Christmas is all about the pageantry, and this cocktail serves it up in style. Wonder Bar bartender Duane Gilleylen mixes Grand Marnier and Christmas Ale in a martini glass with a cinnamon stick garnish. "The Christmas Ale will sit at the bottom at first," Gilleylen says. "Grand Marnier has those sweet orange flavors that, when added to the Christmas Ale, are really going to give you that holiday dessert taste." 2044 E. Fourth St., Cleveland, 216-298-4050, wonderbarcleveland.com
Christmas can be a hectic time for grown-ups, but Amp 150 is prepared to come to the rescue of all the top-secret Santas out there with this cocktail, which mixes Christmas Ale, Bulleit rye whiskey and a splash of Coke with a cinnamon-sugar rim. "The spiciness and the way the ingredients mix in from the Christmas Ale and the whiskey, it really has a nice malty dimension," says Peter Zohos, Amp 150's general manager. He says the Coke gives the drink a bit of sweetness. "It's basically a whiskey and cola with beer." 4277 W. 150th St., Cleveland, 216-706-8787, amp150.com
Owner and bartender Jake Orosz remembers visiting his father in Chagrin Falls during the holidays. So it makes sense that he would use Applejack brandy from the village's own Tom's Foolery in a cocktail that also features Christmas Ale, cranberry bitters and house-made clover honey oil. "Christmas has these spicy elements, which I took out of the Christmas Ale," Orosz says. "So when you drink it, you get a nice little spicy, nutmeg Christmas feel with the warmth of this fresh-tasting apple brandy, and it just screams holiday flavor." 2448 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-229-9463, thefairmount.net
