A Litte Holiday Cheer

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It felt like a deep sigh, and like your friend reaching across the table to hold your hand. Really, she’s helping you hold your grief for a moment. I have a dear friend here, in St. Louis, who I have gone on long long walks with these past few years, and we have held each other’s grief often. Anxiety, loss, covid, the deaths we have been shaped by, it’s all safe on the table with Courtney. And as happens in the best friendships, we knew we needed balance and we needed beauty and we needed to be taken out of time a bit- and we knew we’d have to create that joy ourselves. 

So, we gave ourselves permission to follow every one of our whims and ended up hosting an eight-course extravaganza for our friends at the beginning of December. It was, to be honest, ridiculous! But it came together in many tiny details and moments, and it’s now this perfect glowing memory. One of my favorite courses ended up being the roasted artichokes that were absolutely bathed in garlic butter. I got to teach my friends the way my mama taught me to pull off every leaf until you get to scrape the very weird protective hairs off the delicious center of the vegetable. Watching everyone go at it is something I will never forget! 

One of our courses consisted of a fizzy, pink drink, and a chance to toast to our guests, and let them know what it meant to us to be able to feed them and share an evening together after so long. Our words were off the cuff, but I hope the feeling came through. I want to share the cocktail we created for our evening in the hopes that it might inspire each of you to create your own moments of luxury. A special drink can bring you into the moment, spark moments of eye contact with the people you get to share this life with and inspire toasts about the joy you share together. I don’t even consume alcohol anymore, and I still cannot get over the magic having a gorgeous drink in your hand creates! Don’t worry, we have absolutely every situation you might be in covered- from spirit free like me, to stress free, simpler prep options.
















Cranberry Fizz 


Recipes 

Make It Fancy

  • ½ Oz Cranberry Infused vinegar - Recipe Below

  • 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice - Recipe Below

  • 1 oz Gin - Chilled

  • 1 oz Brut - Chilled

  • Egg White Clouds (optional) - Recipe Below


Keeping It Simple

  • ½ oz Cranberry Juice

  • 1 oz Orange Juice (we recommend - Pulp-Free Simply)

  • 1 oz Gin - Chilled

  • 1 oz Brut - Chilled

  • Rosemary Sprig (optional)


Partying Spirit Free 

  • ½ Oz Cranberry Infused Vinegar - Recipe Below

  • 1oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice - Recipe Below

  • 2oz Dryck Bubbel Äpple & Lingon - Chilled (IKEA’s Sparkling apple & lingonberry drink) 

  • Egg White Clouds (optional) - Recipe Below


Ingredient Recipes

Cranberry Infused Vinegar

Ingredients

  • 1 bag (12 oz) Fresh Cranberries 

  • 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • 2 sprigs of Rosemary

  • 1 cup Water

  • 1 cup Granulated White Sugar

Directions

  • Add cranberries and apple cider vinegar to a pot. Bring it to a simmer until berries are tender and some start to burst. 

  • Next, add 2 Rosemary sprigs and 2 cinnamon sticks and pull from heat. Put in an air-tight container and refrigerate for a week.

  • One week later: Strain the mixture and add back to a pot with water and sugar. 

  • Bring the mixture to a boil - just until the sugar dissolves and then remove from the heat. 

  • Allow to chill before mixing drinks. 


Note: The infused vinegar is good to live in your fridge for up to a month. 


Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Ingredients 

  • 2-4 Oranges

Directions

  • Juice them with a citrus juicer or reamer. 


Notes: Oranges vary in juiciness. We recommend starting with 2-4 oranges to get 8 ounces. That should be enough for 1 ounce per drink for about 8 drinks. 

Pro Tip: If you don’t have a citrus juicer, squeeze the orange halves around a fork. 


Egg White Clouds

Ingredients 

  • 4 egg whites - Chilled

  • 1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

  • A pinch of salt

Directions

  • To a chilled mixing bowl, add the eggs, powdered sugar, and salt. 

  • Whisk on medium until they reach soft peaks. (We recommend using a hand mixer.)


Note: What are soft peaks? You should be able to pull the whisk from the mixer and it holds a little peak shape. 


Drinks Assembled

For a party, go big and add the ingredients to a pitcher and stir. 

Making drinks on demand - use a shaker. 


Directions

  • Add one part Cranberry Infused Vinegar or Juice to two parts of the other Liquids. Do not add in the Egg White Cloud at this point.  

  • Then shake or stir.

  • Pour into your prettiest cocktail glass. (We recommend a coupe glass or champagne flute.)

  • Spoon on the egg white clouds for a little floating island effect. OR Add in a rosemary sprig.







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