You can turn any Martini into a Candy Cane Martini by adding a half ounce peppermint schnaps (or more to taste).

At Bagatelle, a bistro with locations in Los Angeles and New York, they’ve turned the concept into what they call the Père Noël (Father Christmas):

CANDY CANE MARTINI RECIPE

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. RIM glass with crushed candy canes.

2. LAYER puree/grenadine on the bottom of a Martini glass.

3. COMBINE, shake and layer the vodka, peppermint schnapps and crème de cacao.

4. COMBINE, shake and layer the cream and sugar.

5. TOP with candy cane crumbles and garnish with a candy cane.

VANILLA SUGAR RECIPE

Ingredients

You can buy vanilla sugar or make it by placing a vanilla bean in an airtight container of sugar. It’s a great way to use a vanilla bean that’s already been scraped for a prior recipe. Use vanilla sugar anywhere you’d use plain table sugar, for some added flavor. You can also make it for gifting.

 
Preparation

1. PLACE sugar into an airtight container.

2. SLICE a whole bean down the side with the back of a knife and scrape the seeds into the container.

3. SUBMERGE the bean itself in the middle of the sugar.

You can buy vanilla sugar if you don’t have time to make it. Photo courtesy Bakto Flavors.