Tropical Christmas

Up here in the northern hemisphere, where Cocktail Party is headquartered, Christmas comes with a predictable theme: snowflakes and icicles, and warm drinks with baking-spice flavors served by the fire. But in the southern hemisphere, Christmas comes in summer – a time for barbecues and trips to the beach in jandals and sunnies.
Enter the Tropical Christmas, a summery and refreshing cocktail recipe from the folks at LiquorLand Toast, a New Zealand cocktail magazine. It’s perfect for the holidays down south, with bright summer flavors of guava and basil – but still featuring traditional green and red (well, pink) colors, and a festive rim of salted, basil-flecked “snow.”
If you happen to have a compatible flavor of sparkling water on hand (like guava or lime), feel free to use it here!

Ingredients
- 6 leaves Basil
- 2 parts Blanco tequila or Aged tequila
- 1 part Triple sec or Shrubb
- 3 parts Guava nectar
- 1 part Lime juice
- 2 parts Sparkling water or Flavored sparkling water
Instructions
To prepare the glass, quickly blend a few torn basil leaves with a handful of salt until the basil is broken into little flecks. Pour the salt and basil mixture onto a shallow plate. Wipe the outer rim of a short glass with a wedge of lime, and roll the wet rim in the salt and basil mixture. Set the glass aside while you make the drink.
Muddle the basil leaves in a shaker, and add the remaining ingredients (except the sparkling water) and ice. Shake well, and strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice. Top with sparkling water, and garnish with a freshly-slapped sprig or leaf of basil.


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- Tropical Christmas Smash at LiquorLand Toast
