Some frothy, delicious homemade eggnog for the First Day of Christmas. Just eggs plus nog... milk, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and a festive quantity of bourbon and brandy. Cheers! 

For the Second Day of Christmas (a.k.a. the Feast of Saint Stephen), I'm channeling my inner Good King Wenceslaus... looking out, as the snow lay 'round about, bright and crisp and even. And since ol' Wenceslaus was a saintly duke of Bohemia, I'm enjoying a Bohemian Cocktail: grapefruit juice, gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and a dash of bitters. Most folks don't know the subsequent verses of that classic carol, which recount how he braved the elements to help feed a poor beggar. True Christmas Spirit, celebrated -- in my little way -- with holiday spirits. Cheers! 

A John Collins for the Third Day of Christmas, the feast of Saint John the Apostle: bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda. (Note that the citrus garnish was grown by my brother... John!) Cheers!

A festive red cocktail -- the Cranberry Hot Toddy -- for the Fourth Day of Christmas. It's cranberry juice, honey, lemon, and whiskey. Red, of course, also connotes the blood of martyrdom, befitting today's liturgical commemoration of the Holy Innocents -- those children killed by King Herod in an attempt to eliminate the newborn King in Bethlehem. Not very festive, I realize... but a sobering reminder in the nativity story that our fallen world desperately needed a savior. Still does. So on this cold, dark fourth night, I'm sipping my hot toddy, listening to "Coventry Carol," and reflecting on light in darkness. "The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). Cheers!

A Martini Espresso to celebrate the Fifth Day of Christmas: vodka, coffee, coffee liqueur, simple syrup, cocoa and coffee bean garnish. Cheers!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas we drink schnapps. Peach Schnapps in my morning OJ makes one delicious Fuzzy Navel. Cheers! 

It's the Bee's Knees on the Seventh Day of Christmas! This simplified version is just gin, honey and lemon juice, but it gives me as much of a buzz as I can handle on this last day of 2017. (True confession time: one of my lame traditions is to clean house before the new year begins. I made this cocktail just so I could use up the last remnants of a crusty jar of honey in the back of my cupboards.) Cheers to a bee-utiful 2018!

Freezing temps, why not enjoy a frozen drink? I made a Bailey's and Banana Daiquiri for the Eighth Day of Christmas: Bailey's Irish Cream, rum, cream of coconut, sweet cream, and a frozen banana. Cheers, and Happy New Year!

Resolution for the Ninth Day of Christmas: eat (or drink) more fruits and vegetables in 2018. This Berry Adult Smoothie contains rum, pomegranate juice, frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries). Maybe a banana. Definitely rum. Cheers! 

This Tenth Day of Christmas happens to be my last day of Christmas break. So I'm celebrating Day 10 with a nice 10-year-old Speyburn Scotch whisky in a classic Rusty Nail: Scotch and Drambuie on ice. Nice. Cheers! 

Why is it green and red only go together at Christmas? On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, I mixed up a nice green Grasshopper: creme de menthe, creme de cacao, cream, with a dusting of nutmeg. The candy cane swizzle stick is entirely optional, but why the heck wouldn't you? Cheers!

And just like that, the Twelfth Night is upon us. This is the eve of the traditional date of the Epiphany, so I'm toasting Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar with the other Three Wisemen: Johnny Walker, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. Hope you've had a spirited Christmas season. Cheers!