Every Memphian down in Memphis liked Christmas a lot. But the Grouch down the way, did not. Please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason. They've been this way for many a season. It could be perhaps their shoes are too tight. It could be their head wasn’t screwed on just right. But the most likely reason of all? The Grouch’s heart was two sizes too small.
4 Christmas Drink Ideas Sure to Lift Your Spirits
Next week is Christmas. It’s practically here! Time for a few festive drinks to spread cheer. So sit back, grab a beverage, and enjoy the merriment.
Memphis Ice Machine
Dec 14, 2021
Next week is Christmas. It’s practically here! Time for a few festive drinks to spread cheer. Family, feasts, and gifts—oh my! So sit back, grab a beverage, and enjoy the merriment.
Here are four drinks sure to tingle your jing and tinker your floobers!
1. Icy river tumble
This is the perfect punch for the grouchy oafs down by the Mississippi River wishing for a holiday season full of family, presents, and cheer. A great tonic for stealing Christmas from an entire town! Plus, it’s as simple as gather, mix, and enjoy.
Ingredients
- One packet Kool-Aid lemon-lime mix
- Four cups of water
- Four cups of crystal clear ice
- Three cups of lemon-lime soda
- Two cups of pineapple juice
- Two cups of vodka
- One cup of ginger ale
- Lime wedges
- Red sanding sugar
Directions:
- Combine Kool-Aid packet and water in a large mixing bowl
- Combine with soda, pineapple juice, vodka, and ginger ale.
- Use lime wedges to rim glasses
- Dip glass rims in sanding sugar to coat.
- Pour punch into glasses and enjoy!
2. No frills, no fuss. Just a classic eggnog
The second jubilant punch on this list. Yes, eggnog is a punch—a “milk punch,” to be exact. How appetizing! This is an evolved drink with an involved history. So let’s dive into what makes that egg, well, nog.
Don’t cook, temper.
Tempering foods is a challenge, so we want to exercise some caution here: it’s pretty easy to mess up tempering eggs. It’s also easy to mistakenly scramble them. Luckily, eggs are cheap. Tempering an egg means you slowly apply heat and liquid to avoid scrambling. The perfect trial and error ingredient. Just know that when you mess up, you’ll have curds on hand instead of the classic nog you’re craving.
Is alcohol required?
Whiskey or rum is a great additive, but it’s not required to enjoy your homemade eggnog. This is one of the most versatile holiday beverages out there. You can put all sorts of fun things in it.
Ingredients
- Two cups of milk
- Six large egg yolks
- One cup, heavy cream
- One cup, bourbon or rum (optional)
- Whipped cream (not optional)
- ½ cup of sugar, granulated
- ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons of ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract
- Slowly bring the mixture to a low boil
- In a separate large bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until yolks turn pale
- Slowly add milk mixture in egg yolks to temper eggs
- Whisk until combined
- Pour mixture into a saucepan
- Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Remove from heat and add heavy cream and, if desired, alcohol
- Stir gently!
- Refrigerate mixture until chilled
- Add eggnog to glasses, serve with mandatory whipped cream and cinnamon
- Feliz Navidad!
3. The ginger jingle
Light on ingredients, powerful on flavor. This classic holiday treat requires a bit of prep, but we assure you it’s worth it. The best part? Your candied ginger can be used for months to come. A whole festive season of jingly ginger!
Here are the necessary ingredients and steps. Be sure to read and follow the steps thoroughly!
Ingredients
- 1/4 pounds of ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/8" coins
- Three cups of water
- ¼ pound of sugar
- Two ounces of whiskey
- Five ounces of ginger ale
- Lime, cut into wheels
- Candied ginger
- Toothpicks
- Pearl Ice
Directions for candied ginger:
- Add water to a saucepan, bring to a boil
- Add sliced ginger coins to boiling water and reduce heat from high to low
- Simmer for 30 minutes or until ginger is tender
- Strain and keep one teaspoon of cooking water
- Wipe saucepan until dry
- Weigh cooked ginger
- Measure sugar to match cooked ginger weight
- Add cooked ginger, sugar, and reserved cooking water to saucepan
- Slowly bring to a boil
- Stir frequently to avoid burning
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and sugar crystalizes onto ginger
- Remove ginger from saucepan and place on parchment-lined baking sheet
- Cool ginger completely
Directions for cocktail:
- Choose your favorite cocktail glass and fill halfway with pearl ice
- Add whiskey and ginger ale to glass
- Garnish rim with lime wheel
- Thread candied pieces onto toothpick
- Stick ginger pick into lime wheel
- Serve and enjoy!
4. Chilled twisted n’ spicy cider
Organic cider matters here. Side by side, all-natural apple cider is a completely different flavor profile than cider from concentrate. Splurge on the spicy cider. We promise.
Here’s what you need and what you need to know to pour your own twisted n’ spicy cider:
Ingredients
- ½ cup of pearl ice
- ⅔ cup of organic apple cider
- Two ounces of fireball whiskey
- Two dashes of Angostura bitters
- Apple slices, for garnish
- Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Directions:
- Combine cider, whiskey, bitters into a glass
- Add pearl ice
- Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks
- Chill before serving
Stay festive with Memphis Ice
At Memphis Ice, we offer plenty of ice machines ready to chill your holiday drinks to perfection. We can’t get enough of pearl ice, and neither can Memphis! People are buying them so fast we can barely keep them in stock! It’s the best ice around. You can rent or buy one from us this holiday season. Click here for a full list of our pearl ice machines. And, if you’re ready to talk to a seasoned technician, just click here to contact us today.
Welcome Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Memphians far and near!