Sitcoms & Sips
If the holiday season were a marathon, this week would be the final .2 stretch, the Heartbreak Hill. Your legs, once fresh at the starting line of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, are leaden as they propel you through the year’s concluding festivities. Gatherings may vary - as do the methods people seek for a bit of joy and restoration - but entertaining of any sort can leave even the most extroverted folks winded. Like running, the holidays are made all the better by happening just once a year.
Perhaps you’re like us, facing some indulgence fatigue from the wine, shopping, and obscene amounts of sugar (which admittedly yields the best naps), approaching your max in the last week of 2021. Maybe you’re more than ready to begin your wellness resolutions, but know there’s still some hedonism ahead. To help you soldier through this week we’ve scrounged up cocktail recipes and paired them with our favorite New Year’s Eve sitcom specials. Our favorite festive beverages are great for washing down NYE spreads, so be sure to check out our recent article on charcuterie and grazing boards for inspiration. Trade the Lulu’s for your comfiest threads and hook up the Roku instead of the FitBit, we still have five days to go!
Episode: “The Limo”
How I Met Your Mother
Ted attempts to beat the “lameness” of New Year’s in the city by renting a stretch limo for him and his friends. Their objective: hit up five parties in three hours and “Ring - nay, rock - the New Year.” Filled with pigs in a blanket, 80’s hair metal, and a rather deranged version of Moby, this early HIMYM classic understands the trials and tribulations of New Years in your 20’s.
Paired with: The S(ide)carlet Letter
(courtesy of Tequila Mockingbird)
Sugar, for cocktail rim
1 oz cherry juice
½ oz brandy
½ oz triple sec
Rim a chilled cocktail glass in sugar and place aside. Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Serves 1.
Episode: “RDWRER”
Frasier
When the “worst centerpiece disaster in Seattle history” dashes Frasier and Niles’ plans, they settle for welcoming the new millennium with their wine club in Sun Valley. Their only available transportation: joining their father in his Winnebago dubbed “RDWRER” (Road Warrior). A case of mistaken Winnebago identity results in an accidental Niles-napping. Consequently, Frasier’s New Year’s Eve reads a bit more ‘rustic’ than ‘riesling,’ but the three manage to reunite and celebrate in style.
Paired with: Ginger 75
(courtesy of The Snowy Cabin Cookbook)
¾ oz cognac
½ oz ginger syrup*
½ oz fresh lemon juice
4 oz champagne
1 cross section of ginger, or candied ginger speared on a cocktail pick
Combine the cognac, ginger syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice, and shake for 15 seconds. Strain into a champagne glass. Add the champagne, then garnish with ginger.
*Gently simmer ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, and ½ cup grated ginger in a small saucepan for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, let steep for 1 hour, strain, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Episode: “The Ultimatum”
The Office
Anxiously awaiting an update on Holly’s relationship status - her boyfriend allegedly has until New Year’s to propose or Holly will call it off - Michael prepares contingency plans for both good and bad news. Pam crafts a resolution board for the office. Alternating between moments of force-fed broccoli and a little vulnerability, this episode is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. Just remember: bears are sad, worms are happy.
Paired with: Brut Bears
(courtesy of How to Hygge)
¾ cup peach liqueur
Haribo gummy bears
1 bottle of sparkling wine, Cava or Prosecco of choice
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the peach liqueur into each of six champagne flutes and add the Haribo candies. Top up with fizz and stir a little so the Haribo start to bob and dance about. Serves 6.
Episode: “The One with the Routine”
Friends
While Phoebe and Rachel search for hidden Christmas gifts, Ross and Monica bust a move at the filming of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Christmas Eve. Accompanying Joey to the New Millennium special, the Gellar siblings try everything to get noticed by the cameras, including their middle school dance routine. They succeed in capturing the producers’ attention, but end up on an unexpected segment of the broadcast.
Paired with: Snowed In
(courtesy of The Snowy Cabin Cookbook)
2 oz mezcal (such as Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz oloroso sherry
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz Demerara syrup
1 lemon twist
Combine the mezcal, sherry, grapefruit and lemon juices, and Demerara syrup in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir for 30 seconds until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with the lemon twist. Serves 1.
