‘Tis the season…to roll out holiday cocktail menus. Delicious cocktails with festive flavors are showing up all over Oklahoma City. This short list of Christmas cocktails will get you started as you explore all that OKC’s beverage scene has to offer during the most wonderful time of the year.
We begin with what is likely the best name among the group: Cardamom Jeans at The Jones Assembly (cue the SNL Mom Jeans fauxmercial). Funny name, but straightforward delicious drink, featuring rye, vermouth, cardamom, orange and bitters. The vermouth tames the spiciness of the whiskey and keeps the cardamom from dominating. So, you get a well-balanced cocktail with the warm notes of fall and winter.
For a more traditional concoction, head to Barkeep Supply in Midtown for the Chimney Hopper, which is their take on the classic Grasshopper. They combine Creme de Cacao, Creme de Menthe, WanderFolk Spirits Garden Society Vodka and Crème Brûlée liqueur. There’s a dash of cream for body and grated dark chocolate on top. It’s basically Christmas in a glass.
At Picasso Café, you can find another riff on a classic with a Spiced Cranberry Old Fashioned. They use a split base of rum and rye, spiced cranberry syrup and Angostura bitters. The tanginess of the cranberries keeps the sweetness from running out of control, and the interplay between rum and rye creates layers of flavor and complexity. It’s a serious drink with a playful soul.
Red Rooster isn’t playing around this year. As an homage to PSL season, they combine Maggie’s Farm Pumpkin Spice Coffee Liqueur, mezcal, cold brew from Sincerely Coffee Roasters, cream and cinnamon to craft an extraordinarily complex cocktail for people who like their drinks less Starbucks and more neighborhood bar.
The team at The Hamilton in the Shoppes at Northpark chose pumpkin spice as their seasonal offering, too. They riffed on an espresso martini with the Pumpkin Spice Lat-tini. It’s a blend of vanilla vodka, Pumpkin Spice Rumchata, Nespresso and cream. Calling it creamy seems redundant, but not all espresso martinis are. We’ll just say it’s creamy and luxurious, with spicy notes that will get you ready for holiday desserts.
Midtown’s favorite space-themed speakeasy-style bar, Lunar Lounge, rolled out a winter menu recently that includes Puttin’ on the Spritz, a lovely cranberry spritz with Wanderfolk Garden Society Spiced Citrus Vodka, house-made spiced cranberry syrup, Lambrusco, lemon and soda. The darker tones provided by the Lambrusco lift the flavor profile out of playful and give it a wintry heart.
Finally, Palo Santo has a boozy gingerbread man for your consideration. Gumdrop Buttons is prevented from being a dessert cocktail by the use of brown-butter-washed sherry-cask rum. They add Grand Marnier, gingerbread spices, lemon and molasses to create a serious cocktail that’s warming, much like a fire on a winter night.
Miracle at Social Capital is a pop-up cocktail bar with a Christmas theme, offering a festive setting where you can enjoy a full menu of holiday cocktails. With expertly crafted drinks and a nostalgic ambiance, Miracle is guaranteed to bring even the most resistant Grinch into the holiday mood.
Find more ways to celebrate the holidays with our full round up of events and happenings around the city.
