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BY KIMBERLY COOPER
brThere’s one in every family: the dreaded person who doles out homemadebrChristmas gifts each year. You’ve probably moaned and groaned a few times whilebraccepting these made-from-scratch treasures (“Oh great, another pair of knittedbrsocks!”). But handcrafted gifts don’t have to make you feel so blasé. Shatter thebrtired stereotype this year by stirring up some homemade gifts that are sure to delight:brholiday cocktails.br
CRANBERRY LIME VODKA
brThere are some liquors that are meant to be drunk neat, without any panache. Othersbrare just yearning for some extra vibrancy. Case in point, vodka. Cranberry lime vodka isbra perfect homemade holiday gift for the cocktail lover. It is simple to make and goes wellbrwith lemon-lime sodas or tonic water. The preparation is simple. Grab a mason jar, a lime,brsome sugar, and a bag of cranberries. Poke a hole in each of the cranberries with a pin orbrtip of a knife and place them in the mason jar. Slice off the rind of the lime and toss thatbrin the jar with the cranberries. Add in 1/4 cup of sugar; then fill the jar to the rim withbrvodka. Cover the jar, give it a good shake, and then store it somewhere. Every couple ofbrdays, shake the jar. Two weeks of steeping time and this delectable cranberry lime vodkabrconcoction is ready for consumption.br
HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO
brAnother fun holiday cocktail is homemade limoncello, and this one here is a crowdpleaser.brSimply grab 10 lemons and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins in longbrstrips. Place the peels in a large pitcher, then pour a bottle of vodka over the peels. Steepbrthe lemon peels in the vodka for four days before combining 3 1/2 cups of water andbr2 1/2 cups of sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour thebrsugar mixture into the lemon mixture and stir. Let it sit overnight, strain out the junk, andbrthen bottle it up.br
GIFTS FOR THE COCKTAIL DRINKER
brIf you don’t have the urge, or the time, to create homemade libations, you can alwaysbrpurchase something for the cocktail lover. Consider whiskey stones for the person whobrprefers their drinks on the rocks or a carbonation machine for anyone who likes to throwbrcocktail parties.
brThere’s one in every family: the dreaded person who doles out homemadebrChristmas gifts each year. You’ve probably moaned and groaned a few times whilebraccepting these made-from-scratch treasures (“Oh great, another pair of knittedbrsocks!”). But handcrafted gifts don’t have to make you feel so blasé. Shatter thebrtired stereotype this year by stirring up some homemade gifts that are sure to delight:brholiday cocktails.br
CRANBERRY LIME VODKA
brThere are some liquors that are meant to be drunk neat, without any panache. Othersbrare just yearning for some extra vibrancy. Case in point, vodka. Cranberry lime vodka isbra perfect homemade holiday gift for the cocktail lover. It is simple to make and goes wellbrwith lemon-lime sodas or tonic water. The preparation is simple. Grab a mason jar, a lime,brsome sugar, and a bag of cranberries. Poke a hole in each of the cranberries with a pin orbrtip of a knife and place them in the mason jar. Slice off the rind of the lime and toss thatbrin the jar with the cranberries. Add in 1/4 cup of sugar; then fill the jar to the rim withbrvodka. Cover the jar, give it a good shake, and then store it somewhere. Every couple ofbrdays, shake the jar. Two weeks of steeping time and this delectable cranberry lime vodkabrconcoction is ready for consumption.br
HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO
brAnother fun holiday cocktail is homemade limoncello, and this one here is a crowdpleaser.brSimply grab 10 lemons and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins in longbrstrips. Place the peels in a large pitcher, then pour a bottle of vodka over the peels. Steepbrthe lemon peels in the vodka for four days before combining 3 1/2 cups of water andbr2 1/2 cups of sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour thebrsugar mixture into the lemon mixture and stir. Let it sit overnight, strain out the junk, andbrthen bottle it up.br
GIFTS FOR THE COCKTAIL DRINKER
brIf you don’t have the urge, or the time, to create homemade libations, you can alwaysbrpurchase something for the cocktail lover. Consider whiskey stones for the person whobrprefers their drinks on the rocks or a carbonation machine for anyone who likes to throwbrcocktail parties.
