Santa Clausmopolitan

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Cocktail History

The Santa Clausmopolitan is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Erin Wilson at Session Cocktails in Auburn, Alabama and was first published in Garden & Gun, a magazine focused on celebrating Southern culture. This holiday-inspired recipe keeps vodka as the base spirit but introduces a cozy twist with cranberry and brown sugar syrup, which adds depth and warmth to the fruity template. Lemon juice also replaces the traditional lime for a brighter, more seasonal citrus note, while a dash of citrus bitters ties everything together for balance. The result is a cheerful, flavorful drink that’s perfect for holiday celebrations, offering a fresh, Southern-inspired spin on a modern classic.

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Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Vodka: This is a spirit made with grains, vegetables or fruits, alcohol, and water. I used Smirnoff Vodka.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cranberries, baking spices, white sugar, and water.

Lemon Juice: This is the tart, acidic liquid extracted from lemons. I used fresh lemon juice.

Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with demerara sugar and water. I used this stovetop recipe.

Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.

Rosemary: This is an aromatic evergreen herb with needle-like leaves and a robust, piney, and slightly peppery flavor.

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Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Bar Mat: This is a rubber or silicone mat that’s placed on the bar surface to catch spills, provide grip for glasses and tools, and keep the workspace clean and organized. I used the Highball & Chaser 18×12 Bar Mat.

Jigger: This is a small, double-sided measuring tool that’s used to accurately portion spirits and mixers, typically with one side measuring 1 oz and the other 1.5 or 2 oz. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is a two-piece cocktail shaker consisting of a metal tin and a glass or metal mixing glass that’s used for shaking and blending ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is a metal strainer with a spring around its edge that’s used to filter out ice and solids when pouring the cocktail into a glass. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is a small, sharp kitchen knife with a narrow blade that’s used for peeling, trimming, and garnishing. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is a handheld tool that’s used to extract juice from fruits by pressing or twisting it against a reamer or cone. I used the Black+Decker 32 oz Electric Citrus Juicer.

Nick & Nora Glass: This is a small, stemmed glass with a gently curved bowl that used for serving cocktails with smaller portions. I used the History Company Nick & Nora 1934 New York Cocktail Coupe.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Deep red-pink hue

• Aroma: Woodsy rosemary, citrus, and berry

• Taste: A candy-sweet flavor featuring spice-filled cranberry

• Finish: Cranberry tartness with hints of orange

Kendall's Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kendall's Take: "I can't think of a drink format that serves as a better interpretation of cranberry sauce than this recipe. Serious imbibers will likely find it to be too tart and not quite complex enough for their palates, but I really enjoyed the Santa Clausmopolitan. Yes, it's sweet and mostly tastes like the spiced cranberry syrup; I think that's the entire point though. Anyone who likes a sweeter cranberry drink will love this holiday variation too. And it's 100% worth making a batch of the spiced cranberry syrup so you can try it at home. So yummy!"

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Garden & Gun, a national magazine celebrating Southern culture.