By Regina Molaro
’Tis the season for gathering for a festive evening of cocktails, lively conversation and laughs. Restaurants and bars often offer seasonal concoctions that hit just right when the temperatures drop and you’re ready to brighten your palate and your mood. Whether you’re seeking a bit of late-night revelry or some quiet time with a friend over drinks, you’ll find these Monmouth County destinations ready to quench your thirst.
Get Caught Under the Mistletoe
Asbury Park’s beachside cocktail bar Watermark is designed to stimulate all the senses. It offers stylish décor, delectable food and beverages, and beyond. Watermark is a romantic haven to escape to for some unwinding on a cozy winter’s night when everything is checked off the holiday to-do list. When temperatures dip, you can lounge out and bask in the warmth of the fire. It’s also a great place for groups.
This season, the bartenders at Watermark are encouraging holiday hosts to up their game by becoming amateur mixologists and making the season a bit merrier by offering guests a Midnight Mistletoe. This cocktail marries cognac with amaretto and white crème de cacao. It also includes cranberry – an autumn fave – and champagne. Sample one in-house before putting your skills to the test. It’ll be sure to infuse the season with love and a spirit of peace and harmony.
800 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park,
watermarkap.com, 732-455-3447
Holiday Recipe
WATERMARK’S MIDNIGHT MISTLETOE
Servings: 1
5-6 cranberries
1 ounce cognac, preferably Hine
1 ounce amaretto, preferably Gozio
3/4 ounce crème de cacao (white)
Splash of Champagne
Sugar-coated cranberries for garnish
In a cocktail shaker or glass beaker, muddle cranberries until juices flow. Add cognac, amaretto and crème de cacao and stir to combine. Strain into a martini glass. Top with a splash of Champagne and garnish with sugar-coated cranberries. Enjoy!
What’s the Buzz?
This season, get out and “bee” by the sea. Keep summer within reach by inviting the crew to Beach Bee Meadery, a family-owned venue in Long Branch. Beyond the mixed flights and full pours of its meads and ciders, guests can tap one of the bartenders in the tasting room to craft a custom drink from Beach Bee Meadery’s menu, which boasts a lineup of festive holiday flavors.
Celebrate the season with a 9-ounce pour of Beach Bee Meadery’s Bee Sting, boasting tart black currant notes and a bold berry finish. It is crafted with the meadery’s award-winning semi-dry Black Currant cider and its Apple Cyser mead, which features fresh-pressed apple juice, vanilla and honey, and is aged in Laird’s Applejack barrels. It’s a true holiday treat.
Or add some spice to your holiday nights with the Cranberry Cinnamon cider and Cranberry Rosemary mead. The award-winning semi-dry Cranberry Cinnamon cider features the festive flavors of bright, tangy cranberry, with a warm cinnamon finish. The new botanical mead is infused with cranberry and rosemary and aged in gin barrels. It is crisp and festive.
89 Long Branch Ave., Long Branch,
beachbeemeadery.com, 732-403-3558
Puttin’ on the Spritz
Street Kitchen Pub is the latest arrival on the Red Bank food and beverage scene. Both its cocktails and its engaging staff are filled with lots of holiday cheer.
Owner Jack Manousos recommends getting the party started with The 109 – a fusion of Weber Ranch vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur and Aperol. This cocktail appeals to those who yearn for a spritz of citrus to illuminate the holidays. It includes the bright, bold flavors of lemon juice and orange bitters.
5 Broad Street, Red Bank,
streetkitchenpub.com, 732-747-1259
Nipping at Your Taste Buds
Proving Ground, the modern waterfront staple, was inspired by local history and draws its moniker from the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, established in 1874. Fun fact: Sandy Hook became the first U.S. Army proving ground to test artillery as well as other military materiel.
The talents behind the bar at Proving Ground enjoy testing their limits and channeling some creativity into their delicious cocktails. This season, cozy up to the Jack Frost, a blue-hued concoction featuring the flavors of Malibu rum, blue curaçao and coconut. The cocktail’s fun, coconut-flaked rim looks like a sprinkling of snow and the aqua color offers a reminder of summer on a cold night; it’s the beach in a glass.
56 Shrewsbury Ave., Highlands,
theprovingground.com, 732-872-2266
The article originally appeared in the December 11 – 17, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
