These Festive Drinks Pair Nicely with a Cheesy Holiday Movie

Dana Kay Thompson

It’s time to round up the year’s most popular recipes, and there are some great ones: Mu Shu Mushrooms from Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco and Moroccan Carrot Salad from Denver’s Safta were just a few of the delicious recipes Sunset published this year. But, it’s also time to really dig into the festive nature of the holiday season. To do that, we’ve identified some drinks that are absolutely brimming with cheer, like this recipe for Tiki Nog, currently available at Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson’s Holiday Party tiki pop-up in Los Angeles. It’s simple but covers all the tiki, holiday bases with dairy, rum, sugar, and spices. For a wholesome, warming treat, I recommend this champurrado, a Mexican hot chocolate that’s been thickened with masa. The recipe comes from Oscar Michel of Tacos Oscar in Oakland, whose family serves the cozy drink throughout the holidays. There’s a lot to do between now and the end of the year, so get snuggled up, pour yourself a warm (or warming) drink, and give in to the holiday movie marathon that we all deserve (I’d start with A Christmas Story if I were you.) Cheers!

Thomas J. Story

If You See Me Stocking up on Pomegranates at the Farmers’ Market This Weekend, Here’s Why

If you see me at the farmers’ market this Sunday with a reusable Baggu bag full of pomegranates in one hand and a baguette in the other, it’s because I’m stocking up on ingredients to make my favorite holiday sparkling wine drink: Pomegranate Fizzies. (FYI the baguette is just a snack and has nothing to do with this recipe.) This drink is my favorite way to start off any Christmas party for three reasons: you only need three ingredients, it incorporates seasonal produce, and you can easily make a non-alcoholic version with sparkling apple cider for the non-drinkers among us. The main gist of the recipe: fill a glass about ¾ full with an extra dry sparkling wine (Gruet Winery’s Brut is great, and affordable at $15), add a splash of pomegranate juice (preferably from your farmers’ market, but POM Wonderful pomegranate juice works too), then drop in a few pomegranate seeds. That’s all there is to it.

Thomas J. Story