Holiday Cocktails from Interesting Spirits

The holidays are a type for friends and family to gather together for food, drink and fun, which gives you a good opportunity to try out some new drinks. Here are some interesting spirits and some cocktails to make with them.

Tanqueray Rangpur Brings the Lime
First there was Tanqueray Gin, which turned the gin and tonic into a Tanqueray and tonic for many. Then the company introduced Tanqueray 10 with more herbal notes, especially in the juniper. Now it's Tanqueray Rangpur, which picks up flavor from rangpur limes, as well as ginger and bay leaves. A new spirit deserves some new cocktails and these are worth a try:

Rangpur Cran
1.25 ounces Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
3 ounces cranberry juice
Wedge of one lime
Stir cranberry juice into. Serve over ice, garnished with a lime wedge.

Rangpur Bloodhound
1 ounce Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
.25 ounce dry vermouth
.25 oz. sweet vermouth
1.5 ounces orange juice
1 dash bitters
1 orange wedge
Shake ingredients together and serve in glass over ice. Garnish with orange wedge.

Rangpur Ginger
1.25 ounces Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
3 ounces ginger ale
2 drops of bitters
Pour the Tanqueray Rangpur into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with the bitters.

Spice Up the Schnapps
Peppermint Schnapps has obvious holiday appeal, but there's always room for a little variety. This popular - and strong - liqueur is now available in a variety of flavors. The butterscotch and cinnamon are especially appealing in holiday drinks and adding some tequila really spices things up.

Snickerdoodle
1 ounce Partida Resposado Tequila
.75 ounces Baileys Irish Cream
.05 ounces Butterscotch Schnapps
.75 ounces Cream
Splash of Cinnamon Schnapps
Cinnamon stick
Combine the ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

Seven Layer Cookie
.75 ounces Godiva Liqueur
.75 ounces Coconut Rum
.50 ounces Butterscotch Schnapps
.50 ounces Partida Anejo Tequila
.25 ounces Frangelico
.50 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream
.50 ounces Amaretto
Crushed cookie crumbs
Garnish a martini glass rim with crushed cookie crumbs. Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a martini glass.

Drink Pie
Who says apple pie and cherry pie are for eating? Not Travis Hasse. In fact, the website and the motto are "drink pie." The pie you should be drinking is Travis Hasse's Pie Liqueurs. They are available in apple and cherry and in case you get tired of just drinking the pie, they have made some other suggestions.

Apple Pie-Nog
1 Quart Egg Nog
16 ounces Hasse's Apple Pie Liquor
3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Combine all ingredients n a blender and blend quickly. Pour into glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cherry Pie Punch
1 bottle of Pink Champagne
6 ounces Hasse's Cherry Pie Liqueur
6 ounces Mandarin Orange Syrup
Rim cocktail glasses with red sugar. Mix the ingredients into a punch bowl and serve in the glasses.