Advent Calendar - Day 7

 I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for a Christmas cocktail right about now. 

So to be honest, this is not technically a "Christmas" cocktail. In fact, I came up with it for Kill Your Darlings. So let's consider this more of a Christmas mystery cocktail, and I'll include a classic--well, let's not exaggerate! A VINTAGE Christmas mystery reading list! 

✨ Smoke and Mirrors — Signature Cocktail ✨

A brooding, seductive sip with just enough sweetness to lure you in… and enough shadow to keep you guessing.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz bourbon

½ oz smoked cherry syrup

½ oz Amaro

(Averna or Montenegro for smooth richness; Cynar if you want a darker, moodier edge)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Optional: 1 dash chocolate or smoked bitters 

Garnish: Orange peel + a Luxardo cherry

METHOD

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice.

Stir until well-chilled and silky. OOOH. SILKY.

Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube.

Express the orange peel over the drink, then drop it in.

Add a single Luxardo cherry for a final touch of mystery. 

(OR HAVE AS MANY AS YOU WANT IT'S CHRISTMAS FOR GOSH SAKE)

VINTAGE MYSTERY READING LIST

 

THE THIN MAN - Dashiell Hammet 1934

(everyone thinks they've read it because they've seen the movie--WHICH IS DELLIGHTFUL, I GIVE YOU THAT--but, if you're serious about your mystery cred, you have to read at least ONE Hammet, and it might as well be this one)

CRIME AT CHRISTMAS by C.H.B. Kitchin 1934

THE SANTA KLAUS MURDER by Mavis Doriel Hay (1936)

THE BLACK-HEADED PINS by Constance and Gwenyth Little (1938)

MURDER AFTER CHRISTMAS  by Rupert Latimer 1944

WHO KILLED THE CURATE by Joan Coggin - 1944

ANOTHER LITTLE CHRISTMAS MURDER by Lorna Nicoll Morgan (1947)

MURDER FOR CHRISTMAS by Frances Duncan (1949)

THE BIG BOOK OF CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES edited by Otto Penzler 2013

I'm not sure this one qualifies. It's an anthology containing many modern authors writing in traditional Golden Age styles. "It’s a glorious mash of classic setups: country houses, snowstorms, stolen jewels, and holiday corpses." SAYS WHO?!