milk

1 oz. Simple Syrup (see sidebar)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Place all of the ingredients, except for the nutmeg, in a large punch bowl, add large blocks of ice, and stir to combine.

Garnish with the nutmeg and serve in coupes or rocks glasses.

simple syrup

Named due to its humble components—equal parts sugar and water—and the ease of making it—just place the sugar (or honey) and water in a saucepan, stir as it comes to a boil in order to help the sugar dissolve, and then let it cool—there is nothing basic about the role simple syrup plays in cocktail making. Whether it is there to offset the lemon or lime juice, allow a tucked-away flavor to surface, or add body and viscosity to a drink, simple syrup definitively transcends its modest construction.

when in-laws come a-knocking

2 cups rum

2 cups Crown Royal whiskey

2 cups brandy

½ oz. grenadine

Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Place all of the ingredients, except for the maraschino cherries, in a large punch bowl, add blocks of ice, and stir to combine.

Serve over ice in rocks glasses and garnish with the maraschino cherries.

family fiasco fixer

2 cups aged rum

1 cup bourbon

1 cup Simple Syrup (see page 20)

2 cups heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Place all of the ingredients, except for the nutmeg, in a large punch bowl, add large blocks of ice, and stir to combine.

Garnish with the nutmeg and serve in coupes or over ice in rocks glasses.

’

twas the nightcap before christmas

1 (750 ml) bottle of bourbon

6 cups orange juice

2 cups fresh lemon juice

¼ oz. blood orange bitters

1/2 cup Simple Syrup (see page 20)

Maraschino cherries or orange wheels, for garnish

Place all of the ingredients, except for the maraschino cherries, in a large punch bowl, add large blocks of ice, and stir until chilled.

Serve over ice in mugs or Collins glasses and garnish with maraschino cherries or orange wheels.

dead after the gift rush

6 lemons

1 cup sugar

8 bags of chai tea

4 cups boiling water

1 cup bourbon

1 (12 oz.) bottle of ginger beer

Lemon wheels, for garnish

Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Whole cloves, for garnish

Star anise pods, for garnish

Allspice berries, for garnish

Peel the lemons and set the fruit aside. Place the lemon peels and the sugar in a bowl, muddle, and let stand for 1 hour. Juice the lemons and strain to remove all pulp.

Place the tea bags in the boiling water and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Add the sugar-and-lemon peel mixture to the tea and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Strain and discard the solids.

Add the bourbon and the lemon juice, stir to combine, and chill the punch in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Add ginger beer and large blocks of ice just before serving. Gently stir to combine, serve over ice in rocks glasses, and garnish with lemon wheels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise pods, and allspice berries.