Holiday shopping has a way of stirring old memories. After all, what’s more nostalgic than an afternoon spent admiring flocked window displays while ducking in and out of fragrantly-scented boutiques. Offering a winning combination of upscale shopping at local merchants, highly regarded restaurants, and a calendar filled with holiday season happenings, Ridgeland, Mississippi, offers a hard-to-find combination of small-city charm and the kind of shopping and dining sophistication you’d expect to find in a city many times its size. This fall, visitors in search of an elevated holiday shopping experience are invited to sip and shop their way along Ridgeland’s retail trail. At each stop, you’ll find a specialty beverage to toast to the season, promising the ultimate flight of festive beverages.
While you wind your way from store to store, each shop offers its own Christmassy drinks. The AC Hotel by Marriott Lounge will serve a Sugar Plum Sour—a sparkling concoction made with Makers Mark bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, bitters, and edible glitter. Their Clausmopolitan is just as emblematic of the season. Made with Mississippi’s own Cathead vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and cranberry and rosemary garnishes, this colorful mix is refreshingly festive, too.
The AC Hotel by Marriott's festive Clausmopolitan cocktail
More in the mood for something warm that’ll put some pep in your step? Fusion Coffeehouse is offering a Christmas Cookie Latte made with espresso, frothed milk, cookie butter, brown butter, cinnamon, and holiday sprinkles. It tastes just like Santa’s cookie plate, but it’ll keep your spirits bright as you hunt for gifts for the lucky folks on your “nice” list.
For those who would rather wind down than wind up, CW Organics Apothicaire & Tea Room is serving a comforting classic. A cup of their peppermint leaf tea is the smooth and soothing answer to holiday hustle and bustle—a minty intermission to sit and savor before getting back into the gift-giving game.
Pour a steaming cup of peppermint tea at CW Organics Apothicaire & Tea Room
The Santa’s Senorita at Sombra Mexican Kitchen is a jolly cocktail that’s, er, “Claus” for celebration. This wintery spritz made with your choice of vodka or rum, cranberry, Cara Cara orange, spiced simple syrup, and a rosemary garnish delivers seasonal cheer in a sugar-rimmed coupe glass. It’s a sip so good that it could even make the Grinch grin.
Ely’s shakes things up on a timeless favorite with their Apple Cider Old Fashioned, which blends Four Roses Bourbon, apple cider, and spiced simple syrup with a cinnamon stick garnish into a sip that goes equally well with hayrides and sleigh rides. It’s the best of autumn and winter flavors in one glass.
TASTE Italian Kitchen brings a little Yuletide indulgence to the table with their Leche di Cocoa. Hennessy, amaro nonino, and chocolate come together in a craveable cocktail that’s as warm and luxurious as velvet. It’s a little naughty and a lot of nice, because what’s a holiday without a little decadence?
Not one to get run over by a reindeer? Then hop aboard Ridgeland's unique Mocktail Trail to enjoy a curated selection of zero-proof beverages and fare better than grandma made.
Every stop on Ridgeland’s retail trail is another reason to taste, toast, and treasure the holiday season. So here’s a “cheers” to making spirits bright.
Learn more at exploreRidgeland.com/things-to-do/itineraries/cocktail-trail/
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