Homemade Grenadine + Other Cocktail Gift Ideas
I went to a Christmas party back in 2010 that I still think about today. It was for a friend I had just met in a leadership organization, and to be perfectly honest I couldn’t tell you to this day what her name was. But I can tell you about that party.
This was in the early days of the Mad Men show, when the mid-century modern style was all the mood. The party theme was taken straight from the hit show and guests were encouraged to come dressed for the part. The couple lived in a gorgeous modern high rise building with windows that stretched along the walls over looking Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. I was a Northside girl so the parties with my friends were spent crammed into bars or tiny walk up condo buildings. Seeing the city in this way felt like stepping onto the set of Mad Men, classy and cool.
I don’t remember what we drank. I don’t remember what we ate. But I remember how it felt to hear the crooning sounds of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, seeing all the guests in their skinni ties, and feeling like the fancy party goer I always imagined I would be when I was a grown up. Ever since that night I’ve been wanting to recreate that kind of Christmas party scene. I wanted to serve appetizers with those little frilly cocktail sticks. I wanted everyone to be dressed like Don and Betty Draper. And I wanted to serve only the best and brightest classic cocktails.
Don’t worry, this is not when I tell you about this great party I am hosting this weekend. Unless you consider ordering pizza delivery and watching Home Alone while my children crawl all over me on the couch and then we pass out by 8:30 a party, than CHEERS!
But I can also tell you just because we can’t have big parties right now doesn’t mean we can’t feel like our best classy selves. If I look back, I can see that this party, and the whole Mad Men vibe, was the early emergence of my love of cocktails. That Christmas I gifted Mike a glass decanter set my mom found in her basement, a cast off from a mom of one my dad’s high school buddies. We filled it with two spirits we thought Don would approve of, Bourbon and Gin. And then on Friday nights, we started skipping the boxed wine and the cases of Goose Island for Manhattans for him and Tom Collins for me in our humble little condo overlooking the L train. We made a party of our Friday night frozen pizza. It wasn’t a high-rise and it wasn’t finely dressed guests, but it felt special.
All that is to say, you can set yourself up for special, too, even in this quieter holiday season.
It starts with a festive syrup that you can easily make yourself, gift to others, and use in many cocktails. Grenadine. This isn’t the same thing as that stuff in the neon red jar with cherries. I always thought it was. No, this homemade syrup is so much more than that. And it’s rich color and taste is the festive you need this year. It makes a big batch so share with neighbors or co-workers. It works great in mocktails, too, so kids can have fun with it.
Homemade Grenadine
adapted from the Twelve Bottle Bar
1 part (2 cups) Pure Pomegranate Juice (POM or other brand)
2 parts (4 cups) Sugar
Peel of one orange*
Heat the juice and orange peel over a very low flame and mix in the sugar in batches until it is completely dissolved and the syrup is clear.
Remove 3/4 of syrup from the stove orange peel. Heat the remaining 1/4 over a medium flame until it is reduced by half. When this is done, add to the rest of the syrup.
Allow to cool before bottling. Store in a cool place for up to 6 months
*The original recipe includes orange blossom water but I think adding orange peel is good enough for my taste, and much easier to find in your grocery pick up order.
I am also including some of my favorite cocktail making items that make great gifts, in case someone you know could use a little something for their stocking, ahem. * Winky face emoji. *
This is apparently the best peeler for making garnishes. I say apparently because I don’t have one. Just leaving that there.
This bar spoon is a must. You will feel so fancy when you figure out how to twirl properly.
Bitters (my favorite brand) are a fun way to add a pop of flavor to a drink.
I have a cocktail idea I need to try this winter and this ice sphere is what I need to make that happen.
You know how I feel about garnishes and these cocktail picks would be fantastic and fun. These are cute too.
Save the neon cherries for the kids. Get these for you.
And if you need more inspiration for what to mix up, don’t forget to follow along with my cocktail adventures on my Rachel on the Rocks account.
Cheers to a festive, albeit quiet, holiday from my party to yours!