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Cointreau Cocktail Hour

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Cointreau Cocktail Hour

Home is where Cocktail Hour is and this year especially, our humble abodes will become the most sought-after holiday destinations. While the season may look a little different this year, we are reimagining what it means to be Home for the Holidays with new exclusive Cointreau cocktail recipes, holiday hosting how-tos, bar cart styling tips and more.

Holiday Hosting Guide

Cointreau has collaborated with The Home Edit to provide unique ways to elevate your holidays while embracing the joy of time spent at home. Hollywood favorites Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin are not only interior design mavens, best-selling authors and Netflix darlings but also self-proclaimed cocktail enthusiasts, ready to inspire your seasonal celebrations and next Cocktail Hour with Cointreau.

Download The Holiday Hosting Guide

Stocking Your Bar Cart

Nothing simplifies holiday hosting more than a bar cart. When guests can serve themselves all night, everyone wins! We recommend a bar cart on wheels, which allows it to move where the party moves and then back to the kitchen when items need replenishing. Three staples our bar cart always has? Cointreau, a base spirit like vodka and fresh fruit! When mixing up a variety of cocktails for your guests this holiday, Cointreau is a must-have. This iconic orange liqueur is at the heart of more than 350 of the world’s most celebrated cocktails, including The Original Margarita, The Cosmopolitan, and The Sidecar. It pairs perfectly with any base spirit to mix up a classic cocktail.

01

Hosting Hacks

Create a signature cocktail for the night, display the recipe and invite your guests to channel their inner mixologist. Set up all the ingredients ahead of time, including an ice bucket, and any garnishes, glasses, and tools that are needed. We also suggest prepping a batch ahead of time and welcoming guests with the cocktail as they arrive. One of my favorites is “Everything’s Coming Up Rose” from Cointreau, it’s the perfect go-to bubbly cocktail to celebrate any occasion. It’s easy to create and engaging for any virtual guests, knowing this holiday season may look different for gatherings. Set up an area in the main entertaining space with a screen (tablet or laptop) to make your virtual guests still feel a part of the festivities.

02

Themed Décor

When it comes to styling your bar cart, stick to the same color palette as your signature cocktail. Incorporate items such as linen napkins, colored straws, floral garland, candles and decorative glassware. For example, a Cosmopolitan is the perfect shade of blush pink, which you can play off of for decor, and mix with holiday shades of deeper reds and greens. You can also utilize risers and turntables on the bar cart to maximize space and provide easier accessibility, while also creating some depth and height. It’s best to also think about the cocktails your guests will make and the steps that go into it, ensuring the set-up provides a seamless flow (pro-tip: create small cards to place throughout the cart walking guests through each step). Going the extra mile with your bar cart allows for a fun and unique focal point in the room and it also makes for a great Instagrammable moment.

03

Festive Menu

When cocktails are involved, light snacks should be too. You can never go wrong with some hors d’oeuvres that are assembly-only, such as a charcuterie board! Mix it up with a variety of nuts, cheeses, crackers, dried or fresh fruit, honey or jams and more. We love creating these large boards and platters for parties as they cater to a variety of taste buds, and you can really tailor the board to complement your holiday cocktail offerings. We’re loving , The Color Coded Cosmo, an exclusive Cosmopolitan-inspired cocktail we created with Cointreau. With this, we’d serve a light and effervescent salad with a tangy vinaigrette to balance the sweetness of the cocktail and complement Cointreau’s flavor profiles.

04

Holiday Gifting

Through the years, we have found that it’s a game-changer to have a go-to holiday giftable on hand at home and to keep a few ready to gift whenever and wherever you need. One of our favorite gifts is a chic cocktail kit that has everything you need to make the perfect Classic Cosmopolitan or The Original Margarita... a bottle of Cointreau, a bottle of vodka or tequila, cranberry or lime juice, salt, recipe cards, a shaker and a citrus squeezer! You really can’t go wrong with a beautifully curated cocktail kit and if you are really feeling creative, you can customize these with fun gift boxes, baskets and holiday cards too.

05

Recipes

This holiday season, don’t forget the most important piece – cocktails! Cointreau has released brand new recipes just in time for your social-distanced or virtual gatherings, from twists on The Classic Cosmopolitan to festive flavors sure to please your guests including exclusive cocktails crafted in partnership with The Home Edit’s very own Clea and Joanna. Mix up your favorite and show us what you’re sipping on this season!

The Cosmopolitan


Take these trending ingredients for a spin in your next Cosmopolitan. We’re talking everything from Cinnamon to Champagne.

The Margarita


Deck the halls (and your cocktail glasses) with these festive flavors.

Cocktails For A Crowd


Three’s a crowd but it also means time to up the ante
with cocktails fit for a (socially distanced) gathering.

Cocktail Tips

SELECTING FRUITS THAT ARE IN SEASON

Details matter and selecting in season fruits will turn up the volume on any cocktail creation.

  1. The fresher and more local you are able to source your fruit, the more fully expressed your drink’s flavor profile will be.
  2. Of course, many fruits like bananas and kiwi are available year-round. But adding some local blackberries in late summer or a blood orange in winter, for instance, will turn any tropical drink from just fine to fantastic.
  3. Ask your local farmer’s market for what’s in season.

HOW TO GARNISH COCKTAILS

It wouldn’t be a tropical drink without a fruit garnish! Here’s how to garnish your cocktail like a pro.

  1. For a simple twist, use a vegetable peeler or bartender’s channel knife to remove a thin strip of zest with as little of the pith as possible. Twist it around your finger for that classic spiral shape.
  2. For a wedge, start by cutting off the ends of any citrus fruit, then slice it into manageable, finger-width pieces—it should be easy for the drinker to squeeze a fruit wedge into their cocktail. You can also cut a slit in the middle of the wedge so it can sit nicely on the rim of the glass.
  3. For small, round fruits like cherries, berries or lychees, don’t overthink it. Just remove any large seeds or pits and spear them onto a cocktail stick.

HOW TO BATCH COCKTAILS FOR A CROWD

Throwing a party? Whether you’re mixing for a group of 4 or 10, batching your cocktails is the way to go.

  1. Start by pouring the ingredients with the largest volumes (juices, spirits bases, etc.) into a pitcher. Work your way downward from there.
  2. Aromatics like bitters, spices, and flavored simple syrups can be tricky to scale. Start with about half of what you think you’ll need and then work your way up. Remember: you can always add more, if needed.
  3. Before serving, add your sparklings. Soda water and Champagne can be poured directly into the glass after you’ve served the base, that way your drinks are still perfectly fizzy.

HOW TO PROPERLY OPEN A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE

Show all your friends you have the savoir faire to properly open a bottle of Champagne.

  1. Chill the bottle. Bubbly should be served between 47-50°F.
  2. Use a wine key or small knife to cut off the foil below the lip of the bottle.
  3. Wrap a napkin or hand towel around the cork.
  4. With one thumb held down on the cork, untwist its wire cage.
  5. Twist the bottle (not the cork) and carefully pull the cork away from the bottle until it pops out.
  6. Remove any residue or cork dust, then you’re ready to serve. Try The Sparkling Margarita for an effervescent twist on a classic.

HOW TO STOCK YOUR HOME BAR

When stocking your home bar, it comes down to your unique tastes and what you like to drink.

Here are the basics:

  1. Liqueurs. Cointreau is a no-brainer! This is where you build out your quiver with the flavors you find most inspiring.
  2. Base spirits. Invest in quality products, which will serve as the backbones for almost any cocktail – think vodka, tequila etc.
  3. Mixers. A good bartender always keeps club soda and tonic handy. A great bartender keeps their preferred bitters at the ready.
  4. Garnishes. Try citrus wedges and rimming salts for your spring/summer cocktails, and cinnamon and olives for the robust fall/winter creations.

GET TO KNOW YOUR BUBBLE OPTIONS

Nothing gives a cocktail that joie de vivre like a dose of bubbly—but selecting the right bubbles is key.

  1. It’s hard to go wrong with Champagne—just be careful with your other ingredients to avoid an overly sweet flavor profile.
  2. Opt for seltzer, the most crisp and clean of carbonated waters, to bring out the flavor of the spirits.
  3. While club soda might seem similar to seltzer it actually features a few added trace compounds for a marginally more mineral taste.
  4. Tonic water has about the same fizziness of seltzer, with a distinct bitter taste due to the addition of quinine. Tonic pairs well with sweet, fresh, and vegetal flavor profiles.