Common Ground Spirits January Blog 1.16

Happy 2023 Friends!

Now that we’re firmly settled in our January routines, we are reflecting back on our wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Each year, Tory’s family gathers for Christmas, and each year, they compete. Glasses are polished, fruits are juiced, simple syrups are simmered, and garnishes are slivered, sliced, and peeled. Aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, sons and daughters, moms and dads—everyone gathers around the kitchen counter and once the Common Ground Gin is cracked open, it’s on! 

The Brown family Christmas cocktail competition is the family event of the season, and last year’s winner made a cocktail so good, we just had to share it with you.

Introducing Donte’s Red Christmas cocktail!

Donte is Tory’s cousin, and his Red Christmas cocktail inspired by this recipe swept the board at last year’s cocktail throwdown. The tart-muddled cranberries and herbaceous cran-rosemary simple syrup are perfectly complimented by the spicy-sweet ginger beer and the complexity of our black currant and thyme Gin Recipe 02. Donte upped the amount of lime juice in the cocktail to temper the sweetness from the berries and ginger ale, creating a perfectly balanced libation. It’s a cinch to whip up for guests and will surely impress even the most sophisticated mixologists in your family.

Maybe it’s time to start your own holiday competition! Shake up a Red Christmas cocktail and tag us in your photos!

Red Christmas

Serves 1

Ingredients for simple syrup

½ c sugar

½ c sugar

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

½ c cranberries, fresh or frozen & defrosted

Ingredients for cocktail

2 T fresh cranberries

½ oz lime juice

2 oz Common Ground Spirit Gin Recipe 02

1 oz cranberry-rosemary simple syrup

Ginger ale

Rosemary sprig for garnish

Instructions for simple syrup

Combine the sugar, water, and cranberries in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved and the cranberries begin to burst. Remove from heat, add fresh rosemary, steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup into a measuring cup or squeeze bottle and set aside. This recipe yields enough syrup for 10-12 cocktails.

Instructions for cocktail

Place cranberries in a tall shaker, add lime juice and muddle until the cranberries release their juices. Add ice cubes, gin, and simple syrup and shake well. Strain into a large rocks glass with a cocktail ice cube, top with ginger beer, garnish with a rosemary sprig, and enjoy!