With the holidays fast approaching, it’s that time of the year where once more cocktails take a turn towards the festive and sometimes unexpected spirit (no pun intended). From spiced to earthy and sometimes tart and minty, holiday cocktails always seem to surprise us in so many ways. This month, the cocktailian geeks and experts on all things spirituous, Christa and Shaun of the wonderful read Booze Nerds have taken the reigns for MxMo and presented an interesting twist on holiday hijinks. Here’s what the duo has challenged us to:

“We thought hard about a theme that would work well for this time of year, and after contemplating the food, booze, and decor we like for the holidays, we settled on “Resin.” From savory rosemary in a stuffing, to a delicious juniper-y gin in a martini, to a fragrant fir ornament or garnish, our friends the evergreens have a lot to offer… The challenge: come up with an ingenious creation using the resin-y ingredient of your choice. Zirbenz, retsina, hoppy IPA, pine-nut puree, even? Sure! Spirit, garnish, aroma, all are fair game. Whatever resin means to you, we want to hear it.”

Hmm…an interesting and playful theme to be sure, and luck would have it that I have been tinkering around with what I believe falls spot on to their theme. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have an abundance of “Resin-esque” ingredients to go around. In fact, Douglas Fir is found a plenty throughout Washington and Oregon and I have a great local liqueur that incorporate it’s earthy and piney notes. I have been working on another crafty alternative to the Cosmopolitan and really wanted to take it in a different direction by making it a bit more Northwest inspired.

As the Booze Nerds mentioned our bartender favorite gin, I decided to go with another Northwest gin from Aviation which is a bit less London dry style and more western with hints of lavender, cardamom and citrus notes that pair very well with the Douglas Fir and was key to me substituting for vodka in my makeover. Add a little holiday cheer via some home-made white cranberry syrup and a bit of delicate lavender and you may have the perfect start to this month’s festivities. Cheers.

Metropolis

1 1/4 oz Aviation Gin

3/4 oz broVo Douglas Fir Liqueur (or similar liqueur)**

3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Home Made White Cranberry Syrup (recipe follows)

1 to 2 dashes Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters

Lemon Twist for Garnish

Combine ingredients over ice, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish and enjoy.

Home Made White Cranberry Syrup

2 cups White Cranberry Juice

1 cup Sugar

1 oz Vodka (optional)

Combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add vodka if so desired, bottle and refrigerate for up to a month.

Color: Bright yellow

Flavor: Crisp juniper and citrus married with mild Douglas fir and balanced by tart cranberry and hint of lavender

Texture: Light and refreshing

Head on over to Mixology Monday and Booze Nerds and see what holiday cheer others will bring us.

**Note: If you can’t get any broVo Douglas Fir, which may be normal since they just started to enter other markets besides WA, you can substitute some Zirbenz or a Douglas Fir eau de vie but you might want to play with the ratios a bit since they are more intense in flavor than the broVo.**