Recipes Below
This holiday cocktail, inspired by Cousin Eddie and served in Marty Moose cups, is a nutty, creamy twist on eggnog made with Screwball Whiskey, Irish Cream, cinnamon syrup, and vanilla, capturing both the festive spirit and zany charm of its namesake.
Inspired by the Jelly of the Month Club and the Griswold Christmas tree, this versatile holiday cocktail combines botanical gin, Zirbenz, Pine Amaro, and Kirsch Liqueur—topped with soda water—for a festive, fir-forward bramble perfect for any jelly and any holiday mishap.
Have the Hap-Hap-Happiest Holiday: Two Griswold-Inspired Cocktails to Celebrate the Chaos of Christmas Vacation
It’s Christmas time in Chicago and Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase)wants to make it the best Christmas at the Griswold house, yet. Laughable errors ensue as Clark tries to prepare his house and his family for whatever the holiday brings. Including a drop-in from his parents, along with a drop-in from his in-laws too. Clark and Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) rearrange the house to welcome their constantly bickering parents and do their best to keep on course for the greatest Christmas ever. Nothing is going to ruin this Christmas nor Clark’s big surprise because this year with his Christmas bonus he’s getting a swimming pool put into the backyard. Just another hitch in Clark’s step - Cousin’s Catherine and Eddie (Randy Quaid) have pulled up in their RV to join the family chaos with Rocky, Ruby Sue and their Rottweiler Snots in tow.
Our first cocktail is inspired and named after Cousin Eddie. We were also inspired by the Griswold Eggnog served in Marty Moose cups which is exactly what we are serving our single serving, and nutty twist on Eggnog. Screwball Whiskey is the base of this cocktail to give it that screwball, zany edge that Eddie embodies at every turn. To bring in the flavors of the holiday, we added Irish Cream, Cinnamon Syrup, and Vanilla. All blended together in creamy half and half or heavy cream if you like it even creamier. Garnish with a little bit of nutmeg, and you have the flavors of the holidays with the nuttiness that Cousin Eddie brings. For all of the silliness that Cousin Eddie brings, he was a man of action when Clark found out what his Christmas bonus really was.
A certificate to the Jelly of the Month Club the name and inspiration of our second cocktail. The Jelly of the Month Club is a versatile cocktail for any type of jelly you happen to get for the month. This holiday cocktail is also inspired by the Griswold Christmas tree. Start with a base of a very botanical gin, Zirbenz, a Pine Amaro and a Kirsch Liqueur to bring in the flavors of a big, beautiful fir tree. Perhaps the tree the Griswold family had to pull from the ground at the Christmas tree farm, or the tree that he cut out of his neighbor’s yard after the cat burnt the first tree to the ground. Top with soda water to get a Griswold Christmas tree bramble a perfect aperitif after a Griswold dry turkey dinner.
Throughout the movie, Clark does get speckles of holiday cheer, family nostalgia, and he’s even passed the family head torch by his dad. This movie is an excellent melodrama showcasing all of the holiday chaos that we can all relate to from time to time. Now you have two cocktails you can enjoy while watching all of the Griswold Christmas blunders and have a happy holiday.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989). Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, Written by and Based on Characters by John Hughes
Performances by Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Randy Quaid .
A Hughes Entertainment Production. Distributed by Warner Bros.
Cousin Eddie
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1.5 oz (45mL) Peanut Butter Whiskey
.5 oz (15mL) Baileys
.5 oz (15mL) Cinnamon Syrup or Pie Spice Syrup
2 oz (60mL) Half and Half
Dropper White Vanilla Extract
Dropper Saline
Nutmeg
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In the shaker, add 1.5 oz Screwball, .5 oz Baileys, .5 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup, 2 oz of half and half, 1/8 oz vanilla and a pinch of salt. Add ice, spring and more ice, cover and shake while saying grace. Double strain into a moose cup and grate nutmeg on top.
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4-5 Cinnamon Sticks
6 oz (180mL/187.5 g) Water
.5 cup (100 g) Cane Sugar
In a small saucepan, combine Cinnamon Sticks and Water. Heat on medium low heat until boiling. Cover and reduce to low and allow to simmer for 30-60 minutes. Remove Cinnamon Sticks and add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into a syrup bottle. Store in a cool, dark place.
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1.5 Tbsp (22.5 g) Cinnamon
1 tsp (5 g) Ginger
1 tsp (5 g) Allspice
.5 tsp Cloves
.25 tsp (2.5 g) Black Pepper
.66 Cup (170 g) Granulated Sugar
.33 Cup (83 g)Water
*Note- We like to use whole spices in syrups, but if you’re using it all in the Don’s Gardenia Mix, using ground spices works fine.
Combine everything into a small saucepan and stir until combined. Put saucepan onto medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring and allow to simmer until small bubble break the surface.
Jelly of the Month Club
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1 oz (30mL) Gin
.5 oz (15mL) Amaro
.5 oz (15mL) Kirsch or Maraschino Liqueur
.75 oz (22.5mL) Jelly of the Month
Dropper Saline
2 oz (60mL) Club Soda
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In a shaker tin, add 1 oz of your favorite gin, .5 oz of pine amaro, .5 oz cherry amaro, .75 oz of your favorite jelly, and a pinch of salt. Add the spring and dry shake while dreaming about swimming pools then, uncover, pull out the spring, add ice and shake for 20 seconds until chilled. Strain into the chilled jelly jar with ice, top with club soda, express a lemon peel and tuck it in, serve with a straw.
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2 oz (60mL) Distilled or Purified Water
1 Tbsp (15g) Fine Sea Salt
Combine in a jar and shake vigorously. Once salt is dissolved, pour into a dropper bottle.
Cocktails and Videos created by Boozy Movies
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