Oh wow.
It’s been a minute since I was here.

I was going through an existential crisis of: “does the blog matter, does it not?” As a content creator, it is always top of mind at where to put my energy, and the consumption of content happens so quickly these days, I’ve been putting more time into Instagram than anything.

But, I miss it here. In these little walls of WordPress, where I can actually talk about cocktails, and other things, without the confines of any social media.

The months leading up to the holidays were busy.

I had two really great projects that had me creating some cocktails I am really proud of. I have been pretty strategic over the past 6 months or so, to bring my content creation home and do less that require me to be out and about. Not that I don’t love being out in the amazing SLC cocktail community, but I wanted to put more of a focus on recipe creation, building relationships with brands, and schooling my kiddo in killer mocktails. (I also moved my evening workouts to 5 am, freeing up more time in the evening at home).

I really really like being at home.

And, even though the holidays are over — like, way over — I wanted to share some of my creations with you. These recipes are pretty straight forward, and they also still showcase the love I have for local spirits. You’ll also find that these cocktails can be made year-round.

This post is focused on a project I did for Waterpocket Spirits, but I also had a fun collaboration I did with Planned Parenthood Association of Utah that I’ll be posting about next — so stay tuned.

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Waterpocket Spirits Recipe Creation

I worked with local distillery, Waterpocket, to create several custom cocktails for the holiday season. This was a super fun partnerships and each of these cocktails really showcases their spirits in a fun and easy way. If you’re local, I highly recommend taking a tour of the distillery, doing a tasting, and picking up a few bottles.

#1 Waterpocket Cocoa and Rum

The Majestic

The Majestic cocktail brings together Waterpocket’s spectacular cocoa and rum with tart cherry and fresh orange, creating a super balanced flavor profile that is much more earthy and savory than sweet. With cedar bitters and a holiday simple syrup created with cranberry and pomegranate, this cocktail is perfect to pre-batch and serve at any holiday party––before, or after a meal. Garnished with fresh thyme, the earthy aroma of chocolate and orange is an experience alone. This is a unique cocktail, sure to get your party guests talking.

1.5 oz Waterpocket Cocoa and Rum

.75 Cherry Liquor (New World Distilling Wasatch Blossom Utah Tart Cherry)

.5 Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
.75 Cranberry Pomegranate Simple Syrup

3 Dashes Bitters Lab Charred Cedar and Current Bitters
Fresh pomegranate seeds
Fresh thyme

Stir all ingredients over ice. Serve in a rocks glass with large ice cube and garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh thyme.

Simple syrup: Equal parts sugar and water. Add fresh pomegranate seeds, cranberries, and orange peel — bring to a boil. Let syrup macerate and marry before transferring to a jar. For a more earthy flavor profile, add clove or cinnamon

#2 Waterpocket Snow Angel

Salt Lake Snow Maiden  

This holiday cocktail is great year round – but perfect for a cold day. The Snow Angel Kummel is so soft and well-rounded, that I wanted to add other flavors that would keep that softness front and center. The spiced cider adds some sweetness, and the honey simple syrup keep the flavors balanced. The port float really pulls this cocktail together, adding depth and a dry finish.

2 oz Snow Angel Kummel

2 oz Spiced Cider (Trader Joe’s works great)

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.75 oz Honey Simple Syrup

Tawny Port float (or dry red wine float)
Garnish with grated fresh nutmeg

Shake Snow Angel, Spice Cider, Lemon Juice, and Honey Simple Syrup in a shaker over ice. Pour into a coup over one large ice cube. Using the back of a spoon, gently pour the port over top of the cocktail (about .50 oz). Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Honey simple syrup: bring 2 parts honey, 1 part water to a boil. Stir and then bring heat down and let simmer. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator.

#3 Waterpocket Oread & Whiskey

Old World Holiday

The Old World Holiday cocktail is a straight forward, boozy beast that delivers a punch of flavor. Any whiskey lover will enjoy this concoction.  The spice of the Oread and sweet of the orange juice and cinnamon simple syrup really add some complex notes, but keep it approachable. It goes down smooth, and the oils from the salami add more flavor as you drink. Finish the cocktail off with the salty olives, and you have full-balanced meal.

1 oz Robbers Roost Whiskey

.75 Long Lost Oread

.50 Fresh Orange Juice
.50 Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Stir all ingredients over ice. Serve in a rocks glass with large ice cube and garnish with Creminelli salami, rosemary, and green pimento olives.

#4 Waterpocket Rum

Resolution Rum Punch

This rum punch brings together lemon, orange, honey, cinnamon, cream sherry, red wine, and Waterpocket Rum. It is super easy to make, but with ingredients like sherry and cinnamon, this punch is a little more interesting and balanced than your basic rum punch. I love the classic flavors of the citrus, but the sherry, lemon, and honey take this punch to the next level. Topped with bubbles, it’s a perfect cocktail for pre-batching and serving to a large group.

¾ cup lemon juice

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup honey

¼ cup cinnamon simple syrup

2 cups Waterpocket Rum

¾ cup Bold Red Wine (Malbec or Cabernet)

1 cup Cream Sherry

Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl and top with orange wheels, cranberries, and fresh nutmeg (I added some chamomile flowers as well). Serve in punch glasses and top with champagne before serving. For best results refrigerate the punch 2-3 hours to let flavors marinate before serving.

Serves 6-10 people