Van Gogh BLUE

Cocktail Recipes for Holiday Entertaining

Filed under: Dining, Spirits, Holiday Guides

The Candy Cane Lane holiday cocktail by Van Gogh BLUE Vodka

Planning to throw a holiday party or an unforgettable New Years' Eve bash? We collected favorite cocktail recipes from some of the best mixologists around, all of which perfect for holiday entertaining.

Richard Leach, the head of the cocktail department at New York's Polynesian supper club, The Hurricane Club told us how to make his delicious banana, rum and fresh mint cocktail while Matthew Silverstein, the bar manager at Mario Batali's Del Posto gave us the recipe for his famous XO Champagne Cocktail. Olivier Flosse of New York's A Voce, shared his "Whisky del Frante" recipe while Chef Jon Ashton, in-house chef for Relish magazine, gave us his "Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert Shot". Finally, Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice, a zesty book brimming with cocktail recipes, gave us the secret for making her "Spiced Caramel Apple" cocktail (check out our related story that features Kara's best tips for throwing a cocktail party).

From Van Gogh Vodka's "Candy Cane Lane" to the "Sugar Cookie", your guests will love these festive cocktails. Try out a few recipes and let us know us which ones you like the best in the comment field below.

Candy Cane Lane (seen above)
2 1/2 oz Van Gogh BLUE Vodka
1 oz White crème de menthe
1/2 oz Peppermint schnapps
Cream
Splash of Grenadine
Peppermint candy for garnish

Add a dash of grenadine into the bottom of a chilled martini glass and set aside. Pour the rest of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into the glass with grenadine to create a "swirl" effect. Garnish with peppermint candy.

For more holiday cocktail recipes, click on any of the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Holiday Party Cocktail Recipes

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert Shots

Tags: A Voce, awards-main, Del Posto, food-pedia, Holiday cocktails, Hurricane Club, Kara Newman, luxist-awards, main-pedia, Mario Batali, New Years Eve, The Hurricane Club, Van Gogh BLUE, van gogh vodka

Van Gogh BLUE Vodka's Cocktails and Confessions Facebook Contest

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Van Gogh Blue Vodka's Cocktails & Confessions Contest

Van Gogh BLUE Vodka, the first ultra-premium vodka made from three international wheat sources, has launched a contest on Facebook giving readers the chance to win the ultimate "ladies night in" gift package hosted by celebrity chef Jon Ashton.

Ashton, the food correspondent for the nationally syndicated Morning Show "The Daily Buzz" along with a sous chef, will cook dinner for the winner of Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions Contest and 25 of his or her friends and family. The winner will also receive an American Express gift card with a $500 credit.

To participate in the contest, visit and "like" Van Gogh BLUE's Facebook page. Next, click on the "contest" tab to enter. Fill in a "gab lib" cocktail confession story about you and your friends. The 'story' will be judged on originality, humor and creativity.

Adults (21 years of age and older), can register to win the ultimate girls' night in Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions Contest. Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions contest runs from now through December 3, 2010.

Van Gogh Vodka is triple distilled in the Royal Dirkzwager distillery in Schiedam, Holland by Master Distiller, Tim Vos for an exceptionally polished taste with a smooth, neutral flavor full of subtle nuances from the three European grains. A Gold Medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Van Gogh BLUE is 80 proof and retails for $29 (750ml). For a festive cocktail featuring Van Gogh BLUE Vodka, see the slideshow below.

Tags: cocktail recipes, contest, Jon Ashton, Van Gogh Blue, van gogh vodka, vodka