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Drinking Diaries

Impress holiday guests with boozy winter libations from Dallas' finest

Jonathan Rienstra
Nov 29, 2013 | 1:40 pm

It’s that time of year when people gather together under the guise of holiday spirit and tacky sweaters to eat, drink and be merry. Even if you’re not the host, you’ll likely be asked to bring something as a guest.

Because booze is always a fashionable choice, we asked a few Dallas joints to share their favorite winter cocktail recipes. If you can pull these off, you’ll be the life of the party.

J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge: Baked Tequila Apple Pie

Yields: 1 serving

1 oz. Blue Nectar tequila
1/2 oz. butterscotch liqueur
1 oz. apple cider
1/2 oz. agave nectar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine tequila, butterscotch liqueur, apple cider, lemon juice and agave nectar. Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with nutmeg or an apple slice.

Bolsa: Winter Eggnong

Yields: 1 serving

1/2 oz. of simple syrup
1 bar of spoon cinnamon
1/2 oz. Snap
1 1/2 oz. Maker's Mark
4 dashes vanilla tincture
4 dashes allspice
1 oz. heavy cream
1 egg white

Combine all ingredients and shake till your arm hurts. Then add ice and shake again until your arm really hurts. Strain into a glass and enjoy.

Black Swan Saloon: Mulled Wine

Yields: 10-12 servings

3 cinnamon sticks
12 cloves
3 star anise pods
6 juniper berries
6 allspice berries
6 cardamom pods
1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup granulated sugar in the raw
1 orange
1 3-in. ginger root
2 oz. Cointreau liqueur
2 bottles Perrin Cotés du Rhône red wine

Zest the orange, cut in half and set aside. Peel the ginger root, cut in half and set aside.

Add top seven ingredients to a medium-sized, heavy-bottom saucepan on medium-high heat. When the spices begin to smoke, lower heat to medium/low and add sugar, Cointreau and 1 cup of red wine. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until all of the ingredients combine and begin to boil.

As soon the syrup begins to boil, it will thicken up. Add the rest of the wine; stir to incorporate. Add ginger root, orange zest and squeeze both halves of the orange into the wine. Stir to combine, and turn the stove down to low.

Let the wine slowly come to temperature. This will take about 10-12 minutes. Cover and let the flavors steep while on low for another 7-10 minutes.

Ladle into hot coffee mugs and add a cinnamon stick when serving, if desired. You can transfer the mulled wine to a crock pot on the lowest setting so guests can serve themselves.

Urban Taco: Ponche de Frutas

Yields: 16 servings

1/2 lb. guayabas
1/2 lb. tejocote
1/2 lb. sugar cane sticks
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 lb. green apple
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 oz. hibiscus flower

In a two-gallon pot, add all the fruit, cinnamon, sugar cane sticks and hibiscus. Fill it up with water and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 30 minutes.

Serve warm in ceramic mugs and garnish with cinnamon stick, sugar cane stick and hibiscus leaf.

The People's Last Stand: Rose Gold Apple Cider

Yields: 8-10 servings

1 gallon organic apple juice
2 apples, studded with cloves (approx. 20 each)
2 oranges, sliced
6 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (optional)
1 tsp. ground allspice (or 2 dozen or so whole berries)
1 large piece of ginger, 6 to 8 in., sliced

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until apple is soft and falling apart. Double strain and bottle.

When ready to serve, heat and add 1 1/2-2 oz. of bourbon or spiced rum (drinker's choice). Garnish with apple twist or slice, orange peel twisted around a cinnamon stick or just a cinnamon stick.

Nobu: Atlantico Rum Kabocha Spiced Cocktail

Yields: 1 serving

1 1/2 oz. spiced kabocha puree (see instructions below)
2 oz. Atlantico private cask rum
1 1/2 oz. Perricone apple juice
3 each orange segments (quarters)
1/2 oz. egg white
Dash of simple syrup
Ginger beer
Candied ginger for garnish

To make the kabocha puree, cut one kabocha in half and roast on a sheet pan, face down, in a 450-degree oven for one hour. Add meat to a blender with 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp. ground allspice and 1 tbsp. ground clove. Add 2 1/2 glasses of water and bottle.

Muddle oranges, then add kabocha puree, Atlantico rum, apple juice, egg white and simple syrup and shake vigorously. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a candied ginger. Pour into high ball glass.

The Baked Tequila Apple Pie at J. Black's blends apple cider and tequila.

Baked Tequila Apple Pie at J. Black\u2019s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge
Photo courtesy of J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge
The Baked Tequila Apple Pie at J. Black's blends apple cider and tequila.
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Shining bright

The Gem juice bar shakes into Uptown Dallas, complete with disco ball

Luciana Gomez
Oct 14, 2026 | 2:36 pm
The Gem Juice Bar
Photo courtesy of The Gem
The Gem Juice Bar is now open in Uptown Dallas.

An organic juice bar with a disco ball and a following in Dallas has opened a third location, this one in Uptown: The Gem Organic Food and Juice Bar is now serving juices, smoothies, and fresh food at Rosewood Court, 2101 Cedar Springs Rd., R115, next to Flower Child.

Co-owned by Leslie Needleman and Mary Kathryn Bass, The Gem first opened near Lovers Lane and Inwood before moving into its first dedicated space in Preston Center on Luther Lane in 2013. A second location at Forest Lane and Preston Road followed in 2015.

“We call this new location our 'Hidden Gem; Uptown customers had been asking for a closer shop for years,” Needleman says. “The area also brings steady office and hotel traffic, and for years, we've wanted to bring The Gem lifestyle into new parts of Dallas.”

The Gem Juice Bar The juice is organic and cold-pressed fresh daily.Photo courtesy of The Gem

The self-described “disco soul sisters” built the business around organic food and juice, with a colorful, upbeat atmosphere to match. Their interest in wellness has personal roots. In 2009, Needleman was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her recovery, she explored organic juice, clean food, and a plant-based, anti-inflammatory diet. Bass shared her interest in a wellness-focused lifestyle centered on mind, body, and spirit.

That philosophy informs the menu, which has featured ingredients such as maca, housemade cashew milk, and kale since the business launched in 2012. The juice is organic, cold-pressed fresh daily, and is not treated with high-pressure processing, or HPP, a method commonly used to extend shelf life.

“Gem juice lasts days, not weeks, because we refuse to trade fresh flavor, nutrients, and enzymes for a longer shelf life,” Bass says.

The menu is free of refined sugars, gluten, dairy, artificial ingredients, seed oils, and GMOs. Bestsellers include the Green Glow, made with kale, cucumber, lemon, apple, and ginger; the Golden Glow, a blend of turmeric, lemon, orange, ginger, and cardamom; and the Ruby Slipper, made with beet, ginger, and carrot. The Green Glow was the shop's first recipe and remains a favorite.

The Gem Juice Bar The shop serves soup, too.Photo courtesy of The Gem

Other offerings include French press coffee, cold brew, matcha, smoothies, and protein drinks. Fresh food prepared daily includes soups such as lentil, mushroom vegetable purée, and immunity bone broth; along with salads, hummus, protein bars, and chocolate mousse made with raw cacao, avocado, and chia seeds.

The 1,000-square-foot Uptown shop follows the same colorful formula as the other locations, with a disco ball overhead and upbeat music. There's a front counter, a refrigerated grab-and-go case for busy locals and hotel guests, and seating at individual and communal tables.

“We believe that a healthy lifestyle can be sexy and fun; every Gem has a disco ball turning overhead, walls alive with color, and a soundtrack that makes it nearly impossible not to shimmy while waiting for your smoothie,” Bass says. “Healthy living should feel joyful, vibrant, and energizing.”

The Gem Uptown is open 7:30 am-6 pm Monday-Friday and 8 am-4 pm Saturday. It's closed Sunday.

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