In typical end-of-year fashion, we started to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished in our first year of business at Nudge Security. And, after summarizing our year in review, which you can read here, we realized we all needed a good stiff drink to celebrate.

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After a few rounds of inventing cybersecurity-themed cocktails, including the Rum Apple-tini (RAT), Keylogging Colada, and the Manhat-man-tan, we decided to share some actual holiday favorites.

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So, here’s a collection of what our team is sipping on this holiday season. Cheers and happy holidays!

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Verte Chaud

Submitted by Danielle, Product Marketing (LI)

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I don’t ski, but this cocktail might make me a convert. Whether you’re on the slopes this week, or just getting through this current cold snap, adding green chartreuse (and perhaps even a splash of bourbon) to your hot cocoa is guaranteed to keep you warm.

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Recipe (adapted from: The Educated Barfly)

• Any cup of hot cocoa
• 2 oz. of green chartreuse
• A splash of good bourbon

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Espresso Old Fashioned

Submitted by Julia Kisielius, Product Marketing (LI)

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Having had my share of Manhat-man-tans while my family was in town for Christmas, my celebratory drink of choice for the end of 2022 is a dressed-up version of my favorite beverage: coffee. I tried this nonalcoholic twist on an Old Fashioned for the first time at Fleet Coffee in Austin, TX and attempted making it at home when it disappeared from their rotating seasonal menu. I’ll confess - I haven’t quite been able to recapture the magic of their original, but I’ve gotten caffeinated trying.

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Recipe (adapted from: Everyman Espresso)

• 2 oz espresso
• 1/4 oz simple syrup
• Orange bitters
• Orange peel to garnish

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Stir liquid ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into an Old Fashioned glass, preferably over an extra-large ice cube. Garnish with orange peel. 

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Whiskey

Submitted by Russell Spitler, Co-Founder (LI)

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I have a number of small children running around my house, so I like to keep things simple. This is an old favorite among friends and the variety of the whiskey can make a big difference depending on your mood. 

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Recipe

• Whiskey 

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Pour the whiskey into a glass. 

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Note: If you have a ‘Cask Strength’ bottle put a few drops of cold water in. If doing this directly from the sink, get the faucet dripping, then place glass underneath the stream and allow a few drops to fall in the glass. Once the desired amount of water has been reached, move the glass out of the stream of water. If you attempt to turn off the faucet you may accidentally increase the flow and over-water the whiskey. If this does occur you can reverse the process and simply add more whiskey until the desired strength is reached.

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Sage Coach

Submitted by Chris Murphy, Software Engineering (LI)

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I'm fairly simple and tend to skip cocktails and lean towards whiskey, neat. With that, I'm insanely lucky to have some wildly talented people in my family. My sister Becky and brother-in-law Jason are owners of the Benchmark American Brasserie . It is most definitely one of the best French inspired restaurants in Texas. If you are ever passing through Texarkana you would be insane not to stop in. Becky is a ridiculously skilled chef and Jason is a cocktail connoisseur, among other things. They've created my favorite whiskey cocktail, the Sage Coach.

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Recipe (from the Benchmark)

• Flesh of one orange wedge, save the peel
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• Simple syrup
• 2 to 3 sage leaves
• 2 oz of bourbon
• Muddle the orange, sage and simple syrup, add ice, the bourbon and top with a splash of Coke.
• Stir and strain into a rocks glass.
• Twist the peel around the rim and drop it in.
• Garnish with a sage leaf.

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Amaretto Sour

Submitted by Rachel Ritchie, Content (LI)

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Sweet, sour, strong, and frothy…this one’s the perfect guilty pleasure for the holidays. And giving them up makes for the perfect new year’s resolution. Create and resolve your shame cycle in one fell swoop!

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Recipe (adapted from somewhere on the internet)

• 1.5 oz amaretto
• 1 oz bourbon whiskey
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 egg white
• 2 dashes bitters
• 1 maraschino cherry

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Add amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, syrup, egg white, and bitters to a cocktail shaker without ice and dry shake for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish with a cherry. Sip and savor!

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Frog’s Leap

Submitted by Ryan Georgian, Sales (LI)

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We always bring Frogs Leap to our holiday celebrations! It all started with an incredible tasting experience at their beautiful winery in the 2000's. They are family owned, are committed to dry irrigation, and are fully LEED certified, plus they make fantastic wine!

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Classic Negroni

Submitted by the Nudge Security Team

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On any given Friday, chances are good that someone from the Nudge Security team will share a photo of their latest cocktail creation, and the classic negroni has been a team favorite throughout 2022. (One especially committed colleague even reports that he likes to age batches of negroni in an oak barrel for two months, claiming it improves the flavor by 2x. The rest of us are too impatient to try for ourselves, but we believe him.)

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Recipe:

• 1 part gin
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 1 part Campari

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Note: For a festive New Year’s Eve twist on the classic, you can take a page out of Emma D’Arcy’s book and swap the gin for 2 parts Prosecco to make a Negroni Sbagliato. Stunnin’!