The holidays provide a unique chance for some serious relaxation and a much needed break from studying. They do a much better job of curing our stress than an average weekend of partying. Spending quality time with your family and friends and swapping stories about the semester will provide hours of entertainment as you exchange gifts and enjoy feasts, but what do you do when the topic switches to alcohol? Will you brag about how many Keystones you can drink or the last Four Loko you had before they were banned? Or will you try your best to keep your affinity for booze on the down-low for the break?
Well, when you are ready to come out of the liquor cabinet, perhaps it is better to sound a little more intelligent when discussing how you spend your Friday and Saturday nights (and in some cases, Thursdays or Wednesdays or Mondays etc.). This is especially important when you are easing your parents into the fact that you are now a fully-grown, alcohol-consuming, bar-crawling, fraternity-partying adult. Not only that, you can impress your family and friends of your extensive knowledge of drinking that extends beyond the family of cheap light beers and “hilarious drinks,” like the infamous “rum and vodka.”
While it is impossible to become a master of mixology overnight, here are some basic tips to improve your drinking experience. When making a fruit flavored drink, use a clear light alcohol, such as vodka or light rum, in the drink. The fruit flavors will more easily cover the taste of these alcohols. Now, if you are looking to make something savory or spicy, you should use liquor with more flavors like a nice whiskey or dark rum. The spices in these drinks will complement flavors like chocolate, coffee or eggnog. So, with all of these useful tips in mind, here are some drinks that will make you the life of the holiday party without making you look like a drunken college student:
Eggnog
10 oz Eggnog
2 oz Dark Rum
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Nutmeg
Stir the rum and vanilla in to the eggnog in a glass and garnish with the nutmeg on top, serve cold.
Hot Chocolate
10 oz Hot Chocolate
2 oz Peppermint Schnapps
1 mini Candy Cane
Heat the hot chocolate as desired then add the peppermint schnapps. Stir and garnish with the candy cane. If you really have a sweet tooth or you plan on drinking more than one of these, you can upgrade your candy cane from miniature to full size.
Apple Cider
10 oz Apple Cider
2 oz Apple Brandy
1 Cinnamon Stick
Heat the apple cider as desired then add the apple brandy. Stir and garnish with the cinnamon stick.
Original Author: Ben Bissantz