'Tis the Cocktail Season

Top left, clockwise: Bourbon Hot Toddy, Poinsettia Cocktail, Cranberry Cocktails, Bloody Caesar, Pina Colada

I've been a little obsessed with finding the perfect cocktails this season. With so many soirees for our Insiders, jewelry trunk shows and informal parties for family and friends, it has become a regular ritual to peruse the web, watch the food channels and ask local bartenders for their tastiest, colorful, most satisfying Holiday drinks. 

Between the beverages highlighted above and the favorites a few of my team members and I have pinned on my dedicated Pinterest board, we've creatively assembled quite a collection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations. Our PR & Marketing Manager, a self proclaimed  mixologist, has even designated one evening a month to cocktail sampling in my studio where we invent a few signature drinks like The Sapphire, consisting of vodka, lime juice and a few other ingredients that we soon learned should not, under any circumstances, be combined in a shaker or a blender.

I feel cocktail hour is not just for flavor experimentation, it's also a great time for ushering in a high energy party environment, enjoying good conversation or simply an accompaniment for some much needed quiet time. So as you make your way through this most joyous (yet hectic) time of year, take some time to delight in a cocktail or two. But whatever you choose to do, please drink responsibly.