I’ve left the tree alone and focused my talents on decorating the cocktail instead. For this year’s seasonal toast I was feeling a little bitter. But I mean that in the best possible way. Bitter spirits like Italian amari might take some getting used to, but once you’ve acquired that taste, there’s no going back. There’s probably no better cocktail for Christmas than a bright red Negroni, after all. If you feel otherwise, I’m afraid you’re just being a grinch.

This holiday Negroni variation is really more of a Boulevardier. But labels don’t matter when you’ve got something this delicious to drink, and anything with Sorel liqueur is delicious. Sorel is the result of a five hundred year old traditional spiced red hibiscus spirit that started in Barbados and traveled to Brooklyn. Jack Summers, the man behind the liqueur, started America’s first black owned distillery with Sorel and has enjoyed high praise and awards since. “Made with Moroccan hibiscus blended with Brazilian clove, Indonesian cassia and Nigerian ginger, this bright red liqueur from Brooklyn is a modern twist on a timeless classic.” To match the Caribbean flavors in the liqueur, I split the base bourbon spirit for this drink with aged rum. Cynar, with its sweetly bitter profile, works incredibly well with the base spirits and sweet spiced liqueur while maintaining its own presence in the drink. This cocktail is so good you’re not going to be able to share it with Santa, which is actually why he is bitter. Merry Christmas!

Bitter Santa

1 oz aged rum

1 oz bourbon

1 oz Cynar

½ oz Sorel

Stir with ice and strain into a favorite glass. No garnish necessary unless you are feeling particularly grinchy.