I stumbled over this recipe for Christmas cocktails a few weeks ago and was itching to try it. I like to play bartender at holiday parties and get-togethers, and I’m always looking for something new and unique. I was looking for some easy Christmas cocktails that I can serve up rather quickly and discovered this one that could use either vodka or gin.
I was surprised to see that this festive vodka cocktail featured pine needles. I wasn’t even aware that you could even consume pine needles, but a quick search told me that you could, indeed, consume pine needles. Sometimes they are made into tea.
I was game, but I didn’t know how this would be received. Would guest be okay with consuming the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in their glasses? So I decided to give the cocktail a dry run, so to speak, recently with my boyfriend and some guests he had over.
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My boyfriend’s daughter had somehow managed to choose a full, beautiful, almost perfectly symmetrical tree, so I settled on swiping some pine needles from near the bottom of the tree for my Christmas cocktail experiment.
Instead of using vodka, I opted for gin in this Christmas-themed drink. I picked up the fresh ingredients from the store (having to make an extra emergency trip, because I had forgotten the lemon, grr).
I have modified the recipe somewhat from the original. I doubled the alcohol called for to give it more bang. Plus, I wanted to make a “real” cocktail.
I chose to muddle half of the cranberries without adding the liquids, because I find it to be a real pain to muddle anything with too much liquid in it. I initially tried to muddle everything together, but the cranberries had a tendency to float to the top.
The Muddled Pine Cocktail
Ingredients:
15 Fresh cranberries
1 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
1/2 oz Lemon-lime soda
2 oz Gin or Vodka
1/2 oz Pine syrup
Garnish: Cranberries and Pine sprig
Glass: Rocks
Pine syrup:
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Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil until dissolved.
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Reduce the heat to low and add a handful of chopped pine needles.
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Stir and remove from heat. Let sit for 2 hours.
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Strain and refrigerate. Keeps up to 3 weeks.
Instructions:
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Add half of the cranberries to the bottom of the shaker and muddle.
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Add lemon juice, bitters, pine syrup, and remainder of the cranberries and muddle the rest of the cranberries.
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Add the gin or vodka (optional) and ice, and shake until chilled. There should be frost on the outside of the shaker.
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Strain into a rocks glass over ice and top with lemon-lime soda.
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Garnish with cranberries and a sprig of pine.
I added a bit more pine syrup to stand up to the herbal flavor of the gin. The syrup did have a pine flavor, but I think next time I’ll add another handful of needles for a bolder flavor.
This cocktail turned out to be a hit, however. I was quite surprised and pleased. My Sweetie says this is his new favorite cocktail. Give it a try—you may like it.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
Christmas Punch Cocktail Recipe
Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail Recipe
40 Uniques Christmas Gifts for Her
35 Awesome Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Him
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