Cooking Lesson #1131: Elf On The Shelf Cocktail

…from the Perspectives’ Holiday Happy Hour Bar

credit: Difford's Bar Guide

How you doin’? I found this cocktail on Difford’s Bar Guide and thought it was perfect for the Christmas season. It’s just so cute—you can’t help but smile. 
 
The EOS cocktail is Elderflower liqueur), Orange liqueur, The (tequila), Sherry is for naughty elves to share while planning mischievous Christmas enactments.
 
Judicious elves take delicate sips so as not to disturb this cocktail's rich, fruity red base, while naughty elves sip, swirl and even stir their cocktail to turn it sweet and pink. However, very naughty elves enrich their Elf On The Shelf cocktail with red crème liqueurs such as cassis, framboise or fraise in place of non-alcoholic grenadine. They're so naughty---naughty as the elves themselves!
 
Actually, this is not a product of Santa's workshop but was created in November 2023. What started as a children's picture book in 2005 has become a nightly drama enacted by parents worldwide from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. The book The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition was written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell and illustrated by Coë Steinwart. Their Christmas-themed story revolves around elves who report to Santa which children are naughty and those who are nice during the lead-up to Christmas. Each night, parents dream up an elf-like act of mischief and then position an elf at the crime scene for their children to discover in the morning. However, children can't touch the elf, or it will lose its magic. The Elf On The Shelf cocktail will never lose its magic.
 
Ingredients 
1-1⁄3 ounce Patrón Silver blanco tequila
1⁄2 ounce Lustau Jarana Fino Sherry
1⁄2 ounce Elderflower liqueur
1⁄4 ounce Cointreau triple sec liqueur
1⁄2 ounce Monin Grenadine Syrup
1 mint leaf garnish
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side. Pre-chill a Nick & Nora Glass.
2. Prepare the garnish of small mint leaf from the tip of a sprig.
3. Stir the tequila, sherry, Elderflower liqueur and the Cointreau with ice.
4. Strain the cocktail into the chilled glass.
5. Pour half-a-bar spoon of grenadine into center of cocktail which should sink to the bottom of the glass to form a suitably red Christmassy base.
6. Garnish the tip of a mint sprig.

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ChefSecret:  A Nick & Nora glass is a stemmed glass with an inverted bowl, mainly used to serve straight-up cocktails. The glass is similar to a cocktail glass or martini glass. Use of the glass became widespread beginning in the late 1980s.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. Why did the elf sit on the shelf? A. He wanted a higher position.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour2025 #MerryChristmas #ElfOnTheShelfCocktail #Tequila #Sherry #ElderflowerLiqueur #Cointreau #TripleSec #Nick-NoraGlass #HolidayHappyHour #Cheers #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

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