‘Home Alone’ themed cocktail recipes!

Last year, I threw a holiday party for The Bitter Lemon staff: Blanche and I. We watched “Home Alone” and had themed food and drinks, and well, everyone got a raise. It was a joyous night.

So we’re doing it again this year!

Here’s what we had last year:

Cocktails

The South Bend Shovel Slayer. Look out! You’re going to need a stiff cocktail while you pack your suitcase (with toilet paper and water) for Paris and dodge the window to avoid the South Bend Shovel Slayer. Mix this up before he turns you into a mummy:

1-ounce orange vodka (I like Three Olives or Stolichnaya)
1.5 ounces of cranberry juice
Serve over ice
Top with soda water
Garnish with an orange twist

The Uncle Frank. Between that awful wake-up call and forgetting his reading glasses, Uncle Frank needs a first-class cocktail.

A glass of authentic champagne
Pour into crystal champagne flute, to the rim (“Fill it up! Please!”)
Serve with shrimp cocktail

The Wet Bandit. It wouldn’t be right if we left out the Wet Bandits, and this mocktail is perfect for those who keep leaving the faucets on everywhere they go.

1/2 c Health-Ade Jalapeno Kiwi Cucumber Kombucha
Top with soda water
Squeeze of lime wedge
Agave nectar, to taste
Shake and serve over ice

Main Bites

“This is my house” Mac n Cheese. We’re going to need sustenance to protect the McAllister mansion from the Wet Bandits all night — good thing we ventured to the grocery with coupons for the frozen mac n cheese… Okay, so we’re making it from scratch using this recipe, only I’m going for swirly noodles over the shells.

A Cheese Pizza “Just for me”. It’s annoying that out of 10 pizzas, there was only ONE plain cheese pizza, and well, Buzz ate it and “If you want any, somebody’s gonna have to barf it all up.” No, Buzz, we will order our own damn pizza from Little Nero’s. Ok, but really, I found a recipe for the Little Nero’s cheese pizza.

Dessert

The Filthy Animal Sundae. “One scoop? Make it two, I’m not driving.” Kevin loves a decadent sundae, and well, so does Blanche. Feel free to go all out with this one while you watch “Angels With Filthy Souls”.

2 scoops (or more) of your favorite ice cream. I go for Trader Joe’s Jingle Jangle and Joe-Joe’s Neapolitan; 1 scoop of each
Top with hot fudge and whipped cream
Pile on any other toppings of your choice (I’m slapping a few Christmas cookies on mine)

“Guys, I’m eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!”

New Themed Cocktails

Duncan’s Toy Chest. Mr. Duncan has got to be the sweetest man in New York City, so his place of business needs a festive cocktail to match.

1 ounce of pear vodka
1/2 cup apple cider (I’m using the pre-made stuff from Trader Joe’s)
Serve over ice
Top with soda water (optional, to cut the sweetness)
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or frozen cranberries

The Fuller. “Fuller, go easy on the Pepsi!” It’s 2020, and I knew Fuller could bring a stiff drink to the table and not care if he pisses the bed.

1-ounce rum of your choice
Serve over ice
Top with Pepsi
Garnish with a maraschino cherry

The Les Encompetente. “Kevin, you’re what the French call ‘les encompetente’.” Well, Lenny, that might be true, but we’re making a cocktail to celebrate anything French because we’ve been stuck inside for 9 months.

1-ounce gin of your choice
1/2 tb Cointreau
Squeeze of blood orange slice
Top with sparkling wine
Garnish with blood orange slice

Kevin’s NYC Hot Chocolate. The scene where Kevin and the Pigeon Lady are listening to music on Christmas Eve is one of my favorites in “Home Alone 2”, so I wanted to include a decadent non-alcoholic option in this year’s list. You know, for the kids. This one is really what you make it, but here are some ideas:

Add vanilla and/or cinnamon to your traditional hot chocolate mix
Use salted caramel hot chocolate mix
Top with marshmallows, whipped cream, crush peppermints, chocolate chips, you name it!
Optional: add 1-ounce of cinnamon liqueur or marshmallow vodka.

And there you have it! I have a ton of other ideas for themed cocktails, so we can make this a tradition. Let me know if you guys try any — the South Bend Shovel Slayer was a hit last year!

Cheers!

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