Christmas is less than one week away! Usually at this time, I’m running around the greater Northern California area hunting down presents for literally everyone in my family. Of course I still have a few small things to pick up, but somehow I mostly had my act together this year. Oh, and, I sent Christmas cards for the first time ever! We had so many great photos from our wedding, that card practically made itself. Add this delicious cocktail to my list of accomplishments, and BOOM! Mic drop.

I got this cocktail recipe from our wonderful neighbors in Oakland, Austin and Lauren (if you’re reading this: hi guys! we miss you!!). They were making it for their Thanksgiving celebrations, and knew I had to try it out on my own.

Have you ever had a boulevardier? Truth be told, I sipped my first only very recently, and fell in love immediately. It’s very spirit-forward, but mellowed out by the sweet vermouth. What I love about this cranberry variation is that it appeals to, I think, a wider audience—the shrub cuts the intensity down a bit and it makes for a great sip. Perfect for Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve, or when you’re up slapping presents together at midnight on the 24th. You know.

Now, disclosure: this cocktail requires a little more investment than many of the recipes on The Shared Sip. For the most part, I try to create drinks that are simple, seasonal, and don’t force you to take out a second mortgage on your home. But to really get this one right, you need to hunt down two crucial ingredients: Shrub & Co.’s Cranberry Shrub and Bitterman’s Orange Cream Citrate. You could try your hand at making your own shrub (loose guidelines here—just sub the apples for cranberries), but I had been wanting to try Shrub & Co.’s creations for some time, so I purchased theirs. The citrate is also on the pricey side (around $17), but it will last forever. The result takes like Christmas in a glass. The best.

I hope you try this one out this holiday, or this winter, or next Christmas, or in 2017. You do you.

____________________

Cranberry Boulevardier
makes 2 cocktails

• 3 oz bourbon (I used Bulleit)
• 1.5 oz Shrub & Co. Cranberry Shrub
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz sweet vermouth (I used Cocchi Vermouth di Torino)
• 5-6 drops Bitterman’s Orange Cream Citrate

Assembly
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Strain into two rocks glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with fresh cranberries.

Barware/decor notes: The glasses are from Zara (now discontinued). Copper shaker and cocktail pick are from Crate & Barrel. The candle holders and table runner are from cb2. The gray linen tablecloth is from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The adorable lights on the table are battery operated dew lights from Target (and are my new obsession).

____________________

Sunday Sip + Skim

my favorite finds this week, boozy and otherwise

• Love-love-loving the Kelly Wearstler for Paperless Post stationery line, especially the “Genius” design. Swoon.

• I’m itching to check out all the amazing thrift and antique shops in Sonoma County. My first stops: Mill Street Antiques (35 dealers!), Retrospect (in Sebastopol) and Healdsburg Vintage.

• PSA: Frends are on sale at Nordstrom Rack and I am so. tempted. My Urban Ears headphones have about bit the dust and I think these could be just the replacement.

• Now that I live up north, I think I really need to start embracing the hippie lifestyle. Incense is going to be my first stop. Related/unrelated: I’m currently reading this book.

• I need this in a very real way.

• If you’ll be doing any of your Christmas shopping in San Francisco this year, I suggest snagging one of these delicious holiday cocktails while you’re there. Hoping to try the Winter Wonderment at Parada in Walnut Creek today with my sisters.

• One of my major life goals: learning how to saber Champagne (and not lose and eye in the process). Instant street cred.

• Smoking cocktails is so now. Who’s in?

• 7 Ways To Be Insufferable on Facebook. Too real.

• A few items in my reading queue: The Origin Story of Marie Kondo’s Decluttering Empire (have you read her book yet? Honestly, it is kinda life-changing…); Meet Tumblr’s 15-year-old Secret Keeper; and In Translation (Jhumpa Lahiri is everything).