January Closeouts

Here are the last of the after-the-holiday recipes — just in time to close out January. But these are a four of the most attractive and tasty cocktails I have sampled in a while. These festive concoctions are just the ticket to get in you in the holiday mood. –roz edward

Blood Orange Bourbon
Recipe: Ice cubes
3 tablespoons blood orange juice, strained
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 drop aromatic bitters
Blood orange slice

Fill a short glass with ice. Add blood orange juice, bourbon, sugar and bitters; stir vigorously. Bend orange slice in half, slide into glass. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cocktail
Recipe: 2 1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo Resposado Tequila
1 ounce peppermint schnapps    3/4 ounce Godiva liqueur
1 1/2 ounces cream
Chocolate syrup and candy canes for garnish

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass.

 Sugar Cookie Cocktail
Recipe: 2 1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo Resposado Tequila
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Brown sugar for garnish

Rim a cordial glass with brown sugar. Add tequila and brown sugar into a shaker with ice and shake ingredients well. Strain into glass.

Dress up classic Spanish sangría with Spiced Simple Syrup and tart cranberries to create an ideal cocktail for a winter holiday celebration.

Spiced Cranberry Sangria
Recipe: The Fruit
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, large dice
1 cup Spiced Simple Syrup
3/4 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup ruby port wine

Recipe: The sangría:
1 (750-milliliter) bottle Tempranillo rosé
1/2 cup ruby port wine
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup cranberry juice



For the fruit:
Combine all ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tight-fitting lid.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

For the sangría:
Add all ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until chilled; serve over ice.