The Christmas Morning Cocktail

I know, I know - it's not even Thanksgiving yet and I'm talking about Christmas already! But hear me out, because the holiday season is here, and Christmas is only 34 days away. With that in mind, is there a better way to begin Christmas day than with a light, fruity Christmas cocktail to kick off the day-long festivities? The correct answer to that question is an emphatic “NO, there is not!” And this cocktail is delicious with or without the alcohol – take your pick!

Growing up our Christmas mornings in the Geis house always included a somewhat strange and eclectic “brunch-like” breakfast that consisted of things like sausage rolls, ham and cheese pinwheels, cinnamon rolls, cookies and the obligatory Christmas punch. The punch was non-alcoholic of course, and included cranberry juice, Sprite, and vanilla ice cream that would melt over time and turn it into something akin to lukewarm sparkling milk. My siblings still make this punch every Christmas without fail, but Laurie and I have different ideas for what constitutes a proper Christmas morning drink!

Our tradition for decades has been to start the Christmas day festivities with Egg stuff, a delicious and decadent egg, bacon, and Swiss cheese casserole that Laurie has perfected over the years (I’ll be sharing the recipe with you in a future blog post!) along with either an orange or pomegranate juice mimosa with Prosecco as the base. But this past year, in the spirit of mixing things up and breaking long-held traditions to start new and improved retirement traditions, we decided to make some changes to our Christmas day routine.

First, instead of opening all of our presents in the morning, we spread it out and opened a present ever hour or two to make it all last longer. Also, we decided to switch up our Christmas morning cocktail by creating a new one that paid proper tribute to the holiday. My inspiration for this cocktail was a morning cocktail they serve at First Watch, one of our favorite breakfast restaurants here in Sarasota, called the Pomegranate Sunrise. It’s a tasty mix of tequila, pomegranate juice, lime juice, and agave syrup. My goal was to recreate the original but give it an update by making it a bit less sweet and adding some effervescence into the mix for a bit more a celebratory feel.

The result is the Christmas Morning Cocktail! I used Reposado tequila (a tequila aged between two months and one year), POM juice, fresh squeezed lime, just a touch of agave syrup, and Fever Tree Sparkling Lime Yuzu for the sparkling touch! The result was a slightly sweet cocktail with a tart and zesty finish courtesy of the lime yuzu sparkler and fresh lime juice. Give this one a try and I guarantee that it will become a Christmas morning cocktail tradition for you!

The Christmas Morning Cocktail (makes 4 cocktails)

This is a celebratory cocktail, worthy of the holidays and the Christmas season! I made this a batch drink which means you can make it ahead of time and then simply stir and pour into ice-filled rocks glasses. If you can’t find the Fever Tree Sparkling Lime Yuzu, you can substitute sparkling lemon or lime juice, but it will be a bit sweeter and less tart.

Ingredients

8 oz. Reposado Tequila (no need to use a high end one – a $20 bottle will do just fine – El Padrino or Hornitos are good bets at that price point)

12 oz. pomegranate juice (go with the best - POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice)

8 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice (about 8 limes)

4 oz. agave syrup

12 oz. Fever Tree Sparkling Lime & Yuzu (available at most wine and liquor stores like Total Wine)

4 lime wheels for garnish

Directions

Add the first four ingredients into a pitcher and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, stir the ingredients in the pitcher and divide evenly among four large rocks glasses with ice. Top each off with 3 oz. sparkling lime & yuzu and stir lightly to combine. Top with a lime wheel and enjoy!