New Jersey’s Number 1 Most Popular Holiday Festive Cocktail
Cocktails are displayed on a bar
I don’t know what your plan is, but most of us like to celebrate the holidays with friends, family, and a fun holiday cocktail to slurp. I’m a beer guy, but we try to make sure our bar is stocked so we can mix whatever our guests desire.
We find that most people prefer the classic stuff, while many others will add a splash to the celebration when it’s party time.
According to a new study from Upgraded Points, the favorite holiday cocktails across the country vary from state to state. New Jersey’s favorite holiday cocktail is not what I would have guessed.
The study analyzed Google Trends data to check on the searches for 50 seasonal drinks. Then they shared the most popular drinks in every state in the U.S. Here’s what their research discovered.
New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania’s Favorite
Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour is also the most popular festive cocktail in three states including New Jersey. It was also found to be the top drink in Virginia and North Carolina.
New York’s pick is the tropical coconut Coquito. They also love it in Florida and Connecticut.
Eleven states enjoy Christmas Punch the most. It’s most popular in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio and Michigan.
Cranberry Mimosa, a seasonal spin on the traditional brunch cocktail, is the top choice in four states. South Carolina, Kentucky, Iowa, and Delaware all love them the most.
Since it’s a traditional holiday beverage, I thought Eggnog would be more popular. The Christmas classic is a favorite in Oregon, Texas, Illinois, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Vermont.
Hot Buttered Rum is the top choice in four states, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.
Irish Coffee warms you up from the winter chill and it’s also the most popular holiday cocktail in four states, California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii.
Christmas Margarita, a festive take on the classic cocktail, is the top choice in two states, Colorado and Nebraska.
Some other favorites include a Maple Old Fashioned, a White Russian, a Tom and Jerry, and Milk Punch.
Get the rundown of each state’s favorite here.
4 Great Christmas Dinner Options For The Whole Family
Now that the Thanksgiving meal is behind us and we are all still feeling more than stuffed, it’s time we shift our focus. To more food! Here, we’ll cut into four great dinner options to feed the whole family at Christmas dinner.
Yes, Thanksgiving requires a lot of hours in the kitchen. Prepping a turkey, maybe even frying one, takes some proper attention. Then, to some, the most important part is the sides that go with the main attraction. Again, making these side dishes means cooking up a storm. However, perhaps we underappreciate the art of this meal. For the most part, the menu is designed for us. Furthermore, it is consistent every year. All you have to decide is how much to make based around how many people will be gathered around your table.
Fast forward a month, and it’s time to prepare another epic holiday meal. In addition to running around to grab last-minute gifts, if you are hosting a Christmas get-together you have to do a lot of preparing, again.
The Magic of Christmas Cooking
Here, we are going to break down some options to jump-start your Christmas prep. First, let’s set the table on some criteria, and some bust some myths. You certainly do not need to reinvent the wheel and cook up something extraordinarily unique. In fact, it’s best to keep it simple. Dozens of classic dishes have already been well-established as delicious to satisfy your family, friends, and guests.
The thought process in suggesting these four Christmas dinner options is that they are proven to be delightful. They can also be prepared in large batches that do not require a tremendous amount of hours in the kitchen. These meals are family-friendly and are sharable. Some of them you may even be able to combine together. Again, this list won’t spark an idea that’s never been cooked up. Perhaps it just serves as a simple reminder that these Christmas dinner menu items can be straightforward and delicious enough.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.