December is just around the corner so we thought it the perfect time to suggest a few cocktails for you to make at home this year, when you’re not visiting us, that is! With times what they are and us all feeling the pinch we need to cherish the good times with family and friends all the more, and what better way to mark Christmas with some sparkle and fun than by making your own cocktails, it’s the perfect low cost way of getting a little fancy at home and you don’t need to have a set of cut glass crystal you can use odd glasses for some vintage charm. Cheers!
1. Pomegranate Gin Fizz (for six)
Ingredients
- 75 ml (3 fl oz) gin
- 150 ml (5 fl oz (¼ pint)) pomegranate juice
- 300 ml (10 fl oz (½ pint)) Prosecco
- pomegranate seeds, to garnish
Method
Simple and easy to prep and serve: mix together gin, pomegranate juice and pour into six coupes or champagne glasses, top with ice cold Prosecco and garnish with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. Serve straight away.
2. Snowball Fizz
- 50 ml Advocaat
- 1 tsp Golden Syrup
- 80 ml Chilled Berry flavoured cider (I used Bulmer’s crushed berries and lime)
- Cocktail cherries to garnish
Method
Mix Advocaat and golden syrup together in a highball glass, top with chilled cider and add cherry to garnish.
3. Festive Rum Punch
Ingredients
- Ice
- 300ml spiced rum
- 150ml dark rum
- 3 tbsp grenadine
- 4 limes, juiced
- 10 dried or fresh orange slices
- 1 litre ginger beer
Method
Fill a large jug with ice, add the spiced rum, dark rum, lime juice, grenadine and orange slices and mix. Top with ginger beer, stir then serve in tumblers with ice and a slice, you can add a few festive fruit seeds if you like.
4. Christmas Martini
Ingredients
- 50ml bourbon
- 25ml cherry brandy
- ice
For the dried fruit syrup
- 50g dark brown soft sugar
- 50g mixed dried fruit
- ½ cinnamon stick
Method
To make the syrup, tip the ingredients into a pan with 50ml water, simmer for 1 minute until fruit is soft. Remove from heat to cool. Strain and discard fruit and cinnamon stick. Pour bourbon, brandy and 15ml of syrup into a shaker with some ice, shake for a minute or two or until the shake is cold to handle. Strain into coupe or vintage martini glass and serve.
5. Apple Spritz
Ingredients
- Ice
- 2 red apple slices, to garnish
- 80ml Aperol
- 140ml apple cider
- 80ml prosecco
- soda water, for topping up (optional)
Method
Add a few ice cubes and two slice of apple to two glasses, divide Aperol and cider between the two and top with soda and serve!
Come and visit us for lunch or dinner soon and tell us how your cocktails went down!