A twist on a holiday spirit
LOREN BENOIT/Press One beverage made the final cut to be featured in Ellen Travolta’s Christmas show, “Christmas with A Twist.” at The Coeur d’Alene Resort this holiday season. The honey sage toddy (left), a smooth blend of honey-sage syrup, whiskey and hot water garnished with a strip of lemon against a dark green sage leaf. “Christmas with A Twist” is scheduled to open Nov. 24.
LOREN BENOIT/Press The salted caramel eggnog. The drink is made with eggnog, spiced rum, kosher salt, whipped cream, nutmeg and carmel drizzle
LOREN BENOIT/PressThe Apple Cranberry Mule. The drink is made with vodka, cranberry juice, sparkling apple juice, ginger beer and cranberries for garnish.
LOREN BENOIT/PressThe Fox and the Hound Fizz. The drink is made with Gentleman Jack, lemon juice, simple syrup, dash of pernod, orange bitters and shaken egg white.
Travolta
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Fox and hound fizz.
Apple cranberry mule.
Salted caramel eggnog.
Honey sage toddy.
Juniper cherry.
All unique, all different, all flavorful spins on holiday classics, but only one beverage would make the final cut to be featured during Ellen Travolta's Christmas show, "Christmas with A Twist," at The Coeur d'Alene Resort this holiday season.
The winner: The honey sage toddy, a smooth blend of honey-sage syrup, whiskey and hot water garnished with a strip of lemon against a dark green sage leaf. This belly-warming beverage will chase away winter chills while elevating its consumers into merry moods.
"I'm very excited," Travolta said. "I think it's lovely, it's festive and it has a twist in it. And it's warm for a cold season, just makes you feel warm all over."
Travolta invited a select group to a private cocktail tasting Thursday evening in The Resort to vote on the perfect beverage to be dubbed the "Christmas Twist." Resort beverage manager Justin Schorzman entertained as the master mixologist, carefully combining ingredients while providing details and anecdotes about the different drinks.
"This one is a tribute to my grandmother at the Christmas holiday season," he said, gently placing a freshly filled glass on a table. "This is the salted caramel eggnog... you get a little bit of every flavor profile as you drink this drink."
The eggnog was a tasty treat for the testers. Cally King, digital media manager for The Resort, said it was her favorite of the flavorful five.
"I feel like eggnog is such a Christmas tradition,” she said. "For me, it brought back a lot of memories from when I was a child but also tied it in with Ellen’s Christmas traditions.”
The juicy and sweet apple cranberry mule — consisting of vodka, cranberry juice, sparking apple cider, ginger beer and whole cranberries as a garnish — was another crowd favorite.
"It’s like a Shirley Temple," said Resort marketing director Danielle Beaudine. "I think the cranberries are a great touch."
"Christmas with A Twist" is scheduled to open Nov. 24. Travolta said this year's show will have some twists of its own to set it apart from previous years.
"It's going to be different. We're changing things up," she said. "There's more yet to come."