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Holiday Cocktail Recipes
Christmas and New Year’s Eve are just around the corner, and I’m thinking about cocktails as we put the finishing touches on our holiday menu. I thought I would quickly share a few favorite holiday cocktail recipes in case you’re in the same situation! We’ve got a few punch recipes, some wine-based cocktail recipes, a couple coffee cocktails, and more. Enjoy!
Punch Recipes
Okay, let’s start with the punches – the large batch cocktails that will keep everyone happy throughout the night. Our Spiced Winter Punch is one of our favorite recipes and can be made with vodka, rum, gin, or whiskey, you can go traditional with a Hot Rum Punch, or mix things up with a tequila-based (!!) Yuletide Punch. If you’re feeling extra theatrical, you can light the Charles Dickens Punch on fire before drinking (please be extra careful). Fish House punch is just a rather strange name for a Caribbean rum punch, while Allspice Punch is warm and spicy.
Allspice Punch // Charles Dickens Punch
Fish House Punch // Yuletide Punch
Wine Cocktails
If you’re not super into spirits, try a mulled wine for the holidays! We love a good Swedish Glögg, which is basically a bottle of wine thrown together with whatever spirits and spices you might already have on hand. We made ours with brandy and white port, but you could easily go with rum, whiskey, or just about anything else. Same goes for the Mulled Winter Sangria, which can be served warm or over ice!
Warm Coffee Cocktails
Warm cocktails are perfect for cold winter nights, and couldn’t we all use the extra energy from a bit of black coffee?? Our Spiced Irish Coffee and Scotch Coffee recipes are basically just variations on a theme, but we added cardamom and rosewater to the Irish coffee while the vanilla bean Scotch coffee has a smokey warmth that I really love this time of year.
Smashes
If you’re looking for crowd-pleasing small batch cocktail recipes to make over the holidays, these two vanilla-bean smashes – the Pear Vanilla Bean Bourbon Smash and Orange Vanilla Bean Scotch Smash – are my absolute favorites. Even if you don’t think you like Scotch or Bourbon, you’ll love these drinks. Promise!
Pear Vanilla Bean Bourbon Smash
Orange Vanilla Bean Scotch Smash
Happy holidays everyone!
Dusty Blue and Pink Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper
It’s September, which means the days of cool weather and fall foliage are just around the corner. I’m loving these dusty blue and pink wedding invitations on handmade paper by Lauren Clements of LineAve Calligraphy for a fall wedding – or a wedding any time of year, really. Lauren’s beautiful calligraphy and illustrations are absolutely beautiful against that gorgeous handmade paper by Farmette Press. And those Louisiana themed vintage postage stamps are the perfect finishing touch!
From Lauren: I loved designing my own wedding stationery! The invitation suite is letterpress printed on handmade paper in blue, pink, and cream tones. The design also incorporated a minimal line drawing of the church with some greenery accents. I used vintage stamps in a Louisiana theme to tell a story.
Our wedding ceremony took place at St. John Berchman’s Cathedral in Shreveport, Louisiana with aisles lined with fresh pomegranates and olive branches. The detail-packed outdoor reception was set on the lot of our future home.
The idea was a small, rustic, European-styled seated and plated dinner under the oak tree with 90 guests. The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain, and it wasn’t wrong. The tent that was supposed to cover a small seating area was enlarged to cover the entire event, and not an ounce of detail was lost. It was truly an inspirational ending to the dreaded “what do I do if it rains on my outdoor wedding?†question that I googled for 2 weeks straight. Guests kicked off their shoes and had the best celebration in mud up to their ankles. The photos turned out absolutely beautiful despite the FLOOD. Quality vendors are so important from hair that frizzes gracefully, to makeup that stays put, hot food that is served in a downpour, and of course, THE TENT that single-handedly saved the day.
As a stationer and calligrapher, I obsesses over detail. I designed and created my own save-the-dates, invitation suite, seating chart, and endless “day of†details like programs, menus, favor tags, flower cones, corn hole boards and bean bags, custom ice cream signs that incorporated our dogs, and cocktail napkins. The gate to the property and the Catholic church we were married in were both incorporated into the wedding stationery, adding a personal and special touch to the invitation suite and day-of stationery.
Thanks Lauren!
Calligraphy and Design: Lauren Roberts Clements of LineAveCalligraphy
Handmade Paper and Letterpress Printing: Farmette Press
Photo Credits: Laura Caraway Photography
Friendsgiving 2018
Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Are you hosting this year? What about Friendsgiving? We always go up to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, but I have dreams of hosting my entire family someday. And now that my kids are a bit older, we might even be able to pull off hosting a small Friendsgiving gathering! Today I’m teaming up with Wheatley Vodka and a few seriously talented DC-area creatives to dream up my ideal cozy Friendsgiving celebration. And in addition to table inspiration, we’re sharing printable stationery and a couple of holiday cocktail recipes that you can make this holiday season!
I imagine an informal potluck style dinner with cozy candles, delicious cocktails, and of course some of our closest friends for company. And whether I’m planning a birthday party or a small dinner gathering, I always start by choosing the color palette. Neutrals are perfect any time of year, but I also brought in a few seasonal pops of color like burgundy, rust, and mustard yellow in the flowers and a few of the details. So cozy and welcoming!
The table settings are pretty simple, which is perfect for an informal gathering. Light gray ceramic plates, woven placemats for texture, some of our favorite glassware, and a couple of vintage brass candlesticks. Lori and Colleen from Wld Wst, a local floral design studio here in the DC area, made the most beautiful fall floral arrangement for our table. I also made a few DIY pom-poms in our fall color palette and wrapped them around knotted dinner napkins in mismatched colors (we used white, light blue, and pink). One of these days I’ll learn how to properly fold a napkin, but for now I’m really liking the napkins this way!
You know we’re all about the signature cocktail, and the holidays are no exception. Wheatley Vodka is made by the same folks behind Buffalo Trace Distillery, which has been making bourbon whiskey along the banks of the Kentucky River for more than 200 years. That’s more than two centuries of spirit-making knowledge! Wheatley Vodka is crafted in small batches using a one of a kind micro-still, using the same red winter wheat grain used for Weller and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. The red winter wheat grain gives Wheatley Vodka a smooth, delicate finish that is pure and crisp on the nose, with hints of soft vanilla. It’s pretty much perfect for crafting holiday cocktails!
We made two holiday cocktail recipes with Wheatley Vodka for this Friendsgiving celebration: a bright and fizzy take on the classic French 75 (served in the coupe glass above and garnished with fresh herbs) and a winter punch that you can make in a huge batch for larger gatherings!
Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio
Wheatley 75
2 oz Wheatley Vodka
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur
1/4 oz Aquavit
Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig of rosemary or thyme. Enjoy!
The Wheatley 75 is bright, effervescent, and a little bit tart – absolutely perfect for this season! If you’re making this cocktail for a group of people, you can even mix up 2-3 at a time in your cocktail shaker, then just top with sparkling wine in the glass. We used prosecco, but any sparkling wine should work!
Cocktail illustration by Bright Room Studio
Spiced Winter Punch
1 bottle Wheatley Vodka
1 bottle Apple Cider (about 64 oz)
3 cups Lemon Juice
1 1/2 cups Cinnamon Syrup
1 1/2 cups Orange Liqueur
6 oz Allspice Dram
48 dashes Cardamom Bitters
Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and fill with ice and citrus slices. Serve in punch glasses and garnish with seasonal herbs or a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
We’ve gotten so many requests over the years for an easy winter punch, and I’m beyond thrilled with how this recipe turned out! It’s basically all of my favorite fall flavors in one cocktail. Feel free to adjust the quantities depending on how many people you’re expecting – this recipe will definitely fill up a punch bowl, so cut the ingredients in half if you’re expecting a smaller gathering.
Another favorite party tip: I always a drink station where friends and family can gather and chat before sitting down for dinner. All you need is a big punch bowl filled with spiced winter punch, a cheese board for snacking, and a floral arrangement – or a vase filled with eucalyptus or foraged greenery. A little bit of greenery can go a long way and helps to balance bottles or punch bowls on the other side of the credenza.
Lindsey from Bare Ink Co. created these absolutely stunning invitations for our Friendsgiving. I love the way Lindsey’s lettering feels both a bit fancy but also relaxed and informal – perfect for a Friendsgiving potluck!
Lindsey also made food and drink menus and the sweetest little conversation cards that you can place on each plate in lieu of place cards! I’m so excited to offer the menus and conversation cards as a printable download for all of you. Just download the files at the bottom of this post, print on regular letter-sized card stock, then cut out around the black outline! You can add your own text in Adobe programs if you have them, or just drop the entire file into Word. Easy peasy. We printed our menus on both vellum and card stock, and it’s absolutely impossible for me to pick a favorite!
We also personalized the invitations and menus with a single brushstroke of dark green paint on the left hand side. It makes every invitation and menu feel personalized, and it’s such an easy way to bring more of your color palette into your stationery!
I know the food is the heart of the holiday season, but it’s definitely more our style to make a signature drink or two instead of a traditional Thanksgiving dish. I love the idea of giving your guests drink menus instead of food menus at a holiday gathering – especially if you’re doing a potluck style dinner! We placed our drink menus right on the plate so guests could keep them as a reference while trying the different cocktails.
And seriously, how cute are these little conversation cards? You can download them through the links at the bottom of the post! We placed them on custom engraved wood coasters by Michele from Meant to Be Calligraphy. Michele also engraved one of the Wheatley Vodka bottles with the word “gather” and I can’t think of a better sentiment for this upcoming holiday season.
I hope you all have a wonderful Friendsgiving weekend and Thanksgiving holiday! If you make any of our holiday cocktail recipes, please be sure to tag @beautifulpaper and @wheatleyvodka on Instagram so we can see how they turn out!
Creative Direction and Styling: Nole Garey of Oh So Beautiful Paper
Prop Styling: Joanna Carden
Stationery and Calligraphy: Lindsey Swink of Bare Ink Co.
Cocktail Recipes and Vintage Glassware: Liquorary
Florals: Lori Tran and Colleen Rogin-West of Wld West
Wood and Glass Engraving: Meant to Be Calligraphy
Cocktail Recipe Illustrations: Bright Room Studio
Venue: Common Room Studio
Photography: Lauren Louise Collective
This post was created in partnership with Wheatley Vodka. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!
Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Hand Painted Acrylic
Acrylic signs have become quite the wedding and party staple over the past few years! You’ve seen a few of them here on OSBP, from these DIY acrylic cocktail menus four years ago to signs at the paper party during the National Stationery Show. Normally we see clear or solid color acrylic, but lately I’ve noticed a lot of hand painted acrylic for a more modern abstract art-inspired look. I’m absolutely loving this new trend, so I thought I’d round up a few examples to share with all of you!
How stunning is this hand painted acrylic invitation by Swell Press?? It’s seriously a work of art!
Beautiful hand painted signs – a cocktail menu and a no cell phones ceremony sign – by Anne Robin Calligraphy. Photos by Erin McGinn.
The sweetest hand painted acrylic welcome sign by Bare Ink Co.
Beautiful neutral hand painted acrylic bar menus by Hawaii Calligraphy
How cute is this rainbow acrylic sign by Deets&Things and With Love Calligraphy for a rainbow-themed birthday party?? Photo by L&B Photography via 100 Layer Cake.
I’m not sure if these faux sea glass table numbers by Bash Calligraphy are made from acrylic, but they were too beautiful not to include!
This deep green and gold acrylic drink menu by Bare Ink Co. is so perfect for fall events!
Colorful acrylic dinner menu signs by Bright Room Studio
Love this burgundy and gold sign from Bare Ink Co. letting guests know about a sparkler sendoff at the end of the evening!
Pretty hand painted table numbers by Mulberry Market Designs
I love absolutely everything about this hand painted acrylic sign by Hawaii Calligraphy, from the white paint and gold lettering to the copper frame and orchids!
So there you go! I think the hand painted look is so fun for modern weddings, but I want to hear what YOU think! Are you digging the hand painted/abstract art-inspired look on acrylic?? Or do you prefer clear or solid acrylic signs?