Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to all! I, for one, plan on ending this difficult-stressful-AMAZING year in style. See you next year! (If the world doesn’t explode.)

I’ll leave you with a toast!

SANTA’S SLEIGH

White sugar crystals, preferably coarse
2 cups store-bought eggnog, chilled

1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup amaretto liqueur 
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 cinnamon sticks

Directions:
Dampen the rims of 4 martini glasses and then line the rims with sugar crystals.
Combine eggnog, brandy, amaretto, nutmeg, and ice cream in a blender; process until smooth. Pour mixture into martini glasses and garnish each glass with a whole cinnamon stick.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

4 sugar cubes
1 bottle Angostura bitters
1 bottle Champagne, very cold
Lemon twists, for garnish, optional

Directions:
Start off by taking a single sugar cube, and while holding it over the opening of a bottle of Angostura bitters, invert the bottle so that some bitters soaks directly into the sugar. Drop the cube into the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute, and then fill the glass with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist, if desired. Repeat process 3 more times to make 4 drinks.

HOT BUTTERED RUM

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch salt
3/4 cup spiced rum
2 cups boiling water
4 sticks cinnamon, for garnish

Directions:
Using an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, butter, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a 4-cup (or larger) measuring cup. Add the rum and then 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until the butter mixture dissolves. Divide the buttered rum among 4 mugs. Garnish with the cinnamon sticks and serve.

*All recipes I found on The Food Network.