You’ve got your shopping done, having braved the malls and grocery store. The turkey and/or ham are safely ensconced in the freezer, ready to be thawed. You have all the ingredients you need for a spectacular dinner for friends and family. Now, you just have that obscenely large mountain of gifts to wrap. Why not settle down among the gift wrapping, gift bags, bows, tape, and tissue paper with a holiday cocktail for a little pep in your wrapping step? Below, I offer you some recipes for the holidays; two classics, and two fun and frivolous cocktails. Enjoy!

Classic Tom Collins

Ingredients:

2 oz gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 tsp superfine sugar

3 oz club soda

1 maraschino cherry

1 slice orange

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake well. Strain into a Collins glass almost filled with ice cubes. Add the club soda. Stir and garnish with the cherry and the orange slice.

Christmas Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:

½ oz Cointreau

½ oz cranberry juice

1 Tsp lime juice

1 oz Vodka

Place all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a few frozen cranberries after pouring

                                                                 American High Ball

Ingredients:

1oz Campari Bitters

2 oz Sweet Vermouth

Soda water

1 twist lemon peel

Build Campari and sweet vermouth in a highball glass and fill with seltzer water. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

                                                                 Peppermint Stick

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Creme de Menthe

1 oz cream

1 oz Peppermint Schnappes

Mix all ingredients over ice and shake well. Strain into a margarita or specialty cocktail glass. Finish by garnishing with a peppermint stick.