Happy December 1st!  24 days until Christmas!

Last year we celebrated The Twelve Boozy Beverages of Christmas here on the blog. A good time was had by all. This year I’m going to class things up a bit. Thus, I bring you day one of The Twelve Intoxicating Days of Christmas! Swanky, huh?

I promise you that the photography will be hit-n-miss (white balance can be tough in the great indoors) but the cocktails will be….well…intoxicating.

I’m also going to try and pace myself a little better. Last year I got off to a bit of a slow start, which meant a bit of a sprint from the 17th to the 25th. I’m up to the challenge, but let’s not rush a good thing, yes?

I actually mixed, tasted and photographed cocktails two and three tonight.  They weren’t very good.  In fact, number three was tasted and poured down the drain.  But, it’s pretty so I’m going to post it anyways.  I’ll just make sure I let you know that it’s swill and you can do with that information as you wish.  Tis the season of giving!  Fa-la-la!

It seems appropriate, given that last year’s final cocktail was at Dad and Mom’s, that this year’s first cocktail was also mixed in their kitchen. And, when Dad announced he was making enchiladas for dinner last Saturday night, this Cranberry Orange Margarita seemed the perfect seasonal kick-off. Of course, it had to compete with my brother’s concoction for the evening:  habanero apple margarita. Yup. You read that one correctly. It was actually better than expected, though we all agreed (based upon the lingering burn in our bellies) that he could have gone a little lighter on the habanero.

After tasting his margarita, mine tasted rather tame. But, the original drink was much-improved by an extra glug of tequila and a generous squeeze of lime.

I will tell you up front that most of the measurements for my cocktails are estimates. I may measure initially, but often add a bit of this and a glug of that after tasting. I encourage you to do the same. It ensures a cocktail to your liking and jump starts your holiday jolly.

I also often use other people’s recipes as a starting point, and will always include the link to give credit where credit is due.

Without further ado, let’s get this intoxication started.

Cranberry Orange Margarita
(the original recipe can be found here)
Recipe makes 1

2 1/2 oz silver tequila
2 1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/2 oz orange juice
1 oz triplesec
1/2 oz lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, pour into a festive glass, rimmed with whatever you would like (my brother brought a sugar, pepper…something rimmer for his habanero magarita) and enjoy!