What better time of year to do a little hotel-bar drinking around Union Square than December, right? It's about the only place in the city that feels truly Christmas-y, if you ask us, and the hotel lobbies are all decked out with enormous trees, and gingerbread structures, and whathaveyou. So we checked back in at the newly revamped Starlight Room, atop the Sir Francis Drake, and found this delicious new punch on the menu that's perfect for the season. Bar manager Joel Teitelbaum infuses his own apple-cinnamon gin, and adds a few more fall-wintery-spicy things to create a deliciously balanced little drink.

Here's the recipe below, sized for a crowd (at the Starlight room it's only available in this quantity, as a punch bowl for four).

Seasonal Punch

1 cup apple-cinnamon-infused gin*
1/2 cup Le Compt Calvados
1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey syrup**
1/4 cup water
5 dashes St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl (can be sized up as needed, for parties). Add a large ice cube made by freezing a sturdy bowl full of water.

* To make the infused gin, steep four bags of apple-cinnamon tea in a liter of gin for 30 minutes.

** Honey Syrup: 1 part honey to 1 part hot water. Combine well. Chill.