All we want for Christmas is a cocktail to accompany the shopping.
Here is a partial list of spots around Greenville County where you can sip some holiday cheer. After all, what’s better than swiping the credit card with a buzz?
Ponche crema
Patterson Kitchen + Bar, 110 Halston Ave., Greenville
Patterson’s ponche crema has been redesigned by mixologist extraordinaire Jhonny Hernández. If you had it last year, it’s different this time around.
The masterful emulsion utilizes peppermint vodka, Frangelico and hibiscus-infused creme. The result is a velvet-like texture that subtly incorporates every quintessential flavor of the holidays between its sweetness and herbaceous aroma. The creme Patterson uses is vegan, so it’s a cocktail that can be enjoyed by all.
Candy Cane Martini
Tavola Italian, BridgeWay Station, 620 BridgeWay Blvd., Mauldin
Tavola is using this holiday season to show its appreciation of the classic holiday movie “Elf.”
Our personal pick this year is the Candy Cane Martini as it incorporates one of Buddy the Elf’s four major food groups – candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup, respectfully. The vodka-infused conflation brings together peppermint schnapps with half and half and white chocolate liqueur. If that’s not sweet enough, it has a whipped cream finish and candy cane rim.
As an added bonus, Tavola is also serving the “World’s Best Cup of Coffee” by slipping in a nip of Jame-o.
Be sure to drop into other Table 301 restaurants this year, as each one has chosen a theme:
- Soby’s New South Cuisine: “Miracle on 34th Street”
- The Lazy Goat: “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”
- The Jones Oyster Co.: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Koala LaLaLa
Miracle at Southernside Brewing Co., 25 Delano Drive, Greenville
It’s hard to put together a holiday roundup without a nationwide holiday pop-up Miracle, which takes over Southernside Brewing Co. during the holiday season.
This year, the brewery is offering both cocktails and shots. One in particular, Koala LaLaLa, uses blanco tequila and vermouth in combination with apple, tamarind and eucalyptus bitters.
Boozy hot cocoa
Oak & Honey, 200 E. Washington St., Greenville
Does anyone else miss building gingerbread houses with their moms? We can’t promise you’ll build a house this year but in lieu of gingerbread craftsmanship, you can always peruse the city’s annual gingerbread exhibit in downtown Greenville’s Residence Inn.
Double down on the childhood nostalgia by indulging in a boozy hot cocoa. The hotel will infuse it with Borgetti espresso liqueur, Absolut vanilla vodka and Chambord for a chocolatey profile that curiously slips in notes of star anise, a classic accompaniment to gingerbread.
Yeti to Party
The Press Room, 315 S. Main St., Greenville
The Press Room has refit itself as Après Ski Bar & Lounge for the season, this time featuring a gondola in its entryway with ski lodge decorations throughout. A ski lodge would hardly be complete without dark liquor, so for The Press Room we’re spotlighting Yeti to Party.
The cocktail is a play on an old fashioned using Maker’s Mark private barrel select and sugar cookie syrup for a drink that is spirit-forward and warms the belly.
Eggnog
Swordfish Cocktail Club, 220 E. Coffee St., Greenville
Swordfish has crafted a scratch-made eggnog that amplifies a holiday classic.
Eggnog’s overall sweetness with spicy secondary notes makes it an easy addition to any liquor, but especially a darker one. Swordfish has made its reputation as a creative cocktail bar that doesn’t cut corners with its concoctions, and the holiday cocktails are no exception. The pub also offers a chartreuse hot chocolate, ginger molasses cookies and hot buttered rum, all of which pique our interest.
‘Hot thottie’
Vault and Vator, 655 S. Main St., Greenville
Tucked-away speakeasy Vault and Vator has an officially unnamed seasonal cocktail. It’s the hideaway’s take on a hot toddy, and this one really has it going on. With an ingredient list about 14 items long, the occasionally dubbed “hot thottie” is an item you have to request to receive.
The bar mixes honey, maple syrup, cognac, rum and fig bourbon, amaro and herbs like cloves and cinnamon for a drink that may actually cure a cold with all its spices. Did you know that was the original function of a hot toddy? Although today it’s more of a recreational drink, it is also great for winter weather.
