Planning a holiday bash but the only thing you can make is eggnog — straight from the carton? We can help. Sample these delicious seasonal sippers at local bars, then recreate them at home to impress your guests.
Uncommon Nog, $10
Try it at: Uncommon Ground on Clark (3800 N. Clark St. 773-929-3680)
Uncommon Ground manager Nick Luedde created a martini twist on classic eggnog. “Essentially, the drink is a flip, which is a classic style of cocktail,” he says. The creamy, spicy creation includes house-made cinnamon-and-clove syrup and Papagayo organic spiced rum house-infused with Madagascar vanilla bean. If you don’t have time for infusing, whip up this simpler at-home recipe.
DIY version
– 2 ounces rum
– Dash of vanilla extract (replaces the infusion)
– .25 ounce Pierre Ferrand cognac
– .25 ounce Licor 43 (Spanish citrus and vanilla liqueur)
– .25 ounces Torani cinnamon coffee flavoring syrup (replaces house-made syrup)
– Dash of cream
– Shake and serve up with a bit of nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar rim.
Two Turtle Doves Martini, $9.50
Try it at: Club Lucky (1824 W. Wabansia Ave. 773-227-2300)
This caramel-chocolate creation tastes like a Fannie May Pixie, says manager Eric Rose. After you’ve sampled the drink at heavily decorated Bucktown mainstay Club Lucky (Rose jokes it “looks like Christmas threw up in here”), give it a shot at home.
DIY version
– 3 ounces Three Olives or other vanilla vodka
– 1.5 ounces Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur
– 1.5 ounces Godiva Caramel Milk Chocolate Liqueur
– Shake and serve in a martini glass drizzled with chocolate syrup. Note: You can also substitute one of the Godiva liqueurs with chocolate or caramel syrup.
In-Cider, $11
Try it at: Tavern at the Park (130 E. Randolph St. 312-552-0070)
If you’re getting blown away by blustery weather, Tavern at the Park managing partner Donny de Castro suggests this warm cocktail. Try it in the restaurant’s festive surroundings, complete with decorated Christmas trees. “Warm apple cider says to me winter, ice-skating, all that stuff,” de Castro says. While many cider recipes mix rum with apple cider, this concoction calls for sambuca, an Italian licorice-flavored liqueur.
DIY version
– 2 ounces sambuca
– 6 ounces hot apple cider
– Stir ingredients and garnish with dried apple slice and cinnamon stick.
Poinsettia Martini, $8
Try it at: Fat Cat (4840 N. Broadway Ave. 773-506-3100)
“We wanted something holiday-ish,” Fat Cat co-owner Cy Oldham says. She and her staff think of the festive red poinsettias during the holidays, which is how this red-and-green creation was born. Oldham also has a thing for fresh pine boughs, which will decorate the ’40s-inspired Uptown bar throughout the winter.
DIY version
– 2 ounces Van Gogh or other vanilla vodka
– 0.5 ounce black raspberry liqueur
– Splash of cranberry juice
– Shake and serve up with a sprig of mint.
The Holiday, $12
Try it at: Iggy’s3 (800 N. Dearborn St. 312-829-4449)
What says “holiday” more than a drink called, well, The Holiday? Iggy’s3 bartender Kristina Emmemegger says the recipe for this martini has been around since the first iteration of Iggy’s. Good news: You can’t mess it up. “It will taste good even if you have the measurements correct or not,” Emmemegger says.
DIY version
– 1 ounce Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
– 1 ounce Malibu coconut-flavored rum
– 1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
– Shake and serve up with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
