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.

A limited-edition treat: grab a bottle or two.
Photo courtesy Grand Marnier.

Grab a bottle of the limited release Grand Marnier Cherry, the new, elegant, complex expression from Grand Marnier.

In fact, grab several: one for yourself and others for gifts.

Grand Marnier’s famous flavor of wild tropical oranges and fine Cognac is enhanced with European griotte cherries. The result is a treat that stirs up the holiday spirit.

Grand Marnier Cherry is available in limited quantities, a USA release only…and a guaranteed treat for anyone who enjoys fine spirit.

Enjoy it neat, over ice, with club soda or in a signature cocktail (there are recipes on the Grand Marnier website).

We loved it poured over sorbet (cherry, lemon, mango, peach) and drizzled over pudding, pound cake or angel food cake.
 
Find more of our favorite spirits in our Cocktails & Spirits section.

You can curl beets (as well as carrots, turnips and other root vegetables) by cutting a continuous ribbon from the raw vegetable; then steam lightly.

Add baby lettuces, toasted walnuts, and your choice of blue cheese, feta or goat cheese for a flavorful Christmas salad.

Other ways to make curled vegetable garnishes:

Here are more ideas for Christmas salads and a beet salad recipe.

This no-bake recipe produces a ball similar to a cake pop. No sticks are needed, but you can add them if you like (if you want to make pops, make the balls a bit larger).

The “chocolate cake” center is made from crushed Oreos and cream cheese icing (we made ours—here’s the recipe—but you can purchase it).

Finely crushed peppermint is mixed in, the mixture is rolled into balls; the balls are coated in white chocolate and sprinkled with more crushed peppermint.

You can add lollipop sticks to make cake pops.

The recipe is courtesy Lauryn Cohen, a.k.a. Bella Baker.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1, CRUSH Oreo cookies and 3 tablespoons of the peppermint candies together in a food processor (a mini food processor works nicely here!)

2. ADD cream cheese icing, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture becomes moist and can easily be rolled.

3. ROLL into balls a little bit bigger than the size of cherries. Once the entire mixture has been rolled into balls, place balls in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. MELT the white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring vigorously in between interval. It should take 2-3 intervals to melt entirely.

5. DROP a ball, one at a time, into the melted chocolate to coat; using two forks, lift the ball out. Gently tap any excess chocolate through the tines of the fork. Use the second fork to help slide the truffle ball off of the first fork and onto a piece of parchment paper.

6. IMMEDIATELY SPRINKLE the truffle ball with some of the reserved crushed peppermint candies. Repeat with remaining truffle balls. Let white chocolate set in the fridge before serving.
 
 
March 6th is National Oreo Day.

Here’s the history of Oreos
  

Whether for your own guests, as Christmas gifts or host/hostess gifts, pick up some Christmas beers.

Anchor Christmas Ale and Samuel Adams have good national distribution for their holiday brews, and your regional microbrewer no doubt has a seasonal special ale, beer, porter or stout. Here’s a list of Christmas brews.

A Christmas ale is typically rich and dark ale, brewed with special holiday spices and often, a higher alcohol content to ward off the winter chill. However, even wheat beers, the lightest style, get the holiday treatment.

Different brewers use cinnamon, clove, coriander, ginger, nutmeg and/or vanilla, and perhaps a touch of honey.

Christmas ale makes a holiday beer drinking more special. It’s a welcome holiday gift, stocking stuffer or host gift for beer lovers.

Merry Mischief is a gingerbread-spiced beer from Samuel Adams. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Cranberry Lambic is a crisp fruit beer that delivers rich cranberry flavor along with notes of banana, clove and nutmeg. While many people enjoy a lambic with dessert, some astringency and tartness makes this beer companionable to any course. It’s perfect with roast turkey.

Holiday Porter is a rich, robust, smooth and malty: Four different types of malted barley plus a dash of flaked oats are used in the brew. The deep roasted flavors pair well with hearty or spicy fare.

Merry Mischief is a rich, smooth and sweet dark gingerbread stout with the enticing aromas of the holidays. The intensity of cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg evoke the flavor of fresh gingerbread. Although it can be enjoyed with most foods, we especially liked it with gingerbread cookies and carrot cake.

Winter Lager is a full-bodied, malty, spicy lager with a deep ruby color and a “holiday” aroma of cinnamon and ginger; there’s also a hint of orange peel. The spices and roasty sweetness of the malts pair beautifully with Thai food and other spicy dishes where the chile heat needs to be subdued.

Head to your nearest store and stock up.

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER?

Browse through our Beer Glossary.