Be of Good Cheer: Cocktails for a Fab Festive Season
Getting your guests (or your self) in a festive mood is easy with a signature cocktail.
To get your entertaining game on point, we turned to Gn Chan, an award-winning bartender who slings drinks at Angel’s Share in Manhattan. He created four custom cocktails that any home bartender (of any mixology skill level) can make, just for Fab. Meet the man himself below, get a sneak peek at the drinks in store and snag the recipe for the first: it’s the easiest and most delicious thing you’ll make all season.
What’s your background? When did you start bartending?
I was born and raised in Taiwan. I’ve been a bartender for four years, although I trained as a designer—and a street magician. The nice thing about bartending is that it’s the perfect blend of both of those things. Coming up with drinks covers the creative design aspect, and bartending covers the performance part.
Why did you move to the US?
I came to New York because a bartender friend in Hong Kong told me it was the most challenging place to make a cocktail.
What are the best things about your job?
I like to perform. When you’re bartending, it’s like you’re on a stage, and people are watching you have fun. You can talk to people and learn their stories.
The best part is seeing people’s faces when they take that first sip of the drink you made them—whether or not they like it!
What is your process for creating new cocktails or coming up with drink ideas?
Sometimes I create a drink backwards. I imagine what it would look like, and then think about ingredients, and finally about how it might taste. I also like to deconstruct classic cocktails and build new things from their parts.
For the cocktails I created for Fab, I thought about how people like to drink in the wintertime: toasting with champagne, sitting by the stove or a fireplace sipping at something warm and buttery, with snow falling outside… I thought about vibrant colors and warmer tastes.
What’s your ideal cold-weather cocktail?
A twist on hot buttered rum and Bulletproof coffee—something hot & rich.
Do you have a favorite drink?
My favorite type of drink starts sweet and ends bitter. The first drink I ever liked is called a Spumoni. It’s a classic drink made with Campari, grapefruit juice and tonic. Very simple, and really popular across Southeast Asia.
What’s your favorite drink to make?
I like it when people quiz me about what they like. Customizing drinks for people is really fun! “Can you make me something happy?” If they don’t like it, I make something else until we get it right together.
What qualities do you think a successful bartender should have?
A truly successful bartender should be able to make people laugh before they leave the bar!
Any advice for someone looking to build up their home bar?
My advice to an aspiring home bartender is to just mess around. Mix whatever you think you’ll like, start from there. A good home bar needs a few essentials: A shaker, a bar spoon and glassware you like. And ice. Good ice!
Which of your original drinks are you most proud of?
It’s called the Tainan: kombu-infused gin, tomato water, green tomato jam, a touch of lemon juice and plum wine, with dried plum powder from Taiwan on the rim of the glass. It’s named for my hometown, because all the ingredients come from there: we always eat tomatoes with dried plums, and kombu is an essential ingredient in our food. The drink has lots of umami, it’s sweet and sour and a little savoury—very complex, with lots of layers.
Raspberry Bubbles
Something sparkling is always festive—this delicious drink plays with holiday reds and greens without looking too cheesy. Almost as easy as simply pouring champagne, it’s guaranteed to bring a sense of infectious good cheer to any party.
Makes one drink, but is easily multiplied
1 small scoop raspberry sorbet
1 small mint sprig (for garnish and fragrance)
10 ml creme de cassis
Sparkling wine
Place sorbet scoop in the bottom of your glass.
Gently stick your mint sprig into the top of the scoop—it’s both a garnish and a fragrance.
Pour in the cassis.
Top up with as much sparkling wine as you want.
Serve with a spoon to scoop up the sorbet or stir it in. Your choice. Stay fancy!
Next week: a mouthwateringly festive Holiday Mule.













