Elf on the Liquor Shelf Christmas Cocktails
I always have vodka on hand. I almost always have Prosecco on hand. I also have an assortment of liqueurs and I thought to myself, “What could I do with these?”
The more challenging ones—a St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur which was a stocking stuffer from my sister and a Mathilde Poire (Pear) liqueur I purchased for a recipe a while ago—needed new uses.
So, it was off to the kitchen with my liqueurs and my imagination!
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur is a floral liqueur with notes of grapefruit, pear, lemon, and jasmine. A little goes a long way, but as an addition to a cocktail, the flavor mellows into something extraordinary.
Mathilde Poire Liqueur offers a more subtle flavor note that pairs well with a variety of liquors including vodka, Prosecco, gin, and bourbon (add ginger beer and a little honey) to name a few.
Have fun and play with what’s in your liquor cabinet. You might just stumble upon a new cocktail favorite!
Cran-Peary Vodka
Prosecco Pick-Me-Ups
Elderflower Mule
Simple to Make−Cran-Peary Vodka
Cran-Peary Vodka
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
- 2 oz Tito’s Vodka
- 1 oz Mathilde Poire Liqueur
- 2 oz Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
- ½ oz lime juice
- Splash of Club Soda
- 1/8 C. Sugar for rimming your cocktail glass
- Lime and cranberries for garnish
Directions
- Prep your cocktail glass by placing a small amount of water on one plate and the sugar on another plate.
- Dip the rim of your glass in the water and then in the sugar. Make sure the entire rim is covered in sugar.
- Add ice to the glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, mix the Tito’s Vodka, Mathilde Poire Liqueur, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, and lime juice. Add ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into your glass.
- Top with a splash of club soda.
- Garnish with a lime wedge on the rim and cranberries in the drink.
Simple to Make−Prosecco Pick-Me-Ups
There’s more you can do with Prosecco (or Champagne) than just making a Mimosa. Here are a few holiday variations to try.
Remember…if you have other liqueurs in your cabinet, try a new-to-you combination What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll still be drinking Prosecco!
Elderflower Pear Prosecco
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
- ½ oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
- ½ oz Mathilde Poire Liqueur
- 6-8 oz La Marca Prosecco
- Pear slices for garnish
Directions
- Pour the St. Germaine Elderflower and Mathilde Poire liqueurs into your Prosecco glass.
- Add the La Marca Prosecco.
- Garnish with a pear slice.
Pom Pear Prosecco
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
- ½ oz Mathilde Poire Liqueur
- ½ oz Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice
- 6-8 oz La Marca Prosecco
- Pomegranate arils and pear slices for garnish
Directions
- Pour the Mathilde Poire Liqueur and Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice into your Prosecco glass.
- Add the La Marca Prosecco.
- Garnish with pomegranate arils and a pear slice.
Note: You could substitute Ocean Spray cranberry juice for the Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice and use cranberries as garnish.
Simple to Make−Elderflower Mule
My daughter is a huge fan of Moscow Mules, so she was my target audience for this drinky-drink.
Mules sometimes call for simple syrup and, while we didn’t opt for that for this particular drink, you could add 2 Tbsp simple syrup to the recipe below.
I used Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale for this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. And, in fact, my resident Elf on the Liquor Shelf actually preferred the Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale to ginger beer because of the extra bubbles it offers.
The whole inspiration behind creating these cocktails was to use what I had on hand. If you have ginger beer, use can use that. If you have regular ginger ale, use can use that.
Elderflower Mule
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
- 2 oz Tito’s Vodka
- ½ oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
- ½ oz lime juice
- 6 oz Ginger Beer or Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale
- Lime wedges for garnish
Directions
- Add the Tito’s Vodka, St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur and lime just to a mule mug.
- Stir well then add ice.
- Top with ginger beer or Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
