Holiday Magic

Happy Holidays!  In my family, the winter holidays are a time of celebration with and about Family, Togetherness, and Love.  We are a tight-knit bunch, and we spend all holidays and birthdays together. It creates a bit of a scheduling headache, and not everything is celebrated on the exact right day, but that isn't important.  Being together is what's important.  The Christmas holidays are no different; we all gather together and spend a few days together—laughing, crying, joking, criticising—it's all par for the course. And I, for one, wouldn't change a thing about it.

As a family, we have certain traditions that have been in place for decades.  Fondue for dinner at Mom's house is probably the most famous and favorite one.  Brunch with Mom and taking the dogs to the beach is another. But in the last few years, some things have started to change… Some out of necessity; some out of desire.  For instance, we no longer go for a swim in the pool after the beach walk—the house with the pool is in the past.  But new traditions have been forming as well: I now host a Christmas Eve dinner party at my house for the family. I love sharing my culinary finds with others!  But food isn't the only thing I serve… When I first started having these dinner parties, I felt that I should have some sort of "signature drink".  I searched and searched and experimented and adjusted, until I came up with exactly that: a Signature Drink. Q's Candy Cane Martini was born, and over the years has been repeated and perfected and become synonymous with Christmas Eve at my house.

And yes, I'll share my recipe with you.

Q's Candy Cane Martini

¼ oz. peppermint schnapps

¾ oz. vodka

1 oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

1 oz. half and half

1 eyedropper Rose's Grenadine

1 mini Candy Cane for garnish

Mix the schnapps, vodka, chocolate liqueur, and half and half together with some ice in a drink mixer.  Strain into martini glass.  Use the eyedropper to squeeze drops of Rose's Grenadine around the side of the glass to create red stripes.  Garnish with a mini candy cane.

Enjoy!

P.S.: in case you were wondering, a typical shot is 1½ oz.  It is actually quite important to be precise with the measurements in this particular recipe—otherwise you will run the risk of ending up with a "toothpaste martini" instead!