Get into the holiday spirits with these winter cocktail recipes

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. gin

Orange peel garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange peel. At Cherry Street on Lavaca Street, the bartenders use Carpano Antica vermouth for its lush depth and Damrak gin from Amsterdam, and serve the drink on the rocks. The Negroni can also be served without ice.

Moscow Mule

1.5 oz. Sobieski Vodka

0.5 oz. lime juice

3 oz. Blenheim Ginger Beer

Lime wheel for garnish

Pour vodka and ginger beer over crushed ice, stir. Garnish with a lime wheel. The Moscow Mule is not always listed on the menu at Bar Congress or Second Bar + Kitchen, but it can always be ordered from one of the bartenders there.

Poinsettia

1 oz. dry curacao

0.25 oz. lemon juice

0.75 oz. cranberry juice

Orange peel for garnish

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a champagne flute. Top off the glass with Brut Rosé and garnish with an orange peel. Bartender Travis Tober at the Four Seasons prefers the Pierre Ferrand Curacao in this cocktail because its dry profile helps keep the drink from tasting overly sweet.

Classic Gin Martini

2.5 oz. gin

2 bar spoons dry vermouth

Lemon twist and two olives for garnish

Combine the gin and vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. At Liberty Tavern, general manager Michael Creecy prefers using Plymouth gin and Noilly Pratt dry vermouth, and garnishing with both a lemon twist and olives to incorporate that extra kiss of citrus and brine.

Eggnog

1 bottle Balcones True Blue

12 oz. maple syrup

32 oz. eggnog (more eggnog can be added to taste)

Mix ingredients together in a pitcher or punch bowl and allow to marry refrigerated for at least two hours. Top each serving with grated nutmeg and/or cinnamon. Bad Dog Bar Craft’s Lara Nixon uses Balcones True Blue for the whiskey in this concoction. The spirit is a higher proof than Balcones’ Baby Blue, making the whiskey flavors more prominent in the mix.

Gin and Tonic

1.5 oz. gin

0.75 oz. Haddingtons house tonic syrup

Lime wedge for garnish

In a collins glass, pour gin over ice. Add syrup. Top with tonic water. Stir until ingredients are integrated. Garnish with lime wedge. At Haddingtons, the bar staff create their house tonic from a number of botanicals including cinchona bark, lemongrass and citrus. A traditional London Dry style gin, Broker’s, is their base spirit of choice.