Christmas Drinks

Akos Orosz, bar manager at craft cocktail bar Westbound in Los Angeles, is known for making a hot Christmas Tree Punch with Becherovka, one of his favorite herbal liqueurs. He combines it with cranberry, lemon, and pineapple juice, then adds a dash of bitters and a handful of pine tree needles before warming it up.

Bartender Noel Bughao of the Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves up the Last Leaf, which contains Maker’s Mark Private Select bourbon, sour apple liqueur, pomegranate and lemon juices, and a syrup made with cinnamon and cardamom; it’s garnished with a spiced apple chip. “The result is a memory of home—the leaf is a tribute to fall and [leaves] falling.”

“During the winter months, I love working with Dram Pine Syrup. It can be incorporated into so many different types of cocktails and personifies the taste and smell of the season,” says Teodora Bakardzhieva, partner and beverage director at Publico Kitchen & Garden in Boston. “The pine garnish [of the Pine Old Fashioned] brings that element of surprise and delight to the cocktail that makes it memorable for guests.”