We propose a toast! As we gather around holiday tables this season to make merry, we reflect on the time we’ve shared and look forward to the adventures coming in another new year. We celebrate the big and small moments that hold 2021 together in our memories, savoring the joyful and learning from the bittersweet. Mix up your favorite holiday cocktail from the festive list we’ve collected here and raise a glass with these local community leaders as they share what they are toasting to this year. Cheers! Skol! Salud! Saluti!
Tiffany Allen-Zeuch
[Pull Quote:] “Here’s to a bright new year and a fond farewell to the old; Here’s to the things that are yet to come, and the memories that we hold.”
Home values aren’t the only thoughts on the mind of Tiffany Allen-Zeuch, top real estate professional in Cincinnati’s northern counties, as we wrap up this year. She knows the value of the love and support of family and good friends.
This holiday, Tiffany toasts to her dear ones and to the success of small businesses.
“Treasure every moment with your family,” she says while toasting with a Pomegranate Old Fashioned, a tart and fruity spin on a classic cocktail.
Pomegranate Old Fashioned
Put ½ ounce pomegranate juice, 4 cranberries, 2 teaspoons pomegranate arils (seeds), a dash of angostura bitters and a splash of water in a glass and muddle. Add ice and pour in 2 ounces of rye or bourbon whiskey. Garnish with an orange peel and cranberries.
Alison Shiver
[Pull quote:] “Here’s a toast to the future, a toast to the past and a toast to our friends, far and near. Out with the old, in with the new, cheers to the future in all that we do!”
A busy executive with family-owned business Shiver Security, Alison is looking forward to gathering around the holiday table with those that know her best—her family. They will be coming together for Christmas Eve dinner, where they will not only share a meal, but as tradition holds, they’ll also share stories of their favorite moments with each other, taking turns going around the table to intentionally lift each other up and laugh together.
“I am raising my glass this year to embracing the glorious mess that I am,” she says with a laugh and a sip of her peppermint White Christmas cocktail.
White Christmas
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add 1 ½ ounces of vodka, ¾ ounce of peppermint schnapps and ¾ ounce of white chocolate liqueur. Shake well. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with red sugar and garnish with a mini candy cane.
Matt + Laura Fields
[Pull quote:] “Here’s to a healthy 2022!”
With their simple toast, Matt and Laura Fields, owners of the remodeling company Kitchen Tune-Up, remind us of the heart of our struggle through this chaotic time—good health is a privilege.
Matt and Laura enjoy sparkling and refreshing cocktails, almost as much as they enjoy refreshing kitchens with their local small business. They clink their glasses of Winter Sangria to celebrate supportive clients and healthy days ahead.
“We are grateful to all the people that support small businesses through thick and thin,” Matt says. Laura agrees, lifting her glass in a tribute.
The Fields’ look ahead to 2022 with hope.
Winter Sangria
Combine 1 bottle of pinot grigio with ⅓ cup of sparkling apple cider, ⅛ cup sugar, 2 sprigs of rosemary, ⅛ cup of halved cranberries, ½ cup of whole cranberries and 1 granny smith apple, cored and diced. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with a fresh sprig of rosemary and include some of the fruit in every glass.
Kris Titko + Tom Stanforth
[Pull quote:] “May peace, joy, health and happiness follow us into the new year!”
Only special married couples like Kris Titko and Tom Stanforth somehow pull off living and working together, managing full and active family lives, as well as running a successful podiatry practice. Together, they are quite a team.
Their red wine toast is a tribute to a challenging year.
“This Christmas, we are grateful for the new family coming into our lives and blessed to have known and loved those who left us,” Kris shares, tears brimming her eyes.
Tom Fiehrer
[Pull quote:] “Be thankful for those among you and embrace the ones you love. We never know when we will have the opportunity to be together again.”
“The best toasts help us remember and send up a prayer,” reflects Tom Fiehrer, the insightful president of Fiehrer Motors in Hamilton. It was a year to remember for this father of the bride—he made a toast at his daughter’s wedding this year.
“Time is the one commodity that equalizes all people,” he says.
This holiday, he lifts his glass of bourbon to honor loved ones and time well-spent with them.
Julia + Mike Corna
[Pull quote:] “Cin cin a tutti! Meglio auguri alla famiglia!”
Mike Corna, of American Family Insurance, puts family first. Julia and Mike welcome five generations of Cornas to their holiday table this year. Their Italian toast translates to, “Cheers to all! Best wishes to the family!”
“This year, we honor the patriarch of our family, Uncle Richie, and celebrate the birth of our first grandchild,” Mike says with a wide grin.
The Cornas toast the famiglia with The Grinch, a delightful green concoction with a cherry heart.
The Grinch
Mix 1 ½ ounces of Midori Melon Liqueur, 1 ounce of clear rum and 5 ounces of lemon lime soda or seltzer. Pour over ice and top with a maraschino cherry.