We’re T minus 2 days until Christmas! Yayyyy! Hopefully everyone is feeling the holiday spirit and getting off of work early today. Although the weather is pretty crappy in most places, I’m trying to make the best of the negative temperatures by staying inside and cooking! Moving around the kitchen with the oven on always warms me up in the winter.
There’s something about Christmas-time that just makes me crave eggnog. I never drink it other times of the year, but in December I’m obsessed. I want it in my coffee and my cocktails constantly. This eggnog vodka martini is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, and you can bet I’ll be sipping on this beauty tomorrow at cocktail hour.
It’s also super easy to make – you just need some basic cocktail tools like a shaker and a jigger to get started. Then, make sure you have a really good eggnog (shake before pouring since it tends to separate in the bottle), decent vodka like Grey Goose or Tito’s, and Amaretto liqueur.
what if I don't have amaretto liqueur?
Amaretto liqueur
If you don’t happen to have your own Amaretto liqueur, which is a sweet, almond-y Italian spirit, you can make your own at home. It won’t be the real thing, but it’s a pretty good substitute!
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, and add 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of brown sugar. Reduce to a simmer, and stir the mixture until sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the syrup mixture has cooled completely, add 2 cups of vodka, 2 tablespoons of almond extract, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Mix the liquid together well, and pour into an empty liqueur bottle. Store homemade Amaretto liqueur for up to a year.
⟶ the recipe
eggnog vodka martini
ingredients
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces Amaretto liqueur
2 ounces eggnog
1 cup of ice
Pinch of cinnamon
Prep time
5 minutes
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
5 minutes
Makes 2 martinis
instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with the ice, and add the vodka, Amaretto liqueur, and eggnog.
Shake vigorously, and strain cocktail equally into two coupe or martini glasses. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the top of each cocktail, and garnish with a cinnamon stick or star anise. Serve immediately.
⟶ recipe notes
- Make this a mocktail by skipping the vodka and amaretto liqueur. Add about an ounce of cold water to the shaker to thin the nog, and use an almond simple syrup instead of the amaretto
- Make this drink big batch, by quadrupling the recipe and adding the vodka, Amaretto liqueur, and eggnog to a large punch bowl. Fill the bowl with crushed ice, and provide a ladle for guests to serve themselves. Leave a little bowl of cinnamon sticks and star anise for people to garnish their drink themselves
⟶ modifications
- If you must, you can substitute this recipe with gin if that’s what you prefer!
