The Art of Entertaining
A Van Winkle Family Guide to Gathering & Holiday Entertaining
Growing up with such a large and vibrant family (yes, that is our nice way of saying loud and boisterous), we have pretty much always approached holidays with a mix of tradition, hospitality, and a general acceptance of natural spontaneity. After all, with this many of us, you have to adopt a “go with the flow” sensibility towards entertaining, or you will find yourself overwhelmed quite quickly. Or, even worse, you will find yourself not enjoying the art of gathering at all. As that is the underlying purpose of entertaining for all of us, that simply won’t do.
We are all acutely aware that time is fleeting and our lives are increasingly busy and hectic; therefore, we truly embrace the time the holiday season gives us and treat it as a gift rather than a hassle. To fully welcome the magic, wonder, and togetherness of the season, we find that the rules are really quite simple. Slow down and focus on what is important.
The only details that matter are the ones that allow everyone, including and especially the host(ess), to relax into the holiday and enjoy it. This simply requires a mix of tradition, hospitality, and effortless entertaining tips and tricks (most of which are really just food, flavor, and cocktails) that we have honed over the years - either through practice or inspired by each previous generation of Van Winkles.
Traditions.
Holidays are the perfect time to honor tradition; however, that doesn’t mean following them to the letter of the law. Find ways to incorporate traditions in a way that works for you, or use them as a guidepost to create your own family traditions.
The legacy of our great-grandparents, Nana and Pappy Van Winkle, still looms beautifully large and present in almost all aspects of our lives to this day. Especially in their dedication to hospitality, which is never more evident than during the Holidays.
Perhaps pick and choose elements of traditions that are important enough to adhere to in their original form, and then select others that can serve as the vision behind a modernized version. For example, we still make Van Winkle Family Egg Nog following Nana Van Winkle's original family recipe and serve it from Pappy’s original silver punch bowl(the inspiration behind our Everyday Heirlooms collection). Of course, we do now add a handwritten note that it contains bourbon (the result of some eager young cousins who snuck a taste).
Consider using a store-bought crust for a family pie, or opt for your favorite frozen biscuitsinstead of making them from scratch to serve with dinner. Were your family holiday decorations super elaborate? Select a room or a table to serve as the centerpiece of your decor, and keep the rest of it simple yet festive.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match and forge your own holiday traditions. For example, on the heels of COVID, we transformed our typical fancy Christmas Eve into a family walk followed by pjs around the fire. (Perhaps with a classic Christmas movie. Some of our favorites are: Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf, The Holiday and Love Actually). The celebration was just as joyful, and we didn’t sacrifice any of our traditions to do so. In fact, it was so enjoyable that we have kept some of the elements of a cozy, casual Christmas Eve even now.
We love a big family walk - not only is this great to get outside (weather depending of course) and either work off a big meal or work up an appetite. This also happens to help if you have as many fidgety children running around as we do! You will find our extended crew of cousins, aunts, uncles, dogs and all, on Thanksgiving and Christmas, either trooping through nearby Locust Grove or traipsing through our neighborhood with as many as 30 people in tow.
Perhaps because we are so attuned to our heritage of hospitality, or simply because we just enjoy being together, enjoying good food and sinking into family traditions, but we adore the Holiday season. So we are more than happy to share our entertaining essentials, a sort of Van Winkle Family Guide to Gathering, to encourage you to enjoy this season of celebration too!
Van Winkle Family Guide to Gathering: Holiday Season
Entertaining Essentials:
Easy essentials that still elevate the environment are the name of the game. With a bit of a self-serving intention, we have thoroughly designed and crafted intentional collections of versatile entertaining essentials that we want to use in our homes (and gift to others). Tools, inspired by Pappy Van Winkle's heritage of hospitality, that make entertaining and enjoyment synonymous with celebration. Maybe that old infomercial was on to something, with the right essentials- you really can set it and forget it when it comes to bar ware, flavor, decor, and menu planning.
First things first, The Bar.
No matter how many people you are hosting, keep it simple. If tradition invites it, a signature cocktail (ie, Van Winkle Family Egg Nog) along with an assortment of beer, wine, and a few cocktail mixersto allow for some variation. (Of course, we have a cooler for kiddo drinks that is pillaged instantly, and fortunately, our collection of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Mixers makes quite delicious non-alcoholic options.)
Basically, avoid the urge to go overboard. We always have our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned Mixer available, as that is our favorite seasonally cozy craft cocktail (made absurdly easy yet unbelievably delicious with an ideally balanced yet traditional Old Fashioned mixer). We essentially created our Bloody Mary Mix with Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pepper Mash because it is our favorite Thanksgiving Day cocktail, and it is so easy to customize to individual preferences, including a sweetly spicy Virgin Bloody Mary.
If variety is the name of the game, consider our Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Sour Cocktail Mixer, which pairs beautifully with all spirits (and, added to lemon seltzer water with a few cranberries or pomegranate seeds, delivers a festive mocktail!) If you're looking to elevate the sophistication, consider delighting and surprising your guests with a decadent and creamy Pappy Van Winkle Espresso Martinithat will taste far more complex than it was to craft.
Mix and match your glassware and bar accessories. We always have a combination of unbreakable Pappy Hour or Pappy & Company Keys cups for those guests who need one (you know who they are), an assortmentof vintage, collected, and favorite heirloom pieces (better on your bar than collecting dust in storage) along with some festive, sophisticated, and elevated options from our glassware collection.
The message is the same for bar and decor - if you can’t bring them out during the Holidays, when can you (and when will you!) We craft pieces that are meant to be used, enjoyed, and celebrated with. Even if you only have a few wineglasses from your grandmothers’s set of wedding stemware, mix them in! Or use those mint julep glasses or punch bowls as decor, fill them with leftover Christmas greenery, and scatter them about. Don’t be too precious with the idea that everything has to “go together,” after all, the real beauty is in enjoying, honoring, and celebrating what you have!
Our great-grandmother, Nana Van Winkle, widely regarded as an “quintessential hostess,” was renowned for her extravagant holiday decorations and her creative displays that adhered to a new theme each year (think a blue Cinderella tree). Similarly, her dining room table was always set, laden with crystal stemware and her finest china, even just for breakfast. While we appreciate her attention to detail and her devotion to this level of hospitality and decor, we certainly can’t keep up with her legendary skills.
Instead, we take inspiration from her legendary hosting skills and apply them in a thoughtful, yet achievable way. Her intention was clear: to make their home feel welcoming, to elevate the experience for each guest, and to transform even the simplest of occasions into a true celebration. A few smalltouches are all it takes to convey the sentiment that your home is an invitation and to set the tone for guests (and hosts) alike to enjoy themselves, whether the event is formal or pajama-friendly!
Fortunately, holiday decor is some of the easiest, as Mother Nature herself delivers the bounty of the season. Our motto is simple - bring the outside in and use what you have! Branches trimmed from your Christmas tree, or your yard (or a neighbor's, with permission, of course) are festive, easy, and beautiful. Fill an assortment of vases, heirloom glassware, vintage mint julep cups, or punch bowls with greenery, or loosely assemble them across your mantle along with candles, or weave them between candles and decoron your dining room or buffet table.
Many of our favorite holiday greenery to use can be sourced without any extra cost. Consider a mix of the following seasonal greenery options, backyard bushes, and some seasonal berries for a pop of holiday color: (Bittersweet, Winter Berry, Holly Berry, Hypericum Berry, Juniper, Boxwood, Magnolia, Fir, Spruce, Pine, and Rosemary). Bonus: your home will be filled with the romantic, festive, and nostalgic scents of the season!
A centerpiece can be greenery or an assortment of seasonal plants nestled in a bowl. Add a few rustic or vintage candlesticks and a variety of seasonal greens and berries, either loose or in an assortment of small vases or mint julep cups. We also love to fill hurricane vases or punch bowls with vintage ornaments or a collection of glass ball ornaments (select some in the same color way), even in a surprising color, like hot pink, for a splash of festive and surprising fun.
Last, but certainly not least: The Food:
Holiday gatherings have powerful memories - for us, there are certain things we always (and only) serve during the holidays. Like our Van Winkle Family Egg Nog, our Christmas Eve Carrot Dip, and of course, a Fried Turkey on Thanksgiving.
Focus on flavor. Essentially, rely on recipes that inspire nostalgia and that showcase the signature, warm, sweet, and spicy flavors of the season. Bonus points if they are easy. We specifically created our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Gourmet collection for this very reason!
The warmth of the holiday season is reflected in our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged gourmet collection. The warming notes of charred oak, lingering hints of buttery, rich caramel, and dreamy layers of vanilla in our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup highlight the seasonal flavors of our favorite holiday recipes. Our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pepper Sauce brings a sweet, signature heat for a kick of flavor, and of course, our collection of gourmet Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged gourmet treats makes the ideal holiday dessert (and gift). You can double our signature Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Balls as a seating card and dessert - simply pop a toothpick with your guest's name on it, and voilà!
We happen to truly enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen, getting creative with flavors and ingredients. However, with a family this big - we recognize that when hosting for large groups (or spontaneous ones) it's best to have a few easy recipesto fall back on. When it comes to holidays, we have a few special holiday recipes that are a must.
Van Winkle Family Holiday Recipes:
Sides, mains, appetizers, cocktails, and desserts that are easy to make, share and enjoy for festive holiday occasions of every size with Pappy Van Winkle inspired tradition, heritage and flavor.
Ham Biscuitswith Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Maple Butter
Van Winkle Family Egg Nog
Spicy Dill Dipping Sauce
Classic Pimento Cheese
Maple Hot Toddy
Maple Cherry Balsamic Sauce
Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash
Goat Cheese with Spicy Maple Pecans
Bourbon Soaked Cranberry Brussels Sprouts
Spicy Green Beans
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
"White Christmas" Margarita
Bourbon Maple Sweet Potatoes
Old Sage Sour
Fall Cocktailswith our Trio of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Mixers
Cheers to an enjoyable and effortless Holiday Season of joyful entertaining and gathering!
