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!“