‘Tis the season to make merry, and if you’re hosting this year, we’re on hand to ensure your guests are suitably impressed with an array of festive cocktails. Bottoms up!
Fast and easy festive cocktails to make at home
MULLED RUM SOUR
Ingredients:
50ml Penny Blue V.S.O.P.
25 ml sugar syrup (1.5-part sugar, 1- part hot water)
25 ml lemon juice
25 ml egg white
25ml cold mulled wine
Star anise (to garnish)
Method:
Add rum, sugar syrup, lemon juice and egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake over ice. Discard the ice, shake again and then strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh cubed ice. Complete by adding mulled wine and garnish with star anise.
SANTA’S FIZZ
Ingredients
25ml Penny Blue V.S.O.P.
25 ml honey syrup (1-part honey 1- part hot water)
25 ml lemon juice
Berry Bros. & Rudd Crémant de Limoux by Antech Rosemary sprig (to garnish)
Method
Add rum, honey syrup and lemon juice to cocktail shaker and shake with ice, strain into a chilled champagne coupe and top up with sparkling wine. Garnish with rosemary sprig.
THE KING’S FESTIVE SOUR
Ingredients
50ml The Kings Ginger Liqueur 10ml lemon juice
15ml cranberry juice
15ml egg white
Dash of Angostura bitters
Method
Add The Kings Ginger, lemon juice, cranberry juice, Angostura bitters and egg white to cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain over cubed ice into a tumbler and serve with a mince pie on the side.
ST JAME’S YULETIDE MARTINEZ
Ingredients
50ml No.3 Gin
20ml The King’s Ginger 20ml Lustau Red Vermouth
Method
Stir the ingredients with ice and strain into a Martini glass. Drop a cherry into the glass and finish with a twist of lemon.bbr.com
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Spiced Apple Tea
Ingredients
50ml BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
15ml Martini Bianco
20ml fresh lemon juice
3 thin slices of apple
1 cinnamon stick; 3 cloves; 3 cardamom pods (broken); ¼ vanilla bean
1 black tea bag
15ml honey
150ml water
50ml unfiltered/cloudy apple juice
Method
Add water, honey and apple to a pot and heat
Add spices and tea bag when hot and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
Remove tea bag and add apple juice. Strain.
Add BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, Martini Rosso and fresh lemon juice and stir before serving.
Serve in a large teacup
Garnish: Orange zest, apple slices and nutmeg sprinkle
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Festive 75
Ingredients
25ml STAR OF BOMBAY
15ml simple syrup 1:1
20ml fresh lemon juice
75ml Champagne
Method
Combine STAR OF BOMBAY, syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker
Shake and strain all ingredients
Pour shaken liquid into a frozen champagne flute and add chilled champagne
Garnish: Star Anise
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Pear & Ginger
Ingredients
50ml BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
15ml pear juice
¼ fresh lime squeeze
100ml tonic water
Garnish with ginger slice, lime wedge and sage leaf
Method
Fill a balloon glass with cubed ice in order to cool it, and keep the liquid as cold as possible
Build the drink over the ice, start by adding BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, followed by the pear juice and squeeze fresh lime, stir with a cocktail stirrer
Add tonic gently into glass
Garnish with a slice of ginger, lime wedge and sage leaf
Bubblelini Lychee or Strawberry
Ingredients
80 ml G.H. Mumm Rose Champagne
10-12 ml Lychee Boba or Strawberry Boba (Available on Amazon)
Method
Add the boba to the bottom of the glass and top with champagne. Served in a flute glass.
Winter Warmer Martini
Ingredients
20ml Amaretto
20ml Pernod
20ml Double Cream
10ml Frangelico
10ml Bailey’s Irish Cream
Method
Mix and top with chocolate powder, serve with a star anise and cinnamon rim
Snow Flake
Ingredients
20ml of cinnamon syrup
30 ml Spiced rum
20 ml Baileys Irish Cream
15ml Crème de cacao
5 ml Gomme syrup
Method
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker, and pour into a chocolate rimmed Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish with chocolate crumbs
Crema Catalana
Ingredients
40ml Orange brandy liqueur
20ml orange juice
15ml lemon juice
10 ml merlet triple sec
15 ml cinnamon-infused Naparbier ZZ amber ale reduction (10ml sugary syrup, 10ml amber ale & cinnamon reduced for 15 minutes – still sticky)
1 whole egg
Method
Dry shake first then wet shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Ingredients
20ml Calvados
20ml Cognac
10ml punt e mes
15ml festive shrub
Method
Stir with ice and strain into glass over large ice ball.
Godfather Christmas
Ingredients
25ml Glenfiddich 12yo
20ml Disaranno amaretto
10ml Cointreau
50ml crème anglaise
Method
Shake together and pour over ice.
Hotei
Ingredients
25ml Nikka All Malt
25ml sugar syrup
50ml seasoned cream (mace, toasted coconut, orange, sesame seed blend)
Japanese pepper + jasmine flowers to garnish
Method
Shake with ice and strain over ice.
Eggnot
Ingredients
800ml milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla pod
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Method
Bring milk and spices to very gentle boil and simmer on very low heat for 15 mins.
Strain and discard spices.
Add 400ml Double Cream & 200ml Banana puree.
Christmas Colada
Makes 2
Ingredients
50ml Light rum
50ml Golden rum
30 ml Mozart chocolat liqueur
30 ml Licor 43
75 ml orange juice
100ml coconut water
50 ml cream
50ml coconut cream
Method
With a couple of scoops of ice, put the ingredients into a blender.
Blitz for 20-30 seconds, and serve in a golden pineapple.
Smirnoff Bloody Mary with all the Trimmings
Makes 4
Ingredients
200ml Smirnoff
600ml Tomato juice
Half a lemon
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
Pinch of cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons horseradish sauce
Cranberry sauce
Dry packet stuffing mix
Ice
Crispy turkey skin (to garnish)
Method
Fry pieces of turkey skin in hot oil for 2-3 mins until very hot.
Take out once crispy, pat dry and leave to cool on kitchen roll, season with salt.
In a jug mix the Smirnoff, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, pepper, horseradish and ice. Take four glasses, dip the rims in cranberry sauce, followed by the stuffing mix. Pour the Bloody Mary mix between the glasses and garnish with turkey crisp.
Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan teamed up with Smith & Sinclair to create this Christmas cocktail
Johnnie Walker Wrapped In Blanket
Makes 2
Ingredients
100ml Johnnie Walker Red Label
1 pack bacon lardons
1 pack streaky bacon
1 lemon
1 orange
50ml maple syrup
2 egg whites
Ice
Fry bacon lardons on a low heat, once cool add to Johnnie Walker Red Label whisky and leave to infuse for 30 minutes (optional). At the same time, arrange streaky bacon into a cross hatch and bake on a medium heat, flip occasionally until crispy. In a cocktail shaker, add Johnnie Walker Red Label, squeeze a whole lemon and orange, maple syrup, egg white and ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Fill a glass with ice, pour cocktail over and serve with bacon blanket on top
Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan teamed up with Smith & Sinclair to create this Christmas cocktail
Sprouting Gordon’s Gin Fizz
Makes 2
Ingredients
50ml Gordon’s gin
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
100ml cranberry syrup (200ml cranberry juice
100ml honey bring to boil and cool)
100ml Prosecco
Caramelized Brussels sprouts (to serve)
Ice
Method
Fry par-boiled Brussels sprouts with a drizzle of honey until caramelized. Take out of the pan and pour 200ml of cranberry juice and 100ml of honey into the same pan. Boil and cool to create your syrup. In a tall glass pour ice, Gordon’s gin, lemon juice, lime juice and cranberry syrup and stir. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a spike of caramelised Brussels sprouts.
The Captain’s Mince Pie Freakshake
Makes 4
Ingredients
200ml Captain Morgan Original Spiced
200ml mince pie syrup
500ml milk
6 scoops vanilla ice cream
Mince pies (to serve)
Method
In a pan mix 600g mincemeat, 200g sugar and 200ml water. Bring to the boil and chill for 30 mins. In a blender, whizz the milk, ice cream, mince pie syrup and Captain Morgan Original Spiced. Pour into a mason jar or tall glass. Decorate glass with syrup and sprinkles. Place mince pies on top of the glass and stab a straw through to drink.
Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan teamed up with Smith & Sinclair to create this Christmas cocktail
And for the designated driver… our favourite mocktail recipes
Rosie Birkett’s Charred Mandarin Ginger Spritz
Glass: Old fashioned/rocks
Ingredients:
2 mandarins, peeled, pith removed and segmented
2 tsp lavender honey (found in most delis or Ocado)
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
tbsp pomegranate seeds
Highland Spring Sparkling water
To garnish the mocktail:
charred mandarin segments
mandarin zest, curled
flowering thyme
Mocktail method:
Heat a non-stick pan over a high heat. Add the mandarin and char the pieces until part-blackened and about to burst. Put the ginger into a blender with 2 tbsp water and blitz. Strain and reserve the ginger juice. Setting aside a couple of the charred segments for garnish, muddle the rest of the segments and strain the juice over ice into an old-fashioned glass. Drizzle in the honey and add a shot of the ginger juice and the pomegranate seeds. Stir, top up with Highland Spring Sparkling water and garnish with the flowering thyme.
Rosie Birkett’s Forager’s Fizz: Blackberry shrub, foraged rosehip, juniper syrup and Sparkling water
Glass: Champagne flute
Rosehip and juniper berry syrup ingredients (makes 500ml):
500g rosehips, washed (or cranberries)
500g caster sugar tbsp juniper berries (found in most supermarkets)
1.5 litres of Highland Spring Sparkling water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Mocktail method:
Chop the rosehips and crush the juniper berries. Bring half the water to the boil and add the rosehips and juniper, returning the mix to the boil and simmering for 8 minutes.
Strain the liquid through muslin, then return the pulp to the pan with the other half of water, bring to the boil as before and repeat the simmering/straining process. Discard the pulp, clean the pan and return the liquid from both strains to it with the sugar.
Bring to the boil and continue to boil rapidly for about 10 minutes, until you have a thick syrup. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and allow to cool. Pour into a glass bottle.
The Blackberry Shrub ingredients (makes 1 pint):
500g blackberries, washed
800g caster sugar
About 500ml red wine vinegar
Mocktail method:
Place the blackberries in a bowl and cover with the sugar. Gently stir to combine and make sure the berries are coated with the sugar. Cover with a clean dish towel or muslin and leave in a cool, dark, dry place for 48 hours to macerate. Strain the mixture through a sieve so that you’re left with the blackberry juice. Add equal amounts of vinegar and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Funnel into a glass bottle and store in the fridge until ready to use.
To assemble the mocktail:
3/4 blackberries
3 juniper berrie
50ml rosehip and juniper syrup
10ml blackberry shrub Highland Spring Sparkling Water
Mocktail garnish:
Blackberries, for garnish fresh bay leaf, a rosehip with stalk
Mocktail method:
Place the blackberries and juniper berries in the bottom of the champagne flute and muddle gently with the end of a wooden spoon. Pour the rosehip syrup and blackberry shrub into a cocktail shaker and shake over ice. Pour over the blackberries and top up with Highland Spring Sparkling Water. Garnish with the bay leaf and rosehip.
Clare Liardet’s Blood Orange and Sage Margarita
You will need:
chilled coupette, shaker, strainer
Ingredients:
125ml blood orange juice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed
lime juice
1 tbsp Hibiscus Syrup
3 sage leaves (reserve one to garnish)
ice cubes
a wedge of lime
Himalayan salt
Mocktail method
Put the blood orange juice, lime juice, hibiscus syrup and two sage leaves in a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled. If you like a salt rim, run a wedge of lime around the rim of the chilled glass and dip it on to a saucer spread with salt. Strain the mixture into the glass and garnish with the third sage leaf.
Clare Liardet’s Pear and Rosemary on the Rocks
You will need:
tumbler, shaker, strainer
Ingredients:
2 small pears, or good-quality shop-bought pear juice (not from concentrate)
30ml freshly squeezed
lemon juice
25ml Simple Herb Syrup made with rosemary
ice cubes
sparkling water
a sprig of rosemary and a slice of pear to garnish
Mocktail method:
Combine the pear juice, lemon juice and rosemary syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass and top with a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of pear. For a longer drink, add more water and a dash of lemonade.
Clare Liardet’s Pomegranate Negroni
You will need:
Tumbler
Ingredients:
200ml pomegranate juice
2 tsp Montmorency cherry concentrate
ice cubes
3 good dashes of Angostura Bitters
a twist of orange peel
Mocktail method:
Pour the pomegranate juice and cherry concentrate into a glass of ice, then stir well before shaking in the Angostura Bitters. The drink should have a bitter-sweet tang, so add more Angostura if needed. Twist the orange peel on top of the drink to release the oils.
Clare’s mocktail recipes and more can be found in her book Dry – non alcoholic cocktails, cordials, and clever concoctions
