No matter how busy the holiday season gets, there’s one thing I never skip – creating a festive bar and a great signature cocktail recipe to celebrate the season. And this year, mama needs her cocktail more than ever! So I’ve partnered with Absolut and used their stunning limited edition Electrik bottle (featuring the same Absolut Original Vodka we all know and love) as inspiration to kick my holiday bar up a notch. This vodka cocktail recipe is going to be in rotation long past the holiday season.

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The look is all about a new mix of metallics. Adding bold shots of silver and hints of sparkle feels fresh and full of energy. The silver accents really pop when juxtaposed with the sea of gold and brass the design world has been floating in. For this year’s bar cart, we stuck with an edited color palette to ground the metallics. Black candle holders, smokey black tumblers and a few noir accents are just the bit of edgy glam I crave. And the festive addition of a eucalyptus garland accented with black berries feels chic and uber modern but still totally festive. It certainly makes me want to get the party started!

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And then there’s my signature cocktail! I knew I had to immediately turn to my resident libation expert Ashley. She’s killing it with her recently launched venture Craft & Cocktails. I’m in love with this recipe. Served in an updated take on stemware, drizzled in glitter and garnished with silver leaf, any holiday night out is guaranteed to have a stunning start.

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THE APARTMENT 34 SPARKLER

Ingredients

2 oz Absolut Original Vodka
4 oz sparkling wine
3/4 oz grapefruit rosemary oleo saccharum (recipe below)
1/4 ounce lemon juice
Rosemary sprig garnish
Edible silver leaf garnish

Directions
Make the oleo saccharum at least 4 hours before. With a lemon slice, run it around a champagne flute. Roll it over a sheet of silver leaf or use a clean paintbrush to dab it on. In a shaker with ice, mix oleo saccharum, vodka and lemon juice for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass and add the champagne. Stir, garnish with rosemary sprig and enjoy.

Grapefruit Rosemary Oleo Saccharum (citrus oil syrup)
6 grapefruit, peels only
9 oz sugar
2 stalks rosemary, destemmed

Peel grapefruits, reserving fruit and juice for other cocktails. Be careful not to remove too much of the white pith or it will make the syrup bitter. Place peels in a bowl along with rosemary. Pour sugar over and mix with your hands or muddle to start breaking down the sugar. Let this sit for 4 hours or overnight. You will know it is ready when all of the sugar has been dissolved by the citrus and herb oils. Strain and place in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

*the silver leaf is delicate and will stick to just about anything, so handle it gently. One sheet is good to garnishing 2-3 glasses.

**oleo saccharum is simply an oil sugar syrup. It’s easier than a simple syrup because it doesn’t require cooking. It adds not only a nice texture to a drink, but the oils enhance the citrus flavor without diluting with too much juice.

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As a new mom, it can be a little hard to motivate when I look at my jam packed holiday calendar, but the Apartment 34 Sparkler makes me want to put on my dangly earrings, slip into some killer heels and paint the town. No one has to know that I might be back in bed by 10pm :P.

I hope you raise the energy of your holiday nights this season!

original recipe, styling and photography for apartment 34 by craft & cocktails

This post is in partnership with Absolut. Please enjoy responsibly. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. To learn more about Absolut Electrik click here. Thanks for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34’s doors open.

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6 Comments

  1. What a gorgeous post! I love the style of thus shoot. Just found your site and look forward to seeing a lot more! Wonderful !

  2. Love the setting, bar design, wreath… the drink sounds so wonderful, I’d need more than 1…

  3. Sounds delightful. Love the colour scheme. Any chance you can share where the black diamond-pattern vase holding the evergreen boughs is from? I must have it! Thanks.