Classy Christmas cocktails

Bring good cheer to your Christmas party with wine these classy cocktails...

Snowball

Advocaat is enjoying something of a revival at the moment. To make this drink look even more festive, dip the rim of the glass (any glass will do, but a champagne saucer looks particularly good) in freshly squeezed lime juice. Then place it, rim down, into a bowl of sugar.
- 1 part chilled advocaat
- 2 parts chilled lemonade
- ½ lime, squeezed
- sugar to decorate the glass
- Mix the ingredients together and serve with a slice of lime and a cherry.
Santa’s Christmas delight

Serves 1
- 3 parts Irish whiskey
- 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
- soda water
- few drops of grenadine
Mix the ingredients together. Serve in a tall glass on ice. As a variation, try using ginger ale rather than soda water or Schweppes Russian. Father Christmas (aka Mum or Dad) will love it.
Christmas Champagne cocktail
- 3/5th glass of chilled brut champagne or Spanish cava or Australian sparkling wine
- 1/5th glass cointreau
- 1/5th glass Absolut mandarin vodka
- 1 sugar lump
Mix all the ingredients together. Serve in a champagne flute and decorate with either a slice of orange or a few segments of tangerine.
Holly-tini

A festively coloured green version of the famous cocktail.
- 2 parts vodka or gin
- 1 part dry martini
- ½ part crème de menthe
Either mix in a cocktail shaker with ice or simply serve on ice in a martini glass.
Tia Ginger

This Tia Maria and ginger mixed drink will keep you warm from the inside out during the frosty, winter months, and the combination gives a real twist to the spicy taste of ginger beer, a traditional Christmas flavour.

Serves 1
- 35cl TIA MARIA
- Half a fresh lime
- Ginger Beer
Pour ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice, squeeze in the juice of half a fresh lime and garnish with fresh mint
Santa’s Cointreau Spritzer

This cocktail is an unusual variation on a standard spritzer
- 3 parts dry white wine
- 1 part cointreau
- soda water
Mix everything together, decorate with a twist of orange peel and a stick of celery.
Tanqueray Tang
- 1 part Tanqueray gin
- 1 part cherry brandy
- 2 parts freshly squeezed lime juice
- soda water
- 1 tsp sugar
Mix the above ingredients together over ice, adding soda water to taste. Serve in a tall glass and decorate with a wedge of lime. The ideal red and green Christmas cocktail.
Between the Sheets

Everybody loves oranges, satsumas and tangerines at Christmas, so this cocktail will be a sure-fire hit.
- 1 part cointreau or grand marnier
- 1 part brandy
- 1 part rum
- 2 parts freshly squeezed lime juice
Mix the above ingredients together and serve in a martini glass. Decorate with a twist of lime or orange peel and drop a few tangerine segments into the glass.
Cranberry Cheerer

This Christmas version of a Seabreeze always goes down well.
- 1 part vodka
- 1 part cranberry juice
- 1 part blood red orange juice
Mix the ingredients together and serve in a tall glass on ice. Decorate with a wedge of lime.
Traditional spiced mulled wine

2 bottles medium or full-bodied red wine (Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal)
- 2.5 pints water
- 1 orange, studded with 10 cloves
- 2 oranges and 2 lemons
- sliced 6 tbsp sugar or honey
- 5cm cinnamon stick
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
- 2 tbsp fruit liqueur such as cointreau, grand marnier, calvados or cherry brandy
Mix all the mulled wine ingredients together in a slow cooker or a large saucepan. Heat very gently for about 20 minutes. Do not boil, or you will boil off the alcohol. Stir gently to ensure that the sugar or honey has dissolved. Serve with a ladle and keep warm over a low heat.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s toddy

This easy-to-make pick-you-up is enough for one in a mug or a thick glass. For more servings, simply multiply the amounts given below by the number of guests.

Serves 1
- 1 tbsp Drambuie
- 1 tbsp sweet red vermouth, such as Martini
- 150ml water 2 slices lime
Warm the ingredients gently in a saucepan. Serve in hot toddy glasses.
Cassis cold clearer

A winter variation on the famous French classic, this is great for all the family, as it has lots of vitamin C, both in the blackcurrant and the lemon juice. For children and teetotallers, simply use water rather than white wine.

Serves 1
- 1 glass dry white wine (or water)
- 1 tbsp Crème de Cassis (alcoholic) or blackcurrant cordial
- 1 tbsp lemon juice honey or sugar to taste
Heat ingredients together but do not boil. Serve in mugs or thick wine glasses.
Hot hoppy beer

If you are freezing cold after a long winter walk, this will hit the spot. If available, it’s best to use an Eastern European lager as they tend to have much more flavour.

Serves 4 – 6
- 2 large bottles Budvar or similar
- 6 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 egg yolks
Gently heat the lager, honey and nutmeg, but do not boil. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and mix in 4–5 tbsps of the warmed lager. Slowly return all this liquid to the saucepan, stirring all the time so that the eggs do not curdle. Simmer for 3–5 minutes and serve in hot toddy glasses.
Tia Espresso Martini

This rich and smooth cocktail is our version of this classic cocktail. The aromatic notes of Tia Maria add more depth and smoothness to the mix, while the delicious combination of coffee, vodka and Tia’s dark liqueur gives a depth of flavour that will appeal to those with opulent tastes.

Serves 1
- 25cl TIA MARIA
- 25cl espresso coffee
- 25cl vodka
- 10cl sugar syrup to taste
- Coffee beans to Garnish
Combine all ingredients together with cubed ice in a Boston and shake. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with coffee beans.
Egg nog

Here's the classic Christmas drink associatied with our American and Canadian friends across the big blue sea.

Serves 4-6
- 1140ml/2 pints whole milk
- 6 free-range eggs
- 50g/2oz caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 20 fresh cherries, stones removed and halved
- 200ml/7fl oz brandy
- cocoa powder, for dusting
Place the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla pod in a medium pan and heat gently, without boiling, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. The egg nog can be chilled at this stage or served hot. To serve, scatter the cherries in the bottom of each serving glass. Divide the brandy between the glasses and pour the egg nog over. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.
Old-fashioned whisky cocktail

Keep warm this Christmas with a fiery old-fashioned.

Serves 1
- 1 thick slice orange peel
- 1 maraschino cherry, with stem
- 1 tsp sugar syrup (also sold as gomme syrup)
- 2-3 drops whisky bitters ice cubes, as necessary
- 50ml/2fl oz scotch or bourbon twist of lemon peel, to garnish
Take the orange peel and squeeze it with your fingers. Rub the peel around the insides of a whisky tumbler, then place into the glass. Add the cherry, sugar syrup and bitters, along with three ice cubes. Add half of the scotch or bourbon and stir for about ten seconds. Add more ice and the remaining scotch or bourbon and stir again for 10-15 seconds. To serve, garnish with lemon peel.
Classic champagne cocktail

Serves 1
- 1 white sugar cube
- 2 dashes bitters
- 20ml/¾fl oz cognac
- enough champagne to fill the glass
Place the sugar cube onto a spoon and add the bitters. Drop the soaked sugar cube into a champagne flute and add the cognac. Top up the glass with champagne and serve.
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