This cocktail comes to us from one of our holiday dinners.  A delicious take on a Vieux Carre.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek 92 Proof
¾ Catoctin Creek 1757 Brandy
¾ oz Mount Defiance Sweet Vermouth
1 tsp Benedictine
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychauds bitters

Combine ingredients and serve in a rocks glass with a luxardo cherry garnish.

A simple, but pleasing cocktail, especially as an apertivo.

2½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz rosemary simple syrup
2 dashes cranberry bitters

Combine all in a glass with a big ice cube.  Garnish with lemon peel.

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December, and is an eggless egg nog created by our brand ambassador, Peter Nelson.  For those who don't wish to have raw egg in their drink–either due to allergy or health concerns–this cocktail makes a nice substitute.

3 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp condensed milk
4-8 oz of Roundstone Rye, more or less to taste
Grated nutmeg for garnish

Add all the ingredients except whisky to the blender; blend until well mixed and frothy. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. When ready to serve, stir in the whisky and re-blend if desired to achieve extra froth. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Recipe courtesy Peter Nelson.

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December.

1½ oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Element Cranberry-Hibiscus syrup
1 oz Rosemary-infused rich simple syrup*
Seltzer to top
1 dash of cranberry bitters
Rosemary sprig to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain to a cocktail glass, and dash with cranberry bitters. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

*Rosemary Rich Simple Syrup

Combine 2 cups sugar with 1 cup of water; add 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Heat until thoroughly combined and steep over low heat for 1-3 hours (a crock pot works great for this). Remove rosemary. Keeps for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 c whole milk
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cayenne powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup peppermint infused rich simple syrup (to taste)*

Can be served warm or cold.  If warm, combine all ingredients except alcohol in a pan and warm (do not boil!).  If cold, add the alcohol.  Serve in a mug or glass, with a dollop of whipped cream, marshmallows, or a candy cane garnish.

*Peppermint Rich Simple Syrup

Combine 2 cups sugar with 1 cup of water; add 2-3 sprigs of fresh peppermint. Heat until thoroughly combined and steep over low heat for 1-3 hours (a crock pot works great for this). Remove peppermint. Keeps for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

A green Bloody Mary.  Incredible!

1 lb roasted tomatillos
2 cloves roasted garlic
½ avocado
½ pint yellow cherry tomatoes
2 Persian cucumbers, peeled
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Serrano pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
fresh parsley
1 tsp prepared horseradish
¾ tsp green hot sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire
1 pinch celery seed
9 oz Catoctin white unaged spirit or Watershed Gin

Blend all ingredients except spirit together and strain. Pour over ice with spirit in a highball glass with an agave/smoked sea salt rim and local pickled vegetables. Makes 6.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

1½ oz Catoctin white unaged spirit
½ oz Cocchi Americano
½ oz Benadictine
¼ oz Pavan
2 dash orange bitters

Stir all ingredients. Strain into a martini glass with a Luxardo cherry.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

Prosecco
1.5 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
Splash of TRUE grenadine syrup
2 dash black walnut bitters

Pour rye, grenadine and bitters into a flute and top with prosecco. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

2 oz Beet infused Watershed Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
splash of pomegranate juice

Stir and pour over a large ice ball in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz pineapple juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz lemon juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz lime juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz simple syrup infused with dried guajillo peppers

Shake all ingredients and pour into a Nick and Nora glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

This cocktail is a fun "bianco" take on the Negroni, using white bitter liqueur and clear vermouth.  We add some sweetness from the stevia to counterbalance the dry vermouth in the recipe, without adding any calories.  The stevia also adds a nice herbal element and a touch more bitterness, which in this cocktail is desired.

Scott recommends this cocktail with an accompaniment of Burt Bacharach on vinyl.  Sublime!

1½ oz thyme-infused Watershed Gin
1 oz Salers Aperitif
1 oz Noily Prat dry vermouth
1-2 dashes orange bitters
½ oz housemade stevia tea (for sweetness, use simple syrup as an alternative)

Combine all in shaker, pour over a large rock in a rocks glass.

A Scott Harris original cocktail.

This cocktail is one submitted by Charlie Berkinshaw from Element Shrub.  We were very happy to see the DMV area prominently featured in the 2018 Good Food Awards, with Element Shrub, Embitterment Bitters, and Catoctin Creek all named as finalists. This cocktail celebrates those wins, with a delicious take on local ingredients.

2 oz fig-infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Element Chai Pear shrub
1-2 dashes Embitterment chocolate bitters

Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice, stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry and/or a fig slice.

Courtesy Element Shrub and used with permission.