With 2020 being such a crazy year and with Christmas quickly approaching, we wanted to find a fun idea to bring in the Christmas spirit and help us enjoy all things merry and bright. In a moment of inspiration, we created our very own Advent Cocktail Calendar to enjoy throughout the month of December while we counted down to Christmas.
Each day during December, when the cocktail hour arrived, we put on some lively Christmas music, pulled out the jiggers and shakers, and concocted a new and exciting cocktail to experience. We tried some old time classics as well as some new seasonal ones sporting some festive flare. Some drinks were amazing, some were just okay, and some actually surprised us!
Below is the complete list of cocktails that we enjoyed from Dec 1 – Dec 25. If you click on the name you will find the information for that drink including a photo, recipe, and our review for each.
At the end of the list you will find our own personal thoughts regarding the experience and our top picks from the list.
Dec 1 – White Christmas Margarita
Dec 2 – Amaretto Cranberry Kiss
Dec 3 – P.S. I Love You
Dec 4 – La Vie En Rouge
Dec 5 – Irish Cactus
Dec 6 – Tequila Sunrise
Dec 7 – Grasshopper
Dec 8 – Kamikaze
Dec 9 – Silk Stocking
Dec 10 – Amaretto Sour
Dec 11 – Sidecar
Dec 12 – Orange Creamsicle
Dec 13 – Whiskey Smash
Dec 14 – Toasted Almond
Dec 15 – Between The Sheets
Dec 16 – Whiskey Sour
Dec 17 – Tequila Paralyzer
Dec 18 – Chocolate Orange Martini
Dec 19 – Mistletoe Margarita
Dec 20 – Blue Christmas Yule Mule
Dec 21 – Spiced White Russian
Dec 22 – Sugar Cookie Martini
Dec 23 – Gingerbread Martini
Dec 24 – The Elsie
Dec 25 – Breakfast Margarita
It was a challenge deciding which drinks to include as we wanted to make sure that what we stocked our liquor cabinet with we would be able to use various times. We included most of the usual liquor choices, (Vodka, Bourbon, Rum, Tequila, and Brandy), plus added a few liqueurs to round things out (Kahlua, Amaretto, Baileys, Cointreau, Crème de Cacao and Crème de Menthe). From these, we were able to concoct a new and exciting libation every night.
A couple of things to note: 1) we did not include any gin drinks, as Lorne does not care for gin, 2) all stores here were sold out of bitters, so that left out any drinks that required this ingredient, 3) we are SO grateful that alcohol is SO much cheaper here that it didn’t break the bank to enjoy this festive activity!
Lorne’s Notes…
This was a lot of fun! A very cool way to get our liquor cabinet stocked up and learn a few things on the way. Shari did most of the research, finding the recipes to try, and coming up with the order so we’re not having too much the same all in a row. I did the daily mixing and shaking, Shari prepped the glasses and garnishes, and we both enjoyed sampling.
Lorne’s Top 3…
Creamsicle – Light and refreshing, instant memories of childhood treats.
Toasted Almond – Milkshake for grown-ups, goes down a little too easily.
The Elsie – Simple, potent, the official drink of family camping trips!
Lorne’s Runners Up…
Irish Cactus – This was probably the most surprisingly enjoyable. Who knew these ingredients would go so well together?
Spiced White Russian – Was never a fan of the basic White Russian. But the spice syrup makes it taste like a ginger molasses cookie, which I definitely do like.
Chocolate Orange Martini – Like a Creamsicle dipped in chocolate. But I guess undipped is still my favourite – like DQ cones.
Whiskey Smash – Had my doubts when putting this one together, but it was really good!
Lorne’s Least Favourites…
Tequila Paralyzer – Fizzy creamy drinks not really my thing. Was popular in the 80’s – no need for a comeback.
Whiskey Sour – Nope. Just seemed totally pointless. As per my review in the post, had to go make a different drink after trying this one.
Shari’s Notes…
After we came up with this idea, I wasn’t sure at first if we would even be able to do this. After all, we don’t normally indulge in cocktails on a daily basis. My fears soon disappeared, and we had so much fun looking forward to the daily cocktail hour to try the next new and exciting drink. I learned two important things from participating in this unique countdown to Christmas – first, for a cocktail to taste amazing, you need to make sure you measure everything, use very fresh ingredients and don’t skip the garnishes; and second; as amazing as all the cocktails were, I really missed my wine… LOL!!!
Shari’s Top 3…
Amaretto Sour – This drink totally surprised me. Since I am not normally a bourbon fan, I had my reservations trying this one, but turned out it was amazing. It was bright and delicious, and the bourbon added a nice complexity to it. It seems to be my drink of choice now whenever Lorne says “Hey, do you want a cocktail?”
Irish Cactus – When you only have two ingredients in a drink, they must work well together and this one did not disappoint. The tequila brought a deeper flavour to the drink, which paired really nice with the creamy baileys. Excellent after-dinner drink!
Orange Creamsicle – This is one of those dangerous drinks that does not taste like there is any alcohol in it. It is so creamy, the right amount of orange flavour and perfect sweetness. Totally reminiscent of the creamsicles we would buy at the store when we were kids. Perfect weekend patio drink!
Shari’s Runners Up…
La Vie En Rouge – This was refreshing, fragrant and fruity. Really easy to drink and the rosemary garnish makes it a nice holiday cocktail.
Sidecar – Combine these three ingredients and you end up with a drink full of flavour. The sugar rim is what really makes this special as the sugar plays off the brandy and creates a great caramel-like flavour.
Spiced White Russian – This is nothing like the classic White Russian from years ago as the spiced syrup takes it up so many levels. It’s like Christmas in a glass, full of those great gingerbread flavours.
Shari’s Least Favouites…
Tequila Paralyzer – It was weird having a creamy coke cocktail, as it didn’t feel like a cocktail, rather more like a coke float. And it was only slightly bubbly as most of the carbonation disappeared when the cream was added. I kept thinking it would have been better without the coke, and then maybe without the cream, but then it wouldn’t be a paralyzer anymore as you would be left with only tequila and kahlua. Actually, that would have been a really great drink just like that!
Whiskey Sour – I might have liked this one if it had not been for trying the Amaretto Sour first. Our recipe for this included ginger syrup and wondered if that contributed to the fact that both of us did not really like this drink. We tried it again with simple syrup and still, with every sip, it felt like something was missing. Turns out, it’s the Amaretto… LOL!
We are already looking forward to trying this again next Christmas. Perfect way for keeping it jolly!
So much fun!