Festive Yuletide Libations

There’s more to the holiday bar than eggnog

Most people have a favorite adult beverage or perhaps a traditional holiday cocktail. This is a perfect time of year, however, to try something new.

Holiday gatherings might look a little different this year, but the festivities will continue and the spirits will still flow. Most people have a favorite adult beverage or perhaps a traditional holiday cocktail. This is a perfect time of year, however, to try something new.

Whether you are the host, looking for a host gift or just wanting to stoke your creative bar juices, here are both new and tried-and-true ideas for spirited holiday giving and entertaining.

CHOCOLATE WHISKEY

If you like chocolate and you like whiskey, you might just love 8-Ball. The first American chocolate-infused whiskey is like dessert in a glass, perfect for sipping over ice. Mix in cocktails like mudslides, spike your hot cocoa or pour over vanilla ice cream. 8-Ball uses all-natural ingredients, sourced from Madagascar, Indonesia and Mexico, combined with premium aged bourbon; it has a smooth and sophisticated flavor with subtle notes of oak, maple and vanilla.

DOUBLE BUZZ

When you can’t decide between coffee or a cocktail, you can have both with Mad Bean. This new gourmet iced coffeeflavored malt beverage comes in two flavors. The vanilla is creamy, not too sweet, with just a hint of alcohol on the backside that can fool you if you have too many; each can is 4.5 percent alcohol by volume. It also comes in mocha. (Four-pack of 12-ounce cans, $8; single 24-ounce can, $2.50)

NEW FROM NEVADA

Kentucky may be the most prominent but it’s not the only state producing whiskey. Located in the Lake Tahoe watershed, Frey Ranch Distillery is Nevada’s first and only whiskey producer to grow 100 percent of its grains on site. Released just this year, Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon Whiskey is aged for a minimum of four years; the 90-proof bourbon is smooth yet complex and can easily be enjoyed on its own, yet also holds up in a variety of holiday cocktails. ($50)