Christmas Cocktails

The final week before Christmas can be a stressful time; there’s those last-minute gifts still to buy, mountains of wrapping to be done, final decoration to be hung and groceries to be brought. But the festive period is the perfect time to experiment a little and to help you get into the festive spirit we’ve compiled a list of our most favourite Christmas cocktails. So, take a load off this week and enjoy a Christmassy tipple while you fiddle with your tinsel!

Ginger Bee Sting

Make like Lauren Conrad and mix up a very chic cocktail indeed, the Ginger Bee Sting. Toast the holidays with this gingery-lemon drink and serve in a vintage champagne saucer for extra fashionista points.

Ingredients

5 (1-in.) peeled fresh ginger

1 c. water

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch salt

6 oz. blended Scotch

Directions

In a blender, puree ginger and water; strain juice into a medium bowl and discard peel.

Whisk honey, lemon juice, cayenne and salt into ginger juice. Stir in blended Scotch and serve over ice.

 

 

White Christmas Mojito.

This is a sure-fire way to make sure you have a white Christmas! With its rum and coconut milk flavours gives this festive drink is as white a snow gets, yet taste just like the beach.

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lime

8 leaves mint

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons white rum

1 tablespoon coconut rum

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

Sparkling water for topping

Pomegranate arils for serving

Directions

In a glass, muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves until the leaves have broken down. Fill the glass half way with ice to chill. In a blender, combine the white rum, coconut rum, and coconut milk and pulse until smooth. Pour over the ice and stir to combine. Top with sparkling water, mint and pomegranate arils.

 

Festive Prosecco

It’s everyone’s favourite holiday drink and a definite crowd pleaser, but this recipe jazzes up your usual Prosecco adding an extra little something, something for the big day.

Ingredients

100ml (3 1/2fl oz.) apricot brandy

30g (1 1/4oz) caster sugar

Large handful ice

1 x 80g pack pomegranate seeds, or the seeds from 1 pomegranate

Pear, cored and thinly sliced

100g (4oz) seedless red grapes, halved

1 x 75cl bottle Prosecco

Directions

Tip the apricot brandy and the caster sugar into a large glass jug. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Add the ice and fruit then pour over the Prosecco. Stir with a spoon and pour into your champagne flutes.

 

Clementine, Ginger & bay Gin

Not strictly a cocktail, this infused Gin is perfect for those people who like their spirits a little more straight up. Really simple to make, infused spirits like this Clementine, Ginger and Bay flavoured gin also make fabulous gifts.

Ingredients

750ml bottle Gin

Clementines 3

Caster sugar 3 tbsp.

Ginger 50g, sliced and bashed

Bay leaves x3

Directions

Pour the gin into a large bowl, or jar. Peel 3 strips of zest from the clementines, then peel them and remove all the white pith from the segments. Add the segments and the zest strips to the gin along with the sugar, ginger and bay leaves. Leave to infuse for 3 days, then decant. Serve with tonic and a couple of the orange segments in each glass.