I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I spent the week catching up with friends and family, sleeping in, staying up way too late, and almost every second in between constructing our gingerbread house for the Discovery Science Center’s annual competition. Aside from my computer coming down with a serious illness (which interfered with blogging!), we were all healthy and happy and feel so blessed for all of the special people in our lives.   

I can’t wait to share pictures of our gingerbread creation. I’m happy with how it turned out, and even more happy that it was delivered without any breakage. I also discovered the world’s best gingerbread recipe, which I’ll post this week. This Wednesday, we’re going to the reception at the science center to see the other entries and hear the judges’ verdict. I’ll keep you posted and share pictures later this week. Stay tuned!

I love coming up with cocktails for the holidays. I haven’t been this excited about a cocktail in a long time. This is more of a dessert than a cocktail, so skip the after dinner drinks and serve this. Your guests will love you!Gingerbread liqueur is seasonal, but not too hard to find. You can also substitute a gingerbread syrup, such as Monin, which you can find at many coffee shops.* 

Cheers to the beginning of an amazing holiday season!

Gingerbread Martini

½ ounce vodka

½ ounce Baileys Irish Cream liqueur

½  ounce Kahlúa liqueur

1/2 ounce Gingerbread liqueur (I use Hiram Walker’s)

1/2 scoop vanilla ice cream — semi-melted

Whipped cream

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Gingerbread cookie (optional garnish)

Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a martini glass. Mix the first four ingredients in a martini shaker over ice. Shake well. Pour over vanilla ice cream and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon on top. Garnish with a gingerbread cookie.

*Last Christmas I made a similar gingerbread martini and made the gingerbread syrup from scratch. That was also delicious!