DAY 12: THE BRUNCH BUNCH
It’s almost here! It’s almost here! Just one more sleep away from the big day! Ready or not tomorrow is Christmas morning and I hope you raise a toast with us. Everyone has their own traditions on Christmas morning. With my family we like to nosh and drink while we open presents. We heart brunch in my family. So, we treat this day like the best and longest brunch of the year. So, what better to serve Christmas morning than classic brunch cocktails? For today’s cocktails I have two stand-by classics and as always I encourage you to make them your own, add the tweaks and ingredients that will really get you tinseled up!
If I could come back as any cocktail in my next life it would probably have to be a Bloody Mary. I have a couple recipes I like to use but this is my standard go to when I’m serving to a large crowd. I like to make a Red Snapper (basically, a Bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka) and add Watershed Four Peel Gin. One of my sisters likes adding tequila to her Bloody Mary mix. Here is the thing – there is no wrong way. Any time I can make a mixer that can please everyone, I’ve done my job. For those in my family who aren’t into savory cocktails we always do a riff on a mimosa. My mom is a big fan of a blood orange mimosa that is so easy to make and perfect to sip on while opening presents.
BLOODY MARY MIX
4lb. juicy ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. Tabasco, plus more, to taste
1 Tbs. prepared horseradish, plus more, to taste
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. celery salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 Tbs. Maryland spice mix or Old Bay seasoning
To prepare the roasted tomato juice, preheat an oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat well. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Roast until the tomatoes are broken down and the skins are shriveled, about 45 minutes. If you don’t have time to roast tomatoes ( I get it you’re busy) no worries, just puree San Marzano tomatoes enough to yield 4 cups. Transfer the tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. In a pitcher, combine the 4 cups roasted tomato juice with the rest of the ingredients. Whisk ingredients together, taste and adjust seasoning and spice to your preference.
MOM-mosa
Glassware: coupe
Garnish: she says no thank you
2 oz blood orange soda
½ oz cinnamon simple syrup
5 oz sparkling wine
*My siblings and I like to add a splash of gin to ours because it’s a holiday-no judgement.
CINNAMON SIMPLE
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
In a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat add sugar and water. Once sugar has dissolved and it comes up to a boil add cinnamon stick. Turn off heat. Steep cinnamon for at least 20 minutes. Take out cinnamon stick and once it’s cooled store in an airtight container in your fridge.
I hope that these cocktails bring as much joy to your family as it does to mine. Thank you for checking out these recipes and we hope we’ve spread some holiday cheer and taken some out of the stress out of cocktail creation for this busy time of year. In the spirit of the holiday, we wish you and yours the best of the season.
Cheers!
Your neighborhood bar geek,
Catherine Manabat