Lists serve as great reminders of what is right at your fingertips. Here in the Lifestyles department, we’ve come up with a few lists of our own.

Our occasional feature,“10 Things,” highlights some of Northeast Pennsylvania’s best offerings and provides helpful tidbits and facts about our area.

Today, we spotlight 10 drinks to put some spirit in your holidays. Michelle Bonsick, director of marketing and communications for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, offers her suggestions on each cocktail.

For more of our "Ten Things"  lists, visit:

The Grinch

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Ingredients: 2 ounces melon liqueur; 1/2 ounce lemon juice; 1 teaspoon simple syrup; 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
Steps: Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Perfect for: Someone who likes sweet drinks or who does not want a strong drink. “This is more about the presentation, I think; the color of it,” Ms. Bonsick said. “It’s definitely approachable.”
Strength: 1 (out of 5)

 

 



Pumpkin Pie Martini

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Ingredients: 1-1/2 ounces blended scotch whisky, 1 ounce DeKuyper Buttershots butterscotch schnapps, 3 ounces half-and-half, 1 tablespoon sweetened pumpkin pie filling, graham cracker crumbs
Steps: Rim martini glass with graham cracker crumbs. Shake scotch, schnapps, half-and-half and pumpkin pie filling with ice. Strain into martini glass.
Perfect for: People who want to try scotch but might have balked at it in the past. “It takes what can be perceived as a difficult spirit ... and makes it approachable,” said Ms. Bonsick.
Strength: 4 (out of 5)
 

 

 


Hot Buttered Rum

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Ingredients: 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 3 dashes cinnamon, 1 pinch nutmeg, 1 tablespoon butter, boiling water, 2 ounces spiced rum
Steps: Combine butter, rum, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a glass and stir well. Fill glass with boiling water and stir again.
Perfect for: People who like classic or easy-to-make drinks. “It’s almost like dessert in a glass, and it warms you up. ... The combination of the butter and the brown sugar, it almost tastes like a cookie,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength: 3 (out of 5)  

 

 

 

Poinsettia

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Ingredients: 1/2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec, 3 ounces cranberry juice, sparkling wine
Steps: Chill all of the ingredients and a Champagne flute. Pour the Cointreau and cranberry juice into the glass and stir well. Top with sparkling wine.
Perfect for: Christmas and New Year’s, brunch and anyone who likes sweet drinks. “It’s great to serve to a crowd, but I think any time you serve a sparkling cocktail it makes things festive,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength: 2 (out of 5)
 

 

 

 


Tennessee Toddy

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Ingredients: 2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey (whiskey blended with honey liqueur), 1 teaspoon honey, cinnamon stick, a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, boiling water
Steps: Pour whiskey into a mug. Add honey, cinnamon stick and lemon juice. Top off with boiling water and stir.
Perfect for: Cold weather. “It’s sort of one of those make-you-feel-good, warm, fuzzy cocktails,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength: 2 (out of 5)

 

 



Irish Eggnog

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Ingredients: 3/4 ounce coffee liqueur, 3/4 ounce Irish whiskey, 3 ounces eggnog
Steps: Combine the ingredients in a shaker and stir gently. Pour into a cocktail glass full of ice and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Perfect for: Everyone. “Everybody wants to drink eggnog at the holidays, and no one knows how to spike it,” Ms. Bonsick said. “This really makes it approachable, and the addition of the coffee liqueur adds another layer.” The recipe also can be
multiplied to serve a crowd.
Strength: 2 (out of 5)
 

 

 


Candy Cane Lane

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Ingredients: 2-1/2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce white crème de menthe, 1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps, cream, splash of grenadine
Steps: Place a splash of grenadine into the bottom of a chilled martini glass and set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker full of ice and shake. Strain into the prepared glass to make a swirl effect. Use peppermint candy as a garnish.
Perfect for: Someone with a sweet tooth. “It kind of harkens to the whimsical appeal of the candy cane ... and puts it right in the cocktail glass,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength: 3 (out of 5)

 

 

 


Polar Bear Hot Chocolate

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Ingredients: 1 ounce peppermint schnapps; 1 ounce Irish cream; hot chocolate; whipped cream and cinnamon, for garnish
Steps: Combine schnapps, Irish cream and hot chocolate in a heat-safe mug. Garnish with whipped cream and a cinnamon sprinkle.
Perfect for: Anyone who wants a fun, grown-up twist on a favorite cold-weather drink. “This kind of harkens to the whimsy of the holidays. ... The mint and the Irish cream are both flavors that are nostalgic of winter,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength:  1 (out of 5)
 

 

 

 

 


Santa Hat Martini

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Ingredients: 1-1/2 ounces Svedka vodka; 3/4 ounce Chambord (raspberry) liqueur; sparkling wine, chilled; sugar for rimming
Steps: Spread a thin layer of sugar on a plate. Use water to moisten the rim of a martini glass and dip it into the sugar. Set glass aside. Pour the vodka and liqueur into the glass and top with the sparkling wine.
Perfect for: Anyone who likes fruit-flavored cocktails or drinks with a fruit component. “The color of the Chambord is really attractive as well and would make a great signature drink for a party,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength: 5 (out of 5)


 

 

 


Cranberry Rum Punch

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Ingredients: 4 cups cranberry juice, 4 cups ginger ale, 1 cup dark rum, pineapple chunks, ice block
Steps: Mix cranberry juice, ginger ale and rum in punch bowl. Add the ice block and then garnish with pineapple chunks. Makes 12 servings.
Perfect for: People who like milder drinks, and for large gatherings. “You can fix it and forget it,” Ms. Bonsick said.
Strength:  2 (out of 5)


Source: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits