A holiday party doesn’t have to be a full spread of a meal. Make it easy on yourself — and your guests — and treat them to a cocktail party with elegant seasonal appetizers and drinks.

For my latest story for the San Diego Union-Tribune I spent some time at one of San Diego’s most elegant restaurants, Addison, with both executive chef William Bradley and mixologist Ian Ward. They created what can be the foundation and inspiration for your holiday cocktail party.

Ward presented two cocktails: his Pumpkin Lemonade, a striking orange rum-enhanced drink, and his Fleur de Noel, brilliantly red thanks to hibiscus tea, and popping with distinctly tropical flavors.

Bradley showed off “BLT” canapés, a pork lover’s dream of unsliced bacon (feel free to use pork belly for real extravagance and richness) wrapped in feuille de brick — ready-made thin pastry sheets — and sautéed until crisp, then topped with tomato confit and tiny lettuce leaves.

Bradley’s Caviar Tart is totally New Years — a pâte brisée tart filled with crème fraîche and thinly sliced chives, then topped, of course, with caviar.

Read the story and get all four recipes in The San Diego Union-Tribune !