Put those leftover candy canes to good use! They'll make a great garnish on this delicious cocktail.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Crème de Cacao
2 dashes of Aromatic Bitters
2 dashes of Mole Bitters
Top with hand-whipped heavy cream
Garnish with a crushed candy cane

This cocktail comes to us from Yakntoro Udoumoh, the 2022 STEPUP Foundation Intern.  Yaki, as he is known to his friends, is also a bartender at the highly respected Columbia Room in Washington DC.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Cardamaro
½ oz Creme de Banana
2 dashes Chocolate Bitters

Stored, serve on rocks, express orange peel, garish with orange twist.

Recipe and photo courtesy Yakntoro Udoumoh, @semblanceofyak on Instagram.  Used with permission.

Virginia Sales Manager, John Shope, recently hosted a virtual cocktail class with Good Shepherd Housing focusing on cocktails for the holiday season.  Try these recipes at your next holiday cocktail party to up your winter cocktail game to wow your friends.

An Old Fashioned Holiday Gathering

Glass Type: Rocks
Garnish: Dehydrated Apple Chip
Method: Build ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, stir vigorously until tin is chilled, strain cocktail into glass with a large ice cube, garnish & serve

Ingredients:

2 oz Catoctin Creek Cask Strength Rye
½ oz Spiced Apple Cider Syrup*
3-6 drops Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Winter Spiced Bitters
Dehydrated apple chip*

Johnny’s Snow Day Punch

Glass Type: Collins Glass or Short Highball
Garnish: Fresh Apples, Cranberries, Lemons and Ginger Slices
Method: Build all ingredients except ginger beer in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain over ice then top with ginger beer, garnish & serve

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition 92 Proof Roundstone Rye
3 oz Apple Cider
½ oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Cranberry Maple Syrup*
2 dashes Black Walnut Bitters
2 dashes Cranberry Bitters
Top With - Ginger Beer of choice
Half Moon slice of apple & lemon, 3 fresh cranberries and a candied ginger slice
Serve with a straw

Hot Buttered Rye on a Cold Winter’s Night

Glass Type: Coffee Mug or Hot Tea Glass
Garnish: Freshly Grated Nutmeg & Cinnamon Stick
Method: Build ingredients in a mug, then stir until thoroughly mixed, garnish and serve

Ingredients:

½ oz Softened Butter
1 oz Wintry Spice Blend*
3 oz Hot Water
1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
Freshly grated Nutmeg
1 Cinnamon Stick

*Spiced Apple Cider Syrup - In a sauce pan, bring 1 cup Apple Cider and ½ cup Grade A Maple Syrup along with 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise pod, 2 allspice berries, 2 cloves, a dash each of ginger powder, nutmeg, mace and the zest of one orange to a boil. Allow everything to infuse and cool down to room temperature then strain into a glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

*Dehydrated Apple Chips - Preheat over to 225 thinly slice an apple and line them on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle cinnamon on apples if you desire. Place in your oven and let bake for at least 45 minutes. These will likely take longer. They’re finished when one apple crisps up after cooking for 2-3 minutes. When ready to remove the apple chips from the oven, do so using a spatula and allow the chips to cool on a wire rack until ready.

*Cranberry Maple Syrup:

1½ cups frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup water
¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup of choice

Place 1½ cups (about 6 ounces) frozen or fresh cranberries, 1 cup water, and ¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low rolling boil. Watch carefully so the syrup doesn't boil over! Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries are falling apart, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl and let the strainer sit over the bowl until the syrup has cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Save and set aside the solids and refrigerate the syrup in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 weeks.

To get the most out of your cranberries, pour the left over Cranberry solids in a glass jar, add one cup Maple Syrup or granulated sugar and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and ¾ cup Red Wine Vinegar, shake up really well until mixed thoroughly and save in jar for a few up to two weeks then fine strain into a glass seal tight container and enjoy a fantastic drinkable Cranberry Maple wine shrub for up to three months! Try over ice with club soda or mix into your favorite cocktail to further stretch your fall/winter drink fix for the rest of the season!

*Wintry Spice Blend:

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 teaspoons crystalized ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons dried orange peel
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Pulverize ingredients in a spice grinder, Vitamix or other high grade blender until thoroughly broken down and mixed.

Makes about 6 Ounces. Use this stuff to flavor desserts, eggnog, mulled wines etc. If you add an equal part of water to blend and bring to a boil and allow to cool before refrigerating, you’ll have an amazing syrup to drizzle into cocktails, coffee, or over pies/cakes/ice cream etc. Add a table spoon to 8 Oz of apple cider or your favorite tea for a wintry treat enjoyed either chilled or warm. If you add a tablespoon each of salt and pink peppercorns to this recipe, you can use it as a wonderful rub for your holiday ham, turkey, lamb or roast!“

This savory cocktail is a bit of a doozy! It has flavors of sweet mustard, brine and spice. Pair it with something rich, like steak tartare, a cheese plate, or a gourmet burger or hot dog.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Mattei Cap Corse Blanc
1 oz Dijon syrup*
½ oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
½ oz fresh lemon juice

Add all ingredients to shaker tin with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. In collins glass, add fresh ice and strain. Add biodegradable agave straw, picke spear and pickled sausage.

*Dijon syrup:

Combine ½ cup diced white onion with ¼ cup of water in a medium saucepan over low heat; cook until onions become translucent (about 20 minutes). Add ½ cup agave, ½ cup dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon fennel seed, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar along with ⅓ cup water. Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, strain carefully and chill.  Bottle and keep in the cooler.  Shelf life is about 3-4 weeks.

Cocktail courtesy of Shaun Stewart at JBGB in Baltimore, and photo courtesy of Whyald Card Photography, Colin Marshall, and both used with permission.

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Pearousia pear brandy
1/4 to 1/2 oz maple syrup
1/2 oz lime juice
Spicy barbecue salt rim

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1-1/2 oz mango juice
3/4 oz Lillet blanc
1/4 oz lime juice
Tajin rim

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz blackberry syrup
Celery and kosher salt rim
Burnt orange peel garnish

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

3/4 oz Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1/2 oz dry sherry
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz Pratt ginger syrup
top with Angostura bitters

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1-1/4 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
1/2 oz Amaro
1/4 oz sweet Italian vermouth
1/8 oz coffee liqueur
brandied cherry and spicy cocoa dust

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

This is a cocktail that celebrates spring and the abundance of flowers after a long, cold, dark winter.  It tastes as beautiful as it looks.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy
¾ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
¼ oz dry fino sherry
¼ oz lemon juice
½ oz Rose Garden Tea syrup*
soda water

Stir and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass, top with soda water.  Garnish with edible wild violets and pansies. (Omit soda water and serve in a rocks glass if preferred - shown here.)

*Rose Garden Tea syrup - Make the tea as normal, about one cup's worth of liquid, but then while still hot, stir in one cup of sugar to dissolve completely.

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

A cocktail from our tasting room manager, Denise Petty, which reminded her of her travels to the Dominican Republic.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof "Distiller's Edition"
2 oz Unsweetened Coconut Milk
¼ oz Lime Juice
1 oz Hot Honey
1 Saffron Thread

Rim a tall glass with Toasted Coconut Flakes/Gold Sprinkles. Shake all ingredients vigorously, and strain over fresh ice.  Paper umbrella garnish, if you have one!

Cocktail and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
¾ oz Pomegranate Rosemary Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
3 oz Ginger Beer

Shake whisky, lemon juice and syrup with ice. Add crushed ice to glass. Fine strain cocktail into glass, top with ginger beer and fresh ice.

Recipe and photo courtesy A Bar Above, @abarabove on Twitter.