Tens of thousands follow lifestyle blogger Camille Styles’s Instagram account, and now she’s taken her creative party-planning expertise to new heights with her first book, Camille Styles Entertaining. If you’re looking for the perfect excuse to invite friends over to celebrate the season, Styles’s book offers just what you need: classic winter cocktail recipes that only require a few essentials.
“The top five ingredients that I keep on hand for winter cocktails are sparkling wine, gin, St-Germain, simple syrup, and citrus fruit—like lemons and oranges,” Styles tells InStyle. Check out three delicious recipes from her book below.1. Elderflower Ginger Fizz
“There’s no better way to get guests mingling than a specialty cocktail that’s fizzy and bubbly,” Styles says. “This is perfect for stress-free hosting, and it feels really special because of the sophisticated St-Germain and spicy ginger syrup.”
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1½ ounces St-Germain
1 ounce ginger syrup
½ ounce lemon juice
4 ounces Champagne or other sparkling wine
2 maraschino cherries (look for the Luxardo brand—it’s pricey but known among bartenders as the “king” of maraschino cherries)
Directions:
1. Pour the St-Germain into a Champagne flute.
2. Add the ginger syrup and lemon juice and stir to combine.
3. Top with Champagne and garnish with the maraschino cherries.
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2. Orchard Punch
Don’t be stuck playing bartender at your own party. Instead, try this cider-spiced punch. “This is perfect, so all of your thirsty guests can serve themselves,” Styles says. Plus, “a giant spiked punch bowl doubles as a gorgeous holiday centerpiece on the buffet table.”
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
½ 750 ml bottle sweet riesling
1 red apple, cored and sliced
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 cup apple juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
750 ml hard apple cider
Whole star anise
Directions:
1. Pour the riesling into a large pitcher and then add the apples, apple juice, and lemon juice.
2. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
3. Just before serving, add the cider and divide equally among ice-filled highball glasses.
4. Garnish with star anise and serve.
3. Toasted Almond Coffee
Adding heavy cream to this spiked coffee makes it as “decadent as a cup of hot cocoa,” Styles says. An added bonus? “It simplifies things for the hostess at the end of a great dinner party since it counts as both after-dinner cocktails and dessert.”
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1 shot plus 1 tsp amaretto liqueur
1 tsp agave syrup
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp confectioners’ sugar
6 oz. hot brewed coffee
Chocolate shavings
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
1. In a heatproof mug, combine 1 shot of amaretto and the agave syrup. Stir to dissolve.
2. In a chilled bowl, beat the cream on high until soft peaks form.
3. Add 1 tsp amaretto and the confectioners’ sugar and beat just to combine.
4. Pour the coffee into the amaretto and agave mixture and stir.
5. Top with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
6. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
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