To say I like Christmas is an understatement. The house is decorated well before Thanksgiving, and I am not exaggerating when I say I live for the sparkliest season of the year.
This year, I decided to put my husband’s bartending skills to the test (he’s a former professional bartender) by tasking him with creating a holiday drink a week until the new year.
Cocktail number one is inspired by the classic Long Island Iced Tea but with a holiday twist, and it honestly tastes like Christmas has been conveniently poured into a cute little Mason jar.
“Christmas on Long Island” Cocktail Recipe
- 1/2 ounce 1800 tequila (or preferred brand)
- 1/2 ounce Bacardi white rum (or preferred brand)
- 1/2 ounce Absolut vodka (or preferred brand)
- 1/2 ounce Tanqueray London Dry Gin (or preferred brand)
- 1/2 ounce Triple Sec
- Cranberry juice
- Apple cider
- Apple slide (for garnish)
- Cinnamon (for garnish)
- Add alcohol using a jigger
- Fill remaining space in Mason jar with UNSWEETENED cranberry juice, leaving about an inch and a half at the top of the container
- Top off with apple cider
- Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and an apple slice
- Stir and enjoy!
A Brief History of Long Island Iced Tea
Named for its resemblance to non-alcoholic iced tea, there are two conflicting stories for how the Long Island Iced Tea cocktail came to be — one from Long Island, New York and the other from a neighborhood in Tennessee.
Robert “Rosebud” Butt claims to have invented the drink as a contest entry in 1972 while he worked at Oak Beach Inn on Long Island, New York. However, an earlier version of the beverage was purportedly invented in the 1920s during Prohibition in the United States by a man known as “Old Man Bishop” in the Long Island neighborhood of Kingsport, Tennessee.
Make, enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments! And, come back every Friday because there’s a lot more to enjoy — trust me, I’ve been taste testing.