Bourbon Grapefruit Smash

It’s easy to feel a little food-ed out by this point in December. After weeks of holiday parties and Christmas itself, all the excess starts to feel a little… excessive. While everyone is swearing they’ll never eat again, at least until breakfast, and since one of the biggest drinking nights of the year is this weekend (the biggest drinking of the night is not New Year’s Eve, but the night before Thanksgiving) I thought I’d dedicate a post to holiday drinking instead of holiday eating.

While I spend days obsessing over what to cook for friends for any given occasion, what we’ll be drinking is always an afterthought. Typically a few bottles of wine grabbed at the last minute, or a cocktail made out of whatever happens to be in the house.

Thankfully I have a great resource, and source of cocktail inspiration, at my disposal. My friend Paul Weinstein, who I went to high school with in Pittsburgh, ended up living in the Hamptons, too.  He works for Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack and over the last year has taught me a lot about wine… I have split many bottles with him purely in the interest of learning. Paul shared some great tips for choosing cocktails and wines – and making everyone think you actually know what you’re doing. Hopefully these guidelines will come in handy for your New Year’s Eve party- or any party!

Party Booze Tips 101 

1. Pop a bottle of champagne or Prosecco when your guests arrive to ease everyone into conversation- the “pop” of the bottle opening really starts the party!

2. Don’t go overboard with festive cocktails. One is enough!  At the end of the day, most people already have drinking preferences and will stick to them.

3. For simplicity’s sake, pick one type of red and one type of white – think Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, or Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Part of being a good host is making sure your guests’ wine glasses are always full – so make it easy on yourself and eliminate the guess work!

4. Remember to chill your whites….and your reds! If you’re starting with cocktails, take the red wines out of the fridge when the guests arrive. By the time you get around to drinking them at dinner, they will be at perfect cellar temperature (around 60 degrees). This is an easy way to take your wine game to the next level and make everyone think you really know your stuff.

5. Local wine shops can be a fantastic resource and can help you find delicious wines and great values no matter your price range.

Because one festive cocktail is okay, I thought I’d share one of my favorites- a little concoction I call a Bourbon Grapefruit Smash. Inspired by a classic Bourbon Smash, which is made with muddled mint, lemon juice and bourbon, this is a holiday-inspired riff that uses fresh rosemary in place of the mint, and grapefruit juice instead of lemon juice. I also add Lillet blanc, an aperitif wine, for a little bit of sweetness and depth of flavor.

This is one of my favorite wintry cocktails, and it packs a serious punch! The recipe only makes two drinks, so if I’m planning on making more, I make a big pitcher of the grapefruit juice, bourbon and Lillet mixture (keeping the proportions the same!) and shake it in smaller batches.