Your Christmas Tree Is The Missing Ingredient For Deliciously Festive Drinks

Baby, it's cold outside, which means it's time for festive drinks that warm the body and free your mind from the stresses of the season. But after you get done trimming your tree, save some of those pine, spruce, and fir needles for your teas and cocktails. It might sound unconventional and you probably won't find this tip in our ultimate tea guide, but Julia Georgallis, who combines food with the arts and is the author of "How To Eat Your Christmas Tree" told Daily Meal in an interview that your fragrant Christmas tree is what your tea and boozy drinks are missing. 

Weird? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. If you're transforming those needles into a tea, Georgallis said, "Spruce and fir have a lot more flavor than pine, so are better for teas and tisanes." Add pine needles to your loose-leaf tea or brew a cup of Christmas tree cheer with them — but be careful to only use the needles from pine, spruce, or fir trees. The author notes, "If using alone, I really would recommend adding a little squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of honey. I also really like drying the needles and using them in a tea strainer alongside other complimentary herbs and flavors like juniper berries and citrus peel."

Because those tree needles can be prickly, Julia Georgallis recommends wearing gloves and using scissors when removing them from the branch. And don't forget to thoroughly washing before adding to a tea. And while adding the aromatics and tastes of these holiday trees to your tea may seem fairly straightforward, Georgallis explains when adding to a cocktail there are two different ways to accomplish your goal.

To add the woodsy, just-been-skiing-in-the-Alps-like taste of your conifer to your cocktail, your first option is to make a simple syrup with this ingredient by combining and bringing to a boil lemon juice, sugar, and chopped needles. It needs to simmer for two hours, but the taste is the perfect addition for some of those holiday cocktails to try this winter including a Hot Rye Toddy or a Sagamore hot cider which is a tasty mulled cider that will warm you up for sure.

The second option is to infuse your alcohol with a Christmas tree's essence. This will take a couple of days, so plan accordingly. When it comes to the best alcohols for this spirited undertaking, Georgallis suggests, "Vodka and gin are the best alcohols for pine, fir, or spruce as they take on flavors really well. Other types of alcohol might be too overpowering for the delicate flavor of Christmas trees." You can serve your DIY-flavored alcohol straight or add it to a Bosc pear fizz or as a twist for Mexico City's St. Regis winter martini.