Tausi Insider

The martini knows no season, but your brain is very aware of them, and right now your brain is probably craving festive, holiday-themed treats and libations. Cocktail-wise, this usually means hot toddies, dark spirits lots of spice, egg nog , or the inclusion of candy canes. As a gin drinker, it’s a lightly challenging time. The beauty of gin lies in its delicate juniper- and botanical-heavy flavor profile, and that profile can easily be obscured or obliterated with spices, heat, and candy. Luckily, there are many ways a gin enthusiast can enjoy their favorite spirit without sacrificing the holiday spirit. Just really lean into cranberries Cranberries look like the holidays. They’re a vivid crimson, with a bauble-like appearance that makes them look at home strung up on a Christmas tree. The easiest way to capitalize on their festive appearance is to freeze them , then stab a few onto a toothpick and plunk ‘em in your martini glass . If you want your crans to bring substance as wel...

Photo : Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Holiday parties aren’t complete without snacks, music, and festive drinks. (Oh, and friends too, but back to the drinks.) Selecting the very best holiday drink is essential to seasonal revelry, but so is the equipment. I’m always irritated by how ladles leave behind a good half-inch of quality alcoholic beverage at the bottom of flat-bottomed punch bowls, slow cookers, and D utch ovens. Let’s stop this nonsense. It’s time to say good-bye to ladles, and hello to turkey basters. As lovable as drunk friends can be, they have questionable motor skills. If they see that final inch of cranberry punch, but every time they scoop, it feels like getting water out of a horcrux bowl, they’re bound to take matters into their own hands. Lifting a giant glass container, or worse, a 16-pound Dutch oven with hot cider inside, is a terrible way to pour a drink. This is where a turkey baster comes in to save the party. The pointed end of a baster gets right down into...

A mimosa is a welcome start to any day, but it’s needed on Christmas morning, just to take the harsh edge off the sound of ripping wrapping paper. The combination of sparkling wine and fruit juice doesn’t need much in the way of tweaking, nor does it really call for an exact recipe—but it could use a little nuance. And nothing delivers nuance quite like cocktail bitters. Sure, nuance tends to get lost after a couple of drinks, but try a few dashes in your first (or even second) morning-time cocktail, and treat your tastebuds to something ever so slightly different. Cocktail bitters are, after all, the spice rack of the bar cart. They’ll give your juicy beverage a little gravitas, a bit of depth, and undeniable character. Any flavor of bitters that strikes your fancy will work, but I highly recommend classic Angostura or Regan’s orange bitters. Angostura, with its strong gentian backbone and hints of clove and cinnamon, will give your beverage a decidedly Christmas-y vibe, much like...

Photo : Chitaika ( Shutterstock ) Eggnog is as Christmas as chunky, colorful lights–it’s not for everyone, but some households are all about it. Whether you have a yearly event concocting your family’s secret recipe, or buy liters of the store bought variety, try adding it to your pancake mix and make the most Christmassy breakfast of your life. Eggnog is a creamy, spicy holiday drink, and undoubtedly fabulous on its own hot or cold, but it also works well as a dynamite flavoring in countless recipes. It’s basically your milk ingredient living its best life. There’s already a combination of warming spices, egg yolks, cream, and, heck, even booze, already mixed in. For various, inexplicable reasons, should you have leftover eggnog you can’t get rid of (maybe a friend gifted you too much, or you’re not in the mood to drink it and you’d rather eat it), make eggnog pancakes. Simply substitute equal parts eggnog for the liquid ingredient in your favorite pancake recipe, and proceed as ...