Apartment Bartender Creates Holiday Cheer(s) with Essentia Water

The weather outside is starting to get chilly, but luckily Apartment Bartender is out to warm us up, and make our hearts melt with some holiday cheer with Essentia Water.

The famed mixologist just partnered with the world’s best alkaline water to create a variety of fun, creative holiday cocktails that are incredibly easy to make at home.

The three unique drinks include a fancy Tom Collins called “The Essentia(l) Spritz,” a Vanilla Coffee Old Fashioned titled the “The Overachiever,” and a classic twist on 2020’s biggest winter trend, “The Supercharged Hot Toddy Bar.” Each drink features Essentia Water to keep you hydrated and the incredible Essentia’s Premium Ice, so that your cocktails don’t get watered down.

“Ice is the most underrated ingredient in a cocktail. When using poor quality ice (like cloudy, freezer ice), as it melts, it not only dilutes the drink at a faster pace, but it can also negatively affect the flavor profile of the cocktail. Why mix with premium booze if you’re not pairing it with premium ice? Essentia is my choice when making ‘premium ice.’ Its clean, smooth taste allows the true flavors of the cocktail to come through and be enjoyed” says Apartment Bartender, Elliott Clark.

Along with premium ice, premium water will also elevate the taste of your cocktail. Essentia Water will add an additional depth of flavor to your simple cocktail. So, get toasty at home with these fantastic recipes.

 Tom Collins aka The Essentia(l) Spritz

Ingredients

2 oz – clear spirit of choice, like gin or vodka

Brewed Green Tea as Non-Alcoholic option

1 oz – Lemon juice

3/4 oz – Spiced-cranberry syrup

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup Essentia water

1 cup sugar

2-3 Cinnamon sticks

2 whole clove (optional)

2 star anise (optional)

2 oz – soda water (or sparkling wine)

Spiced-cranberry Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except sugar to a light simmer until spices start to release aromas and cranberries start to split. Add sugar and stir to dissolve (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

Combine all ingredients, except for the soda water, into a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain the drink into a Collins glass over ice, and top with soda water. Gently stir to combine and garnish with speared cranberries and a rosemary sprig.

Vanilla Coffee Old Fashioned aka The Overachiever

Ingredients

2 oz – Bourbon of choice

1/2 oz – Vanilla syrup 

(can sometimes find pre-made / pre-batched vanilla syrup from Monin)

2-3 Vanilla pods (vanilla extract as a last resort)

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Essentia water

1 oz fresh espresso (brewed with Essentia Water)

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Vanilla Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a light simmer until vanilla starts to release aroma. Stir to dissolve sugar (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass, and stir with ice. Strain the drink into a rocks glass over ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

The Supercharged Hot Toddy Bar

Ingredients

2 oz Aged spirit of choice (whiskey, aged rum, reposado tequila, cognac, etc.)

0.5 oz Honey for classic Hot Toddy OR Spiced-Cranberry Syrup for Cranberry Hot Toddy  OR Vanilla Syrup for Vanilla Hot Toddy

For spiced-cranberry syrup:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup Essentia water

1 cup sugar

2-3 Cinnamon sticks

2 whole clove (optional)

2 star anise (optional)

For vanilla syrup:

(can sometimes find pre-made / pre-batched vanilla syrup from Monin)

2-3 Vanilla pods (vanilla extract as a last resort)

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Essentia water

3-4 oz Hot Water

0.5 oz Lemon Juice

Spice-cranberry Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except sugar to a light simmer until spices start to release aromas and cranberries start to split. Add sugar and stir to dissolve (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Vanilla Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a light simmer until vanilla starts to release aroma. Stir to dissolve sugar (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

On a stove, heat one cup of water (to a very light simmer is fine, you don’t want the water to be too hot). Once the water is hot, combine the aged spirit, syrup, and lemon juice into a glass mug. Top with 4-5 ounces of hot water, and stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon wheel, cinnamon stick, or speared cranberries.