Classic Holiday Cocktail Recipes: We Asked a Mixologist

For the second instalment of our F/W 2013 Lookbook, we wanted to capture the festive atmosphere of the holidays: your friends are back in town and there seems to be this handful of consecutive, stolen, snowy nights perfect for getting dressed up and going out, be it for an amazing meal or expertly-mixed holiday cocktails (or both). So, we took to Three Boars Eatery in Edmonton. With Carmyn Joy there to capture it all on film (the talented photographer and Instagram star we collaborated with earlier this year), and our luxe leather Poppy Barley boots in hand (including the initial samples of The Promenade Boot, the first style in our custom Heeled Boots Collection) the results were pretty great. We even had a few drinks, and they were so good that we've decided to share these holiday cocktail recipes with you. After the jump, read our Q&A with Chuck Elves, part-owner and studied mixologist at Three Boars, plus four holiday cocktail recipes for a Sazerac, a Blue Blazer, a Sexy Old Fashioned and a Classic Eggnog. Name: Chuck Elves Age: 32 What is your background in bar-tending and mixology? My start in learning to mix drinks was at the Sugarbowl. I also began developing my palate at Transcend with coffee. From there I was almost entirely self-taught as far as the craft of mixing drinks. Lots of reading, watching videos, and copious amounts of my own experimentation. Before you even opened Three Boars, what were your goals for the drinks menu? The first menu at Three Boars was dead simple. I didn't know at the time how cocktails would go over with our crowd, so I started with five classics. From there, it grew based on customer demand and our own whimsy - to the point where we will regularly sell more cocktails on a friday night than draught beer! What's your favourite cocktail to drink? I always come back to the Sazerac, official cocktail of New Oreleans: rye, sugar, Peychauds bitters, and an absinthe rinsed glass. What's your favourite cocktail to mix? If I have time, a Blue Blazer. It harkens back to a great period in cocktails and the father of bartending, Jerry Thomas. It's made by mixing equal parts hot water and overproof whisky, lighting on fire, and pouring it back and forth between two metal jugs. The result is a stream of blue flame that continues to heat the mixture and slightly caramelized the whiskey. Add some sugar and lemon zest and it's a beautiful thing. Fun to make, fun to watch, and delicious to boot (Chuck: was that a pun!?).

A Sexy Old Fashioned:

1 oz. bourbon 1 oz. cognac 1/4 oz. Benedictine Barspoon of Allspice Liqueur 1/4 oz. simple syrup 4 dashes orange bitters Build over ice in a double rocks glass

A Classic Eggnog: 1 oz. spiced rum 1 oz. cognac 1/2 oz. simple syrup Whole egg Dry shake without ice for 15 seconds Shake with ice and double strain into a coupe glass