The 12 Days Of Christmas Cocktails: "The 7 O'Clock Bedtime"

Many years ago, each Thursday a bunch of friends would gather at our house to eat pizza and drink beers and hang out. We called these nights BeerZa and they happened at our house since we were the only ones with a kid. Maddie learned to tolerate a lot of laughing and talking while she slept during those nights.

At some point Logan developed an interest in cocktails. He wanted to develop his palate beyond beer, and didn't especially love wine but didn't want to order something stupid like Sex On The Beach at the bar. Everyone else thought that sounded fun, so each week Logan would prepare a new cocktail for us to try.

Overall this was a good experiment and it gave me a much larger catalog of tasty drinks to sample at our favorite watering holes. I mean aside from that unfortunate Gin incident in Chicago (sorry about drinking all your Gin Chicago!) (Sorry about throwing up all night Logan!)

Since then Logan's become pretty good at mixing drinks, knowing how much sour or sweet a drink needs before it's perfect. He's very specific about everything from FRESH ingredients to making his own grenadine to the perfect ice cube. (When we moved here and lost the freezer that crushed the ice, it was nearly a deal breaker).

I've become pretty good at picking and juicing fresh limes. And having a cocktail without drinking all the Gin in the state of Illinois.

All this to say, for the next 12 days Logan's going to be sharing one cocktail with us every day. He's doing this because he enjoys it and because a lot of the time you walk up to the bar and don't know what to order. This is a way of getting more familiar with what's out there.

You should make his drinks though, because they're really delicious. (Unless you're an alcoholic or pregnant, a mormon, or a kid...I mean you know what I'm saying.)

Here it is, from Logan:

The 7 O'Clock Bedtime
(you know you love it.)

You might compare this drink to a cosmopolitan... The grenadine's pomegranate flavor is a good alternative to the cranberry in a cosmo.

This drink makes great use of a homemade grenadine recipe from the Cupcake Project I found that is really awesome (and super easy). Make your kids a Shirley Temple with this grenadine to make sure their cocktail palate is built on an appreciation of the best.

If you don't typically use freshly squeezed juice in cocktails, try it with this one and see what you think. The fresh flavor and aroma really make a big difference.

(If you like a more subtle vodka cocktail go with 1/4oz of grenadine and lemon juice. If you want a cocktail with more flavor go with 1/2oz of each.)

1/4 to 1/2oz grenadine
1/4 to 1/2oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
2oz vodka

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker (with this drink, I use a lot of ice and shake it for a while -- 10 seconds will do -- so there'll be ice crystals in the drink). This drink also works on the rocks. Enjoy.

Comments

[Martini Rookie]

What a great idea! I think I'll be making grenadine today.

I was looking the other day for a good chocolate martini recipe as a dessert option for Christmas dinner. Would love to see if you all have a recipe for that or anything with chocolate liqueur or Bailey's for that matter.

[SueH]

Wow, this sounds great!! I always see recipes this time of year but you published something that isn't done very often. Great idea, I can't wait to try it.
Thank you and have a merry Christmas!
Sue

[Sheila]

This is the kind of Countdown to Christmas I can get behind.

[Gwen]

Love this countdown. This drink sounds delicious!

[carosgram]

We have just been getting into cocktails ourselves. This sounds like a great way to get started. Thanks!

[Anne]

Yum! Does Logan have the book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails? My husband got it this summer and holy cow, I've never seen anything spark his interest more than that book. It's a great read and the recipes are amazing. Also our liquor cabinet now contains the craziest stuff I've ever seen, like Zwack and Green Chartreuse. The book is a good gift if you don't mind a small percentage of your income suddenly being funneled to booze...

[Betsy]

Wow, grenadine is just reduced pomegranate juice and sugar? My mind, it is blown.

I'm not a huge cocktail drinker, but one of the women from my moms group got me hooked on the Sidecar. I love how ordering a drink like that at a bar makes me feel more sophisticated than I really am.

[Melissa Summers]

this is a really good sidecar,
http://www.suburbanbliss.net/suburbanbliss/2007/01/the_four_o_cloc.html

Also grenadine you buy at the store is just sugar with coloring. Blech. Don't use that for this recipe.

[Stef]

Glad that you liked the grenadine recipe! I love it! It's even really good just mixed with some seltzer. Fun blog, btw!

[Heather B.]

This is the greatest thing ever. Thank you, Melissa. And thank you, Logan.

[whoorl]

Love this feature, although I won't be able to partake. A girl can dream, though...

[Melissa Summers]

heh, bookmark it!

[Laura F]

Do you know how long that homemade grenadine will keep?

[Nichole]

I don't drink, but this just sounds like too much fun. Maybe I'll start drinking. Just for the holidays.

[Pants]

Cupcake Project says it will last just fine in the fridge by adding some vodka, which is what I've done (about a shot is what I've used). In our home, a bottle of this grenadine is consumed within a week or two.

[sherri]

What vodka do you like in this?

[ella]

Dang! I wish you guys were my neighbors. :)

This will be fun trying these at home!

[Pants]

I don't get picky about vodka, especially in a mixed drink. We have Sobieski right now. Smirnoff is relatively cheap and sufficiently good. Make sure you store your vodka in the freezer...

[Erin]

Skyy citrus is my favorite, so worth it. If I'm going cheap it's Svedka, which is still really good.

[Erin]

Forgot to add, I love this feature too!

[Linda]

I can't help but want to see these cocktails as a "Did they drink it?" feature, where all partakers provide their comments, that get gradually more nonsensical as the drinks are sampled. By the end, it's just a stream of "I love you guys..." and "what are you looking at?!?"

[Meetzorp]

I love this idea. I'm a total ignoramus about boozes other than a few things involving tequila (I'm in favor of Tequila in many manifestations).

As of right now, all I am confident to ask for at a bar is a G&T, so I will be following this project with interest.

[lynne]

Logan rules! I love that you started with the 7 o'clock bedtime. I'm so excited about the next 12 days!

[existentialwaitress]

I love this idea for 12 cocktail posts. Can't wait to see what's next!

[kelly]

Yum, yum, yum. I'm so excited to hear 12 days of cocktails!

[kelly]

Yum, yum, yum. I'm so excited to hear 12 days of cocktails!

[kelly]

Yum, yum, yum. I'm so excited to hear 12 days of cocktails!

[cj]

Yippee! Thanks Logan!

[Divasmama]

Melissa and/or Pants~ So does the tray really make the perfect icecube? We have those horrid citrus slices looking "cubes". Sometimes DH will bring home "good" ice that is square and very, very clear. I jump up and down and clap, like he brought me roses. And that's *on* my medication.
But since I'm frugal, I make do with the "ugly" ice 99% of the time. The things we do to, ya know, buy shoes for the kid.

[Pants]

Those ice cube trays are the best thing that've happened to cocktails in the history of time.

[Teri Lynn]

Now you've got me thinking about that fateful BeerZa where I lost it all over your lawn. Never had a Sidecar since.
But this, I might try. And I'm thinking home-made grenadine cocktails will get me through the holiday season with some semblance of cheer.

[vetmommy]

I am going to love this meme. I loved the 4 o'clocks you posted a while back. Hooray for Logan the bartender!

[cee]

I had no idea it was possible to make grenandine. My mind, it is blown!

[amy]

Yum. Wish my hubby would make me cocktails.

About the gin. BTDT. I think it is because gin doesn't make you tired like other liquors do. You just keep on drinking them..

[Lori]

Made these last night. AWESOME! These were right up my hubby's alley. He loves vodka and pomegranate. He even added some pomegranate seeds to his as garnish. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Ellen]

This drink sounds so charming that we made it to kick off New Year's Eve. Everyone was intrigued by the idea of homemade grenadine, and we added some seltzer to give a little fizz. We all agreed that the taste was very much like vodka and a pomegranate Izzy. Which is probably what we'll do next time. ;)