I’ll finish of the remainder of a bottle of Redbreast Irish Whisky, then while wishing I had more, settle with Gentleman Jack for the remainder of the evening.
There is a bottle of Earthquake Zin awaiting the rib roast on Christmas Day, which can then be followed by numerous other selections from the wine rack.
Also have some bubbly, Ironhorse Wedding Cuvee, in case that warm spot in front of the fireplace catches our attention
It depends on who shows up, and what the mood is - I did buy some blood orange juice, on the theory that it would make some kind of fabulous martini, maybe in conjunction with pomegranate juice. Or we may just stick to our usual red wine. Or maybe some kind of spiked coffee or hot chocolate. Or we may just make Arabic decaf (no, that’s not a contradiction in terms) with a bit of cardamom, to drink with the cookies I am going to bake.
Ravenswood 2004 Syrah for tonight with our feast, and probably follow it up with some sips of a single malt of some kind. He’s flying out tomorrow, I’m flying out Christmas Day, so tonight’s our celebration.
At home, probably a Sauvignon Blanc, since that’s what my mom likes.
We’ll probably have another experimental cocktail night. Last year we tried tequila coladas and while the first sip was a shocker, additional sips were right tasty!
Candied Bacon Vodka, Bloody Mary’s I am thinking (just in time for Xmas my batch is ready to drink)
44 as in http://www.rockymountainvodka.com/flavors_mountain_huckleberry.cfm
on the rocks with a splash of water, speaking of water it goes down like friggin cool aid and tastes really really good…as in me and a small female friend of mine polished off a 5th the first time I brought some over to her place…and then pretty much every other time. the stuff is good.
And some Pyrat XO reserve Rum, heaven in a bottle.
Last year, I invented a cocktail I called a Yuletide Russian (a Christmas-y twist on a White Russian): 4oz egg nog (this is in place of cream or half and half), 1oz of Vanilla Vodka (in place of straight vodka) and 1oz Kahlua. Yummy.
Trader Joe’s spiced apple cider. I could mainline that stuff; it smells delicious while it’s heating, and it’s got the right balance of apple, lemon and spice.
I’ve heard it’s also good with some rum or whiskey, but I’ve not tried that. It’s too delicious straight.
My wife makes a great mulled cider which I really like. I’m also partial to eggnog with a generous dollop of Cuervo rum, well stirred, with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. Ahhhhhhhh.