Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 17 – Red-Nosed Nightcap. i was initially going to call this drink something else but when the raspberry and blueberries aligned just perfectly against the side of the glass, making a Rudolph face, I knew I needed to name it accordingly.
I’m going to warn you, this drink goes down REALLY easy. It basically tastes like fruit punch. The chilled hibiscus tea is what gives this tipple its distinctive ruby hue. Paired with lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, fresh berries and sparkling water, this could make for a great brunch cocktail.
In fact, I served it for brunch yesterday and didn’t get any complaints. It was a busy weekend. As you may recall, I had only shot 12 days of cocktails when I launched this advent calendar at the beginning of December. I shot another 4 on the 9th to bring me up to yesterday. I created and captured 6 cocktails this past weekend to get me closer to the finish line.
This isn’t how I would recommend doing this. If all of you plead with me to do this again next year, I’ll aim to better with my time management skills and not leave everything to the last possible moment.
An editorial calendar would be a novel idea. As you might imagine, it’s also hard to come up with creative new ways to style and set the stage for each photo when you’re trying to push out six in a single day.
There is also the issue of limited background/prop options. As much as I’d like to have a warehouse of glassware, photo backdrops, and more, that’s just not my reality. Hopefully you’re not fed up with my collection just yet. If you are, feel free to come with solutions by sending me some beautiful new glassware. K thx bye.
I just stumbled across this Isle of Harris Gin when I was at the LCBO and had to have it, largely because of the stunning bottle design but I was also intrigued by the use of sugar kelp in its blend of botanicals. While you have the classic notes of gin throughout, the sugar kelp brings a distinct maritime flavour to the equation. It is quite successful in playing against the fruity sweetness of this cocktail.
This is another pitcher cocktail so you can mix once and spend the rest of the time enjoying yourself and spending time with your guests. It can be taxing to be shaking up craft cocktails all night and if you’re anything like me, it’s next to impossible to carry on a conversation while you’re trying to focus on cooking or bartending. This weakness is probably going to make it hard for me to achieve my dream of having a show on the Food Network. Or maybe I just need to practice more.
At any rate, whip this up before your friends and family arrive and then kick your feet up. Cheers!
Red-Nosed Nightcap
- 1½ cups gin
- 3 cups chilled hibiscus tea
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 2 cups chilled sparkling water
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
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To a pitcher or punch bowl, add 1½ cups gin, 3 cups chilled hibiscus tea, 1 cup lemon juice and 1 cup Simple Syrup (recipe follows). Stir to mix. Before serving, add 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup blueberries and 2 cups chilled sparkling water. Pour into glasses with ice, distributing berries.
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Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve and allow to cool before refrigerating.
Recipe from: Hunt, Michelle P.E. and Laura Panter. "Hibiscus Tea Punch." Food & Drink. Holiday 2017.
