The holidays are upon us which means we’re spending more time than ever in our kitchens, whether that’s creating homemade dishes or drinks to bring the party together, or hovering over the charcuterie board with old friends.

To get in the mood, we asked the Academia Education team to share their holiday song of choice paired with their favorite holiday cocktail. ​‘Tis the season for festive pairings, after all.

Join us as the team serenades us with their selections. Hopefully it gets you shouting your next song choice over the shaking of ice to your smart speaker.

Favorite Holiday Song + Drink Pairing from Egor Polonskiy | Manager of Trade Education & Mixology, West Region

For me the song would be ​“Heavy Metal Christmas” by Twisted Sister.

A flavor that I associate with Christmas is clementine, which makes for a delicious tasting cocktail:


Clementiki

2 oz Patrón Extra Añejo
1 oz Clementine sour (equal parts cane sugar and clementine juice)
.75 oz Don’s mix
.5 oz Maple syrup
Clementine gose (seasonal beer from Two Roads brewing, though any citrusy, sour beer will work)

Method:

Shake all ingredients other than the gose in the cocktail shaker with ice, strain into sling or small pilsner glass over ice.

Top with the beer and garnish with mint and slice of orange.

Makes one serving.

Favorite Holiday Song + Drink Pairing from Stephen Halpin | Manager of Trade Education & Mixology, Central Region


I’ll have to go with Elmo and Patsy’s ​“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” a novelty song about an infamous reindeer incident. With the spirit of that song in mind, I love the I Flip Out For Sherry cocktail.

I Flip Out For Sherry

2 oz Patrón Sherry Cask Aged Añejo
1 oz Demerara syrup
1 whole egg
2 pinches of pumpkin pie spice (1 for cocktail, 1 for garnish)


Method:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake very thoroughly without ice. Add ice, shake vigorously again and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.

Garnish with another pinch of pumpkin pie spice.


Makes one serving.

Favorite Holiday Song + Drink Pairing from Steph Teslar | Manager of Trade Education & Mixology, East Region


Although I’m not really much of a traditional Christmas holiday song person, my choice to enjoy a tasty cocktail with is T. Rex’s ​“Christmas Bop”.

To pair with that I think there’s no more perfect combo than Patrón and sparkling wine to celebrate, so I chose the Silver Spritz to sip on and enjoy those awesome 70’s T. Rex vibes.

Silver Spritz

2 oz Patrón Silver
1 oz Strawberry puree
.75 oz Lemon juice
.75 oz Simple syrup
.5 oz Blood orange juice
Sparkling wine
Blood orange slice for garnish


Method:

Add ingredients to cocktail shaker and shake until chilled.
Double strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Top with sparkling wine.

Garnish with blood orange slice.


Makes one serving. 

Favorite Holiday Song + Drink Pairing from Kris Bahamondes | Advocacy Lead, TEAM Enterprises Director


Well, I love all the classics like Last Christmas by George Michael and All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (that whole album is a banger), but the LEGEND Dolly Parton dropped a new Christmas album last year and I love the track featuring Michael Buble: Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas.

It’s fun, adorable and makes you wanna snuggle up by the fire with some of my favorite, heart-warming, holiday cocktail, Coquito, made with Patrón Reposado.

Coquito is a typical Holiday season cocktail served across the Caribbean islands, especially Puerto Rico. The recipe normally calls for unaged or aged rum, but I thought the barrel-kissed Patrón Reposado would play perfectly.

I like to always make my Coquito in large batches so I can share it with people around the holidays. I recommend serving it chilled and over ice and personally, I like it a little bit more after the ice starts melting a little bit and it opens up.

Pro tip: Always use freshly grated cinnamon, the powdered/​ground stuff will clump up and it ain’t cute.

Coquito

1 750ml bottle Patrón Reposado
1 16 oz. Can coconut milk
1 15 oz. Can cream of coconut
2 14 oz. Cans condensed milk
4 12 oz. Cans evaporated milk
1 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Vanilla extract


Method:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill until ready to share or enjoy.



Makes approximately 4 liters for sharing with loved ones or gifting.

Keep the good times rolling by adding these tunes to your playlists and these recipes to your repertoire. Follow along on Instagram @academia_patron for more holiday fun, and stay on the site for recipes, tips, and more tequila education than would fit under a tree.


However you spend the holidays we hope you enjoy your time with people you love, and drinks you love to make. Cheers!