Holiday Drink Recipe - "Chocolate Covered Candy Cane"

I would be remiss if I didn’t start this post by acknowledging that I adore peppermint. Peppermint lattes are my Starbucks go-to all year, although I’m the first to say they taste better in a red cup.

Needless to say, when I saw my husband buying a bottle of Smirnoff’s Limited Edition Peppermint Twist for this week’s drink, I knew it was going to be right up my alley. What I wasn’t expecting was for this to be in my top five favorite cocktails of all time.

It tastes like dessert and goes down dangerously easily for a drink with no mixer. Pull this one out after a busy day of Black Friday shopping, following Christmas dinner, on New Years Eve, or on a random December Tuesday.

I’ll probably be drinking it in July.

“Chocolate Covered Candy Cane” Cocktail Recipe

What You Need:

RumChata
Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Vodka
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, or preferred brand
Ice
Cinnamon
Cinnamon sticks

What You Do:

1. In a shaker, combine:

3oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist
3oz RumChata

2. Shake well.

3. Dip the rim of a low ball glass in simple syrup, then twist in cinnamon.

4. Add ice to glass, and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

5. Add contents of shaker to glass, garnish with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

A Brief History of Smirnoff and RumChata

Smirnoff Vodka, which was first introduced in 1864, and RumChata, which didn’t hit store shelves until 2009, might not immediately seem like the perfect combination. But this cocktail proves that the old guard and the new kid on the block pair perfectly.

Smirnoff’s website notes that the brand’s Smirnoff No. 21 Premium Vodka is sold in over 130 countries around the world, delivering “countless years of heritage and unmatched quality.” Founded by P.A. Smirnov in 1864, the brand became the Anglicized “Smirnoff” when Smirnov’s son, Vladimir, relaunched the company in Europe following the Russian Revolution.

RumChata, on the other hand, is currently available in 28 nations.

It was developed by Tom Maas, who previously worked for whiskey brands like Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, and Knob Creek, in his home kitchen in the early 2000s. His goal was to create a liqueur version of Mexico’s popular rice milk drink, horchata.

The RumChata brand has leveraged the power of social media to become one of the fastest growing spirit brands in the world.