Well, we're into Day 14 of this year's cocktail Advent calendar. We've completed our celebration of Mary and have moved into our Week 3 theme: Spirit of the Season. This is nice and vague and covers anything from Christmas greetings to holiday activities. So we're starting off with the most iconic Spirit of the Season carol we could think of: O Tannenbaum.
The melody for O Tannenbaum (German for "O Christmas Tree") is a 16th century folk song. In the mid-1800's, the modern lyrics first appeared as a tragic love song but were then transformed into the carol we know when composer Ernst Anschütz added a few verses about the faithfulness of the evergreen. Christmas trees were also becoming more popular at this time, so the carol ultimately lost its melancholy origins and became a song of holiday celebration.
The O Tannenbaum Cocktail
2 parts vodka (we used Odd Society's East Van Vodka)
1/2 part Douglas Fir liqueur (we used Clear Creek Distillery's)
1/2 part rose hip syrup
1/4 of a large Asian pear, muddled
3 dashes lemon bitters
ice
cocktail glass
Muddle chopped pear in cocktail shaker. Add vodka, fir liqueur, rose hip syrup, and bitters. Shake over ice. Double strain into cocktail glass.
Cocktail Notes
We have to admit, we lucked out a bit this year. A lot of the holiday drinks we are seeing are using fir infusions or fir liqueurs. We've been planning these drinks since October, so we like to think we're ahead of the curve when Kate said back around Canadian Thanksgiving "Must. Have. Douglas Fir Liqueur." We're SO "on trend".
For this drink, we initially considered a nice botanical gin, but then we tried the East Van Vodka from Odd Society and realized it would be a great fit. The East Van Vodka isn't tasteless, but lightly fragrant, reminding us of a high-quality sake. It enhances the fir and the rose hip flavours.
Listen Along
Sometimes, you want some festive German family from the mid-eighties singing you a Christmas carol. You're welcome.
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