Forget the Nog – Put Some Jingle in Your Bells With These 5 Bourbon Cocktails

Hey, you. Put down that egg nog. Just put it down right now and back away slowly. Men don't drink nog. You know that. The only reason it was invented in the first place was as a way to get the receptionist drunk at the office holiday party. (And if you've ever in your life said "Dude, I'm noggin' so hard right now!" I'm going to have to ask you to turn in your man card immediately.)

This season you're going to celebrate with the drink you drink the rest of the year: Bourbon. And since it's the holidays, you don't have to drink it neat either. We've asked two of our favorite distilleries, Basil Hayden's and Knob Creek, to hit us with a few recipes for some charred-American-oak-aged cheer.

Here are 5 bourbon cocktails guaranteed to put a little jingle in your bells.

Basil Hayden's Holiday Cocktails

Holiday Spice

(by Joaquin Simo)

2 parts Basil Hayden's Bourbon
3/4 parts Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 part Maple Syrup
1/4 part Amaretto
3 dashes Angostura bitters

1. Combine Basil Hayden’s, lemon juice, maple syrup, Amaretto and bitters in a mixing tin with ice and shake vigorously.
2. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
3. Grate a cinnamon stick over the top as garnish.

Spinning Dreidel

(by Max Toste)

2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1 part Pomegranate Juice
1 tablespoon Fig Preserve
1 bar spoon Fresh Lemon Juice
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Blitzen’s Bourbon

(by Duggan McDonnell)

2 Parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1 Reindeer Spice Syrup (recipe below)
2 Dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Orange Peel

1. In an old-fashioned glass, combine all ingredients and stir 20 times.
2. Garnish with an orange peel.

**Reindeer Spice Syrup**
3 Apples, peeled and diced
5 Large Cinnamon Sticks
1 cup Walnuts
2 cups Sugar
3 Cups Water

1. Place the diced apples into water and boil, then reduce heat to low.
2. Briefly toast cinnamon sticks and walnuts in a saucepan, then transfer into apple mixture.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Gently stir in the 2 cups of sugar, thoroughly stirring, and remove from heat.
5. Once mixture has cooled, strain and press the juice and flavor from the boiled apples back in the mix.

Knob Creek Holiday Cocktails

Knob Creek's Hot Toddy

1 1/2 Parts Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Orange Slice
Lemon wedge
3 - 5 whole cloves
Hot water
Honey

1. In a pre-warmed coffee mug, muddle cloves first then orange and lemon.
2. Add Knob Creek and top with hot water.
3. Add honey as desired and stir with a cinnamon stick.