Six Festive Drinks for Christmas

Bar tender at a bar

Christmas is the time of year that many of us like to indulge a little more than we perhaps would normally. Throughout the festive period, large amounts of food and drink are consumed in the name of celebration, often in the company of family and friends. As much as many of us enjoy the tradition of Christmas, such as mulled wine and chestnuts, perhaps this year could be the year to spice things up a little and try some new festive beverages? Here, we’ve picked out some of our favourite seasonal sips for you to try, many of which are easy to make at home!

For your benefit, we have split this article into alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, so that even if you’re the designated driver, you can partake in the festive spirit, without the spirits!

Alcoholic Drinks

Festive cocktail

Christmas Negroni

This classic Italian cocktail can be spiced up with winter flavours to fit the festive theme. This requires some preparation as you’ll need to create infused gin. For this recipe, zest two oranges and add into a saucepan with 100g of caster sugar, four cloves, two fresh bay leaves, a stick of cinnamon and one star anise. Boil this lightly for roughly 8–10 minutes until a syrup is formed and then leave to cool. Once cooled, pour the syrup into a glass bottle and pour in 500ml of Bombay sapphire gin, shake well and store for at least a week to allow for infusion. Make sure to strain this mix before using to make the Negroni cocktails.

Christmas Punch

Punch is a party staple and uses one of our favourite drinks, whisky! To make a Christmassy take of this classic, all you need to do is mix the ingredients together and refrigerate them in a jug for 2-3 hours before serving. Recommended measurements as follows: 75ml clementine juice, 150ml Benedictine liqueur, 225ml good quality Scotch whisky (or cognac), 300ml cranberry juice, the seeds of one vanilla pod, one thinly sliced clementine and the optional addition of three sour cherries.

Mulled Gin

This is fast becoming a Christmas favourite with gin’s popularity continuing to rise. Our method and ingredients will serve four people, to make more, simply double the ingredients. For this festive treat, divide 100ml of gin between four heatproof cups. Then add 400ml of apple juice to a saucepan, along with half of a sliced lemon, one bay leaf, four cloves, two lightly crushed cardamom pods, one cinnamon stick, three juniper berries, half teaspoon coriander seeds and one teaspoon of runny honey. Heat this mix gently until simmering then strain into a jug. Pour this into the gin and stir gently.

Christmas Coffee Cocktail

Coffee Cocktail

It’s the time of year that coffee drinkers love, with their favourite coffee chains offering limited edition Christmas varieties of their favourite hot drinks. However, if you’re looking to make things a little more interesting and don’t fancy pouring straight spirit into your to-go cup, then this coffee cocktail is perfect! For this recipe, you’ll need 110ml of strong coffee, 40ml of amaretto liqueur, 40ml of coffee liqueur, 30ml of butterscotch schnapps, 30ml of crème de cocoa, and fresh whipped cream and grated chocolate to garnish. This can be served hot or cold over ice, and simply needs combining in a glass before garnishing.

Tarquin’s Figgy Pudding Gin

Tarquin’s have crafted a specific niche for themselves within the flavoured gin market, creating bold and exciting flavours that delight and astound in equal measure. Their Christmas offering is equally tasty as it incorporates flavours of dried fig, clementines, spices and a dash of sherry. You could choose to incorporate this into your seasonal cocktails, or simply have with lemonade. Overall, a sweet Christmassy treat for the festive season.

Non-Alcoholic

Christmas Fruit cocktails

Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine

If you’re drinking teetotal this Christmas, then this festive sip is perfect! A simple recipe that doesn’t require much preparation, this tasty mulled drink is certainly a crowd pleaser! Simply add 500ml pomegranate juice, 25g of caster sugar, a handful of frozen blackberries and 250ml of apple juice into a saucepan. Then, add one cinnamon stick, one star anise, four cloves, three black peppercorns and one orange cut into quarters, heating until simmering gently.

Nutmeg & Orange Christmas Coffee

For the devout coffee drinkers, we’ve included an SFW option too! This tasty beverage is an ideal morning or evening drink and brings a nice twist to the various festive coffee options. You’ll need four tablespoons of ground coffee, one small cinnamon stick, two pitted dates, one pinch of ground nutmeg, two cloves and one strip of orange zest. For this recipe, you’ll need a cafetiere. Put the ground coffee, dates and cinnamon stick in the cafetiere along with the ground nutmeg, cloves and orange zest. Pour over 400ml of boiling water and mix with a spoon, allowing to steep for roughly four minutes. Push down the plunger and serve in small coffee cups.

Which of these festive drinks will you be trying this Christmas? Perhaps pair them with a tasty Cuban cigar? Check out our range of cigars online or for more information on drinks and cigars, check out our blog!

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