Festive Holiday Cocktails

The holidays wouldn't be complete without festive holiday cocktails. But rather than serving your guests a glass of wine, you can make the evening more special with a festive, holiday-themed drink.

In The Early Show's "Five-Minute Cooking School" Wednesday, in conjunction with specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma, cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie

Ritchie showed co-anchor Hannah Storm her methods, at the Williams-Sonoma flagship store in Manhattan.

RECIPES

Cranberry martinis: Ritchie shows the basic tools you need to make this drink. You don't have spend a lot for basic bar tools. The tools she calls for to make this one are a cocktail shaker, chilled martini glasses, and a tray for carrying the drinks. She shows how to combine the ingredients, the importance of shaking, then straining the results into glasses that have already been chilled.

The traditional martini is given a holiday hue with a splash of cranberry juice. Shaking the ingredients vigorously in a cocktail shaker as instructed below helps to chill and blend the contents thoroughly.

Ice cubes
1 cup vodka
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup cranberry juice
8 cranberries, frozen
4 lemon zest twists

Put 4 martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Pour in the vodka, vermouth and cranberry juice. Cover with the lid and shake vigorously up and down for about 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled glasses, dividing evenly. Garnish each glass with 2 frozen cranberries and a lemon twist. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Entertaining, by George Dolese (Oxmoor House, 2004).

Virgin Cosmos: Who said that all great beverages have to have alcohol? This is a great, delicious drink, especially for guests who are driving back home. Ritchie advises preparing this one in a shaker like the martini drink, but it's sometimes easier to prepare a large batch using a beautiful pitcher. She shows how easy it is to decorate the rims with festive, colored sugars made for this type of drink.

Cranberry juice is featured in a nonalcoholic version of the cosmopolitan, replacing the usual vodka with fresh tangerine juice. It's a perfect drink for the winter holidays. Shaking the ingredients vigorously in a cocktail shaker as instructed below helps to chill and blend the contents thoroughly.

Ice cubes
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup fresh tangerine juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 lime zest twists

Put 4 martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Pour in the cranberry juice, tangerine juice and lime juice. Cover with the lid and shake vigorously up and down for 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled glasses, dividing evenly. Garnish each glass with a lime twist. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Entertaining, by George Dolese (Oxmoor House, 2004).Eggnog with Nutmeg and Cinnamon: Homemade eggnog is a world apart from the purchased stuff. You simply can't celebrate the season without a sip of eggnog. Ritchie concedes that store-made eggnogs are convenient, but says they're not nearly as tasty. Her recipe is simple. She shows how to whisk in the ingredients, the importance of heat to avoid curdling, and when to incorporate the brandy.

Here, eggnog is topped with sweetened whipped cream and freshly ground spices.

1 or 2 whole nutmegs
1 cinnamon stick
12 egg yolks
4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brandy, Cognac, rum or bourbon

Using a nutmeg grater or the smallest rasps on a handheld grater-shredder, grate the nutmeg until you have about 1 tsp. In a spice grinder or a coffee grinder reserved for spices, grind the cinnamon stick. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, 2 cups of the milk and 1 cup of the sugar. Place over low heat and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining 2 cups milk and let cool.

In a bowl, using a handheld mixer or whisk, whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Strain the cooled mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into a serving pitcher or a small punch bowl. Stir in the brandy. Serve the eggnog in cups or glasses, topped with a dollop of the whipped cream and a sprinkle each of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Serves 8 to 10. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Christmas Entertaining, by Georgeanne Brennan (Simon & Schuster, 2005).

Holiday Coffee with Spiced Whipped Cream: Who doesn't love an adult version of this caffeinated drink? This recipe uses mulling spices, the ones traditionally bought to prepare mulled wine or cider recipe, but uses them instead in the whipped cream. The scents of these spices will make anyone feel more in the holiday spirit. Ritchie shows how to create the whipped cream as well as top off a delicious cup of coffee.

1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbs. mulling spices
3 cups freshly brewed hot coffee
4 oz. brandy

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, 2 Tbs. of the sugar and the mulling spices. When the cream starts to bubble around the edges, remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour. Using a whisk, beat the cream mixture until stiff peaks form.

Divide the coffee and brandy among 4 large coffee mugs or bowls, add 2 tsp. sugar to each and stir to combine. Top each with a large dollop of the spiced whipped cream and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.