“Christmas is here which means excuses are not needed for our boozy selves”

Christmas Cocktails

Christmas is here which means excuses are not needed for our boozy selves. This weeks blog is all about Christmas Cocktails, and we’ve got a 5 for you to choose from. Spice things up this Christmas and impress your guests with all this cocktail fanciness. Cocktail shakers at the ready, let’s get festive. 

Classic snowball – Serves 1

15ml lime juice or lime cordial (optional)
50ml advocaat
50ml sparkling lemonade
ice, to serve
1 maraschino cherry for garnish 

Fill a glass with ice, add the lime juice. Pour the advocaat and lemonade over the ice and stir gently until the outside of the glass feels cold. Garnish with the maraschino cherry.

Brandy Alexander – Serves 2 

50ml crème de cacao
50ml double cream
Ice
1 tsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon

To make the garnish, mix the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon together and set aside. Pour the brandy, crème de cacao and double cream into a cocktail shaker, then add a generous handful of ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker is very cold, then strain into glasses. Garnish with a sprinkle of the spiced sugar, then serve.

Pomegranate & Vermouth Mulled Wine – Serves 6 

500ml carton pomegranate juice
100ml red vermouth
200ml red wine
2 oranges sliced, extra to garnish
2 tsp honey
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 allspice berries

Put everything in a large saucepan set over a low heat and stir to melt the honey. Simmer gently for 10 mins. Taste for sweetness, then strain into heatproof glasses and garnish with extra orange slices to serve.

Festive Negroni – Serves 6 

3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 star anise
2 cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp black peppercorns
200ml gin
ice
200ml vermouth
200ml Campari

Put the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and peppercorns in a dry frying pan, and toast for 5 mins or until the spices are fragrant. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Tip all the toasted spices into a medium jar and pour over the gin. Seal and chill for 48 hrs to infuse. Strain the infused gin through a mesh sieve, fill glasses with ice. To mix the cocktail, tip 25ml each infused gin, vermouth and Campari into the glasses, then garnish with orange slices and bay. Any leftover infused gin will keep, sealed in a cool, dry place for up to two months.

Spice 75 – Serves 5 

60g golden caster sugar
1 tbsp allspice
200ml rum
90ml lime juice
600ml champagne
orange twist

Gently warm the caster sugar in a pan with 30ml water and allspice. Cook gently until the sugar has dissolved, then leave the mixture to cool. Strain through a sieve lined with a coffee filter kitchen paper. Pour 60ml of the spiced syrup into a cocktail shaker along with rum and lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into glasses. Top up with 600ml champagne and garnish each with an orange twist.

Got the chance to make some? Let us know how they tasted in the comments.