It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to bulk buy your favourite spirits and get cocktail-making with your friends and family.

We share with you, five of our favourite Christmas-inspired cocktails.

 

Mulled Wine

This can be served hot or cold though we recommend the latter at this time of year.

Add the sugar and spices to 150ml water, bring to the boil slowly and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for a couple of minutes before leaving to cool. Add the fruit and alcohol, stir well, cover and chill overnight.

Simply warm through on the stove and add the zest and star anise to serve.

750ml Beaujolais

150ml Cointreau

150ml water

100g Muscovado sugar

4 cloves

2 clementine

1 lemon

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

Orange zest

 

 

Kir Royale

Simple yet elegant, the vivid pink colour of this cocktail looks impressive when served in a flute with raspberries which fizz as you drop them into the glass.

Bubbly at the ready!

750ml Champagne

40ml Crème de Cassis (or Chambord)

2-3 raspberries

 

Gingerbread and Espresso Martini

50ml Vodka

25ml Espresso

15ml Gingerbread syrup 

3 coffee beans 

Pinch sugar

Pinch cinnamon

This is a delicious cocktail that has maximum impact with the least effort and is a great liquid alternative to dessert.

Simply shake together all ingredients with ice and strain into a sugar and cinnamon rimmed glass.

Add the coffee beans to serve.

Smooth, velvety and warming.

 

Eggnog

Alternatively known as milk punch, this rich and creamy concoction has been around since the 17^th century.

Nothing instantly evokes the idea of Christmas and the festive season quite as much as eggnog does.

90ml Bourbon

570ml whole milk

240ml double cream

45g sugar

4 eggs

Nutmeg

 

The Fireside

An ideal celebratory drink, this intriguing whisky-based cocktail is an ideal alternative to serving neat, with citrus and spicy notes.

Stir together all ingredients and orange zest with ice, pour onto ice and garnish with orange peel, a cherry and sprinkling of black pepper to serve.

50ml Chivas Regal 12-year-old Whisky

5ml Laphroaig Whisky

5ml Maple syrup

1 Orange

Dash Angostura bitters

Handful cherries

Pinch black pepper

 

Christmas Cake Martini

Whether you’re a fan of Christmas cake or not, we think everyone should try this delightful cocktail that is simply Christmas in a glass.  

To create, add each of the ingredients and ice to a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain into a Martini glass.

Add a cinnamon dipped cherry to serve.

We promise your guests will love it. 

50ml Whisky 

5ml Cognac

5ml Cherry Brandy

5ml Lime juice

Handful cherries

Pinch cinnamon 

 

Rudolph’s Night Off

This cocktail looks so Christmassy – the red of the drink itself and the green of the rosemary garnish suiting each other so well. Like a Rum Buck, this ginger beer-based beverage is crisp and refreshing, slightly sour and sharp with a touch of spice.

Add ice and each ingredient - bar the ginger beer - to a cocktail shaker before shaking well, straining into a highball glass filled with ice, topping with the ginger beer and garnishing with the rosemary sprig and pomegranate seeds.

100ml Bundaberg Ginger Beer

60ml White rum

15ml Lemon juice

1 pomegranate

1 sprig rosemary (or rosemary simple syrup)

 

Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee Espresso Martini

Strong, silky and sweet, this is the ultimate way to enjoy Jägermeister’s coffee version of this popular spirit.

Add each ingredient to a shaker will ice, shake and double strain before serving in its signature Martini glass.

50ml Jägermeister Cold Brew

35ml Espresso

12.5ml Vanilla syrup

5ml salted caramel spread

 

Ciroc Coconut Vodka

This cocktail is deliciously sweet and moreish.

Simply stir together each ingredient, including 15ml of lime juice and pour into a highball glass filled with ice, top up with cranberry juice and garnish with a slice of lime.

100ml Cranberry juice

40ml Ciroc Coconut Vodka

25ml Amaretto

1 lime

 

Ciroc Peach Vodka Cobbler

Creamy, sweet and nutty, this is a delicious cocktail, stylish and very simple to prepare.

30ml Ciroc Peach Vodka

30ml Frangelico Liqueur

30ml double cream

Pinch Demerara or Muscovado sugar

2 digestive biscuits

Handful ice

A gorgeously rich yet smooth drink where the sweetness can be adjusted with the level of ice and garnish. The ideal evening drink at Christmas or dessert idea. 

Rim a tumbler, rocks or lowball glass with the sugar and crushed biscuits. Add each element to a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour over your glass with ice.

 

Jessica Lester