Holiday drink recipes

50th Episode Special: The Bold Pomegranate Sazerac

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Merry Christmas! Celebrating Episode 50 with a Festive Pomegranate Sazerac! 🎄🥃

Welcome to a massive milestone of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails! Today is Episode 50, and we are celebrating Christmas Day in style with a high-proof, festive evolution of a New Orleans icon.

In Part Four of our December series, we are going “Neeley-on-Neeley” by featuring spirits from our good friends Royce and Rebekah at the Neeley Family Distillery. This isn’t your average Sazerac—we’ve swapped the sugar cube for Pomegranate Liqueur to get that beautiful ruby-red holiday color and added a healthy pour of award-winning Absinthe Verte for a silky, medicinal complexity that is absolutely legendary.

This is “Christmas in a Glass”—bold, herbal, and finished with a dark-fruit brightness. Whether you’re a rye whiskey aficionado or looking for the perfect Christmas cocktail recipe, this Pomegranate Sazerac is the ultimate holiday pour.

Please drink responsibly. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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📋 The Recipe: Pomegranate Sazerac

  • 2 oz Neeley’s Sweet Thumped Rye
  • 0.5 oz Pomegranate Liqueur
  • 0.25 oz Neeley’s “Fear and Loathing in Kentucky” Absinthe Verte
  • 0.25 oz Demerara Syrup
  • 4 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
  • 2 Dashes Cardamom Bitters
  • Garnish: Lemon Peel (Expressed)

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice.
  2. Stir for 20–30 seconds for perfect dilution and chill.
  3. Strain neat into a chilled glass.
  4. Express a lemon peel over the top to bridge the fruit and herbal notes. Cheers!

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NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. 

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The Ultimate Winter Boulevardier: The Oloroso Dusk 

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Elevate your winter spirits with The Oloroso Dusk—a sophisticated, deep, and intense twist on the classic Boulevardier.

Welcome back to Your Bourbon Journey for Episode 49 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails! We are currently in Part 3 of our 5-part December Cocktail Series, and tonight, we are moving away from the bright and bubbly into the elegant and mysterious.

If you love a traditional Boulevardier cocktail, you’ll adore this winter variation. By swapping standard vermouth for a rich, sherry-cask-aged Valdespino Sweet Vermouth, we create what we call the “Oloroso Bridge.” This connects the bold, oaky notes of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon with the herbal bitterness of Campari.

To round out the “forest floor” profile, we’re layering in Black Walnut and Aztec Chocolate bitters. The result? A drink that tastes like a toasted walnut cake drizzled in dark chocolate, enjoyed right by the fireplace.

🥃 Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon (for those dark chocolate and brown sugar notes)
  • 1 oz Campari (the essential bitter backbone)
  • 1 oz Valdespino Sweet Vermouth (Oloroso Sherry cask aged)
  • 2 Dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
  • 2 Dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
  • Garnish: One Luxardo Brandied Cherry

🛠️ Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass.
  2. Add ice and stir for 25–30 seconds to achieve the perfect chill and dilution.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass (or over a large ice sphere in a rocks glass).
  4. Garnish with a brandied cherry and enjoy your ultimate winter sip!

Next Week: Don’t miss Episode 50! We’re heading to New Orleans for a festive holiday treat: The Pomegranate Sazerac!

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NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. Please drink responsibly.

#Bourbon #CocktailRecipes #Boulevardier #WhiskeyGram #HomeBartender #ThirstyThursday #WinterCocktails #ElijahCraig #Mixology #HolidayDrinks #BourbonJourney #ClassicCocktails #DrinkStirred #SherryCask #CocktailHour