Your neighbor saw your 5,000-watt crèche with the Light-Up Holy Family and raised you Three Luminous-Halo'd Wise Men. You countered by adding the Animated Waving Santa and Nodding Reindeer to your roof; he got the Ho! Ho! Hover-Over-the-House Motion-Sensored Santa Sleigh Track. Before contemplating your next move, relax with a sparkling, ginger-infused refresher and review the inconvenient truth of your kilowatt hours.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 1

　　1 1/2 ounces gin

　　1 1/2 ounces Ginger-Infused Simple Syrup (see below.)

　　1 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

　　4 dashes orange bitters, such as Fee's or Regan's

　　4 ounces (1/2 cup) club soda

　　Spiral of a lime peel

　　

Ginger-Infused Simple Syrup (Makes approximately 1 3/4 cups)

1 1/2 cups sugar

　　8 ounces (1 cup) water

　　3 3-inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (approximately 3/4 cup)

　　

Step 1

Pour the gin, syrup, and lime juice into a shaker filled with ice; add the bitters. Shake well (until condensation forms on the entire shaker). Strain the mixture over fresh ice into a tall glass, top with club soda, and garnish with a lime peel.

　　

Ginger-Infused Simple Syrup

Step 2

Place the sugar, water, and ginger chunks in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool; strain into a glass jar with an airtight lid. The syrup will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 1460.0 calories

　　30.0 calories from fat

　　3.0g total fat

　　1.0g saturated fat

　　0.0mg cholesterol

　　60.0mg sodium

　　339.0g total carbs

　　6.0g dietary fiber

　　305.0g sugars

　　4.0g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　Reprinted with permission from Peterson's Holiday Helper: Festive Pick-Me-Ups, Calm-Me-Downs, and Handy Hints to Keep You in Good Spirits by Valerie Peterson. Copyright © 2008 by Valerie Peterson. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Valerie Peterson is a writer descended from a long line of therapeutic concoctionists. A native of Yonkers, New York, she now lives in (and enjoys an occasional) Manhattan.