Lebkuchen Spice Martinis

‘Tis the season for Lebkucken everything so why not Lebkuchen Spice martinis?

For those of you who do not know what lebkuchen is, it’s a German style of gingerbread packed with spices. Incidentally, once you have the recipe for the spice mix, it’s easy to have it on hand to add to baked goods. For example, I highly recommend it to enhance your favorite brownie recipe.

Back to the star of this post, Lebkuchen Spice Martinis.  First, make Lebkuchen syrup. This is a simple syrup packed with lebkuchen spices. Heat equal parts water and sugar together, add the spices, and cook until the sugar dissolves. And, done!  They don’t call it “simple” syrup for nothing.

Let that delicious fragrant syrup cool completely before you chill and mix Lebkuchen Spice Martinis. Make this syrup ahead of time to save time. Also, use it for purposes other than making Lebkuchen Spice Martinis. Get creative and experiment with mixing other cocktails with it.

For those of you who do not keep vodka in your freezer, I highly recommend chilling your vodka in there for a few hours before mixing your martinis. In addition, I recommend vanilla or chocolate-flavored vodka for this cocktail. However, plain old vodka also does the trick.

Garnish your Lebkuchen Spice Martinis with orange wheels or whole star anise.  Also, a cinnamon stick is a no-brainer. It doubles as a stirrer and it’s eco-friendly.

TIPS for making these Martinis:

• Make the syrup up to a week ahead of time. Stash it in the refrigerator after it cools completely.
• Top vanilla ice cream with the Lebkuchen spice syrup for an easy festive dessert.
• Add a teaspoon or two of the Lebkuchen spice syrup to hot chocolate for a festive spicy kick.
• Transform this cocktail into a creamy version!  Add a shot of your favorite chocolate cream liqueur to the recipe.
• To create a Lebkuchen Spice Martini batch cocktail, quadruple the recipe below. Pour into a pitcher and chill.
  

  Print

  Lebkuchen Martinis

  Vanilla vodka and homemade lebkuchen spice syrup make a festive cocktail.

  Course Alcohol, Cocktails

  Cuisine German

  Keyword christmas cocktails, Cocktails, holiday martinis, lebkuchen, lebkuchen martinis

  Prep Time 20 minutes

  Cook Time 10 minutes

  Servings 2

  Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

  Ingredients

  • 3 shots chilled vanilla vodka
  • 1/4 cup Lebkuchen syrup
  • brown sugar for rims
  • 2 cinnamon sticks for swizzle/garnish
  • Lebkuchen syrup:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 T orange juice
  • 1 T ground cinnamon
  • 1 t ground cloves
  • 1/4 t ground allspice
  • 1/4 t ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 t ground coriander
  • 1/4 t ground cardamom
  • 1/4 t ground ginger
  • 1/4 t ground anise

  Instructions

  1. Heat all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.

  2. Remove from heat. Cool completely,

  3. Strain, then refrigerate.

  4. Spread brown sugar out on a small plate.

  5. Wet martini glass rims and dip into the sugar.

  6. Shake vanilla vodka and lebkuchen syrup.

  7. Pour into glasses, garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve.

  
  

  Like these Lebkuchen Spice Martinis? Also, check out some of these other recipes:

MARASCHINO CHERRY MARTINIS

LEBKUCHEN CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

TANGY KUMQUAT VODKA MARTINIS