Sleigh Ride

Recipe: Sleigh Ride (serves one)

• 1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire gin
• 1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 1/2 oz. elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 dashes cherry bitters
• 3/4 tsp Crème Yvette

Pour the Crème Yvette into the bottom of a cocktail glass. Shake remaining ingredients with ice. Strain from the shaker into a measuring cup or other container with a spout. Hold a spoon upside down over the cocktail glass; pour the mixture slowly over the back of the spoon to create the layered effect.

We had the Sleigh Ride cocktail (and got this light-up Mickey snowflake) at Carthay Circle in Disney’s California Adventure Park. We were afraid it would be too sweet, but we ended up liking it so much that we asked the bartender for the recipe, and got the ingredients to recreate it at home. It features tart lemon juice balanced with elderflower liqueur and Lillet Blanc, an aperitif wine that’s similar to a white vermouth but sweeter. The pink liqueur in the bottom of the drink, Crème Yvette, is a bit hard to find — the only retailers are in California and New York. A mixture of crème de violette plus amaro would be a good substitute. Happy Holidays!