Santa’s Cup

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Cocktail History

The Santa’s Cup is a Christmas 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. It’s a simple variation of the classic Pimm’s Cup recipe that starts with Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur, lemon, and soda water just like the original, but this version swaps out the simple syrup for spiced cranberry and the aromatic bitters for some flavored with cherry and baking spices. It then tops off the drink with an array of wintry garnishes.

Cocktail Ingredients

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

Pimm’s No. 1 Liqueur: This is a liqueur made in England with herbs, spices, caramelized oranges, and alcohol.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cranberries, baking spices, white sugar and water. I made mine using this sous vide recipe.

Soda Water: This is a type of water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. I used Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water.

Cherry, Clove, & Cinnamon Bitters: This is a food product made with cherry, cloves, cinnamon, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Crude Bitters & Sodas “Attawanhood” Cherry, Clove, & Cinnamon Bitters.

Tangerine Slice: This is a slice of tangerine that has been cut into a half wheel shape.

Cranberries: This is a small red fruit. I used fresh cranberries.

Mint Sprig: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint.

Bartending Tools

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

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Tweezers: This is used to place the garnish on the drink. I used one from the Stainless Steel Food Tweezers Set.

Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. I used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Pink-red color with an ombré effect

• Aroma: Mint and citrus

• Taste: Fizzy water with a slightly spiced, tart cranberry flavor accented with the Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur’s herbal mixture

• Finish: Accenting notes of mulling spices and citrus for balance

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: “I absolutely love the classic Pimm’s Cup and was really excited to find a variation I could try at Christmas. You don’t see riffs on this template enough, in my opinion. Although this one’s made with simple tweaks, I really loved how the cranberry mixed with the Pimm’s liqueur. It was delicious and still tasted true to the original Pimm’s Cup, which I really loved. Give this one a try if you’ve got a bottle of the liqueur around!”

Recipe

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

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This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-09-19.

More Pimm’s Cocktails

If you like this cocktail recipe, here are a few others I’ve tried that you may enjoy: