Snow Day

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Cocktail History

The Snow Day is a winter cocktail that was created by food writer and author Jessica Strand and was first published in Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season.

The original recipe combined elderflower liqueur with dry sparkling white wine and a garnish of frosted blueberries for a light, festive touch, but this updated version elevates the drink by incorporating a homemade sous vide blueberry syrup, which deepens the fruity flavor while maintaining the original’s elegant simplicity. The result is a refined yet approachable cocktail perfect for snowy winter evenings.

Cocktail Ingredients

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

Sparkling Wine: This is a type of wine made with white grapes and yeast, which are fermented with the skins to produce alcohol and then infused with carbon dioxide gas to develop a pale yellow-green color and crisp, fruity flavor.

Elderflower Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with elderflower blossoms, distilled alcohol, water, and sugar, which are blended and infused to develop a light, floral flavor.

Blueberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with blueberries, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a bright berry flavor.

White Sugar: This is a sweetener made with refined sugar that has a soft, fine texture and clean, sweet flavor.

Blueberries: This is a type of berry grown on shrubs that has a blue skin and sweet, slightly tart flavor.

Brands I Used

• 🔗 La Marca Prosecco
• 🔗 Edinburgh Gin Distillery Elderflower Gin Liqueur
• 🔗 Monin Premium Blueberry Syrup
• 🔗 C&H Premium Pure Cane Granulated Sugar

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 and used for catching spills, providing grip for glasses and tools, and keeping the workspace clean and organized.

Jigger: This is a small double-sided tool with different volume measurements on each side that’s used for accurately portioning ingredients.

Bar Spoon: This is a long-handled spoon with a twisted shaft that’s used for stirring cocktails, layering ingredients, and reaching the bottom of tall glasses and mixing vessels.

Mixing Bowl: This is a kitchen vessel made from glass, metal, or plastic that’s used for mixing and preparing ingredients.

Cocktail Pick: This is a small, slender skewer made from metal, wood, or bamboo that’s used for holding cocktail garnishes in place.

Coupe Glass: This is a stemmed glass with a shallow, wide bowl that’s used for serving shaken cocktails and sparkling drinks without ice.

Tools I Used

• 🔗 A Bar Above 18×12 Premium Bar Mat
• 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Japanese Jigger
• 🔗 Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass
• 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Julep Strainer
• 🔗 Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon
• 🔗 Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set
• 🔗 Homestia Classic Series Metal Cocktail Pick Set
• 🔗 Libbey Capone Speakeasy Coupe Glass

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Bright pink-red color

• Aroma: Wine and florals

• Taste: Straightforward flavor of fizzy wine with floral notes

• Finish: Fruity berry notes

Kendall’s Take: “The original recipe for this drink only called for sparkling wine and elderflower liqueur, which didn’t really scream ‘winter’ to me in any way. It was obvious that the star was supposed to be the candied blueberry garnish given that was the only truly unique ingredient, so I chose to mix in some blueberry simple syrup to add some complexity and play up the berry flavor a bit more. Just that one change along with dialing the elderflower way back made the cocktail much tastier. Plus, it turned the Snow Day a brilliant bright pink hue. I still don’t know if it’s really ‘wintery,’ but the frosty garnish does add a bit of snow-inspired flair.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in the book Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season by Jessica Strand.