WINTER COCKTAILS

So, sadly, I will miss this year's Winter Cocktail at Sal's home in San Jose. An excellent substitute, however, was John's Christmas party up in Chicago. You can read all about it over at the Factor. (Incidentally, you can also see a picture of me looking fat. And not with a "ph.") But the point of this post was to point out the creation of the Christmas Miracle III.

You may remember the original:
One part vodka
One part triple sec
One part cranberry juice
One part apple cider
Splash of lime juice

It was a spicy and refreshing holiday concoction created years ago at the 2003(?) Winter Cocktail. The Christmas Miracle III is a slightly sweeter - and fizzier - variation:
One part Mandarin Absolute
One part cranberry juice
Splash of ginger ale
Splash of apple pucker

Now, of course, you are probably saying to yourself, "Christmas Miracle III! How can that be? That would suggest a Christmas Miracle II! This is madness!" You are correct on both counts. To avoid confusion, we quickly changed the name of the Christmas Miracle II to the Night Before Christmas -- because really, it's a completely different cocktail. More of a modified White Russian. And now that I say it, perhaps the better name is the White Christmas. Speaks to its heritage.

Anyway, I'll let you decide:
Fill a glass with ice
One part Kahlua
Half part vodka
Top with (drum roll ... ) egg nog

The Dude might call it a Christmas Caucasian.

ALLOW MYSELF TO INTRODUCE ... MYSELF: Speaking of Sal, his column debuted on Monday (along with a hefty 1A promo)