Best Winter Cocktails to Make at Home
11 months ago
Wet your whistle with one of these tipples
Getty Images
Toast to the festive season with one of these winter cocktails, from an aromatic Cointreau cocktail to a Botanist-infused mulled gin. These recipes are perfect for Christmas drinks parties, or just a cosy night in.
Winter Cocktails To Make At Home
Barentsz Mandarin Martini and Marny
55ml Barentz Mandarin Gin
15ml triple sec (Grand Marnier)
15ml dry vermouth
Garnish: orange twist
A flavourful twist on the classic gin martini, this cocktail is a Christmassy infusion of mandarin peel and almonds, with a delicate note of jasmine. Pour the ingredients into a shaker half-full of cracked ice. Shake well before straining into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with the orange twist.
Recipe courtesy of Barentsz Gin barentszgin.com
Hot Chocotini
30ml Grey Goose l’Orange
100ml milk at 65-70º
15g 70% hot chocolate
20ml espresso
10ml Monin gingerbread syrup
The ideal drink for those with a penchant for decadence, this spiked hot chocolate is the perfect, warming nightcap to round off the festivities. Stir all the ingredients in a mug and garnish with a toasted marshmallow. Best served when curled up on a sheepskin next to a roaring fire.
Recipe courtesy of Grey Goose greygoose.com
The Little Yellow Door Mince Pie Whiskey Sour
20ml mince pie puree (made by blitzing a jar of mincemeat with 200ml orange juice and 100ml lemon juice)
25ml egg white
20ml lemon juice
15ml Canada Club
35ml Balvenie 12
10ml simple syrup
What could be more festive than a boozy version of the nation’s favourite Christmas treat? To make, add all ingredients to a shaker along with two cubes of ice and shake vigorously. Add more ice and re-shake. Double strain into metal coupette and garnish with a holly sprig, with a dash of both Angostura bitters and Maraschino cherry brine. Dust with icing sugar and serve with a mini mince pie, for effect.
Recipe courtesy ofThe Little Yellow Door thelittleyellowdoor.com
The Botanist Bramble
50ml Botanist gin
20ml lemon
15ml honey water
One of the more simpler cocktails to make, the Bramble is a classic that never steers out of fashion. Ideal for sprucing up sharp at a last-minute soirée, the Botanist’s concoction only comprises of three ingredients, including lemon and honey, ideal for staving off winter colds. Shake all together and strain, then adorn with bramble, rosemary and a drizzle of Aelder Elixir if you want to add a touch of pizazz.
Recipe courtesy of The Botanist thebotanist.com
Metaxa Hot Sun Mug
4cl Metaxa 12 Stars
Hot apple juice
Cinnamon stick
Slice of apple to garnish
If your love for mulled wine has meant you’ve already drank your fair share before December, switch it up with this Metaxa take on the festive beverage. Fill a tin mug or copper mule with 4cl of Metaxa 12 Stars, then add hot apple juice (to taste). Finish with an aromatic cinnamon stick and a sweet slice of apple.
Recipe courtesy of METAXA metaxa.com
Royal Bellini
15ml peach puree
5ml jasmine syrup
Real Kombucha: Royal Flush
Lime and paprika salt rim to garnish
You can indulge in as many of these delightful Royal Bellini’s as you wish and ensure no mishaps are made underneath the mistletoe. Alcohol free, but still brimming with flavour and mixed with fizzy kombucha, (perfect for that post-Christmas health kick), this champagne-esque bellini should be elegently served in a coupe glass, fit for a queen.
Recipe courtesy of Real Kombucha realkombucha.co.uk
Ketel One Bloody Mary – Beetroot Banger
50ml Ketel One vodka
10ml lemon juice
90ml juice – take a whole beetroot and two ripe tomatoes, and cut into quarters, then put them through a juicer
One pinch of ground cinnamon, grate a pinch of nutmeg and a small pile of smashed cloves
Add all these ingredients to your glass, stir vigorously & fill with ice. Garnish with a pickled cucumber and beetroot.
Recipe courtesy of Ketel One Vodka ketelone.com
Three Spirit’s Herbal Stimulant
50ml Social Elixir
25ml espresso strength coffee
7.5ml (a teaspoon and a half) of maple syrup
15ml dark rum
An espresso martini at Christmas is nothing new, but this Three Spirit’s ‘Herbal Stimulant’ is giving the coffee-themed concoction a new lease of life with its sophisticated infusion of social elixir, unrefined maple syrup and dark rum. Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker and serve cold in a snazzy cocktail glass with raw cocoa beans to top. For an alcohol-free version, ditch the dark rum.
Recipe courtesy of Three Spirit threespiritdrinks.com
Rhubarb Cream
40ml Slingsby Rhubarb Gin
75ml Nutmeg and Clove spiced 50:50
Cream & Milk Mix
1 Egg White
15ml Simple Syrup
Cinnamon Dust
A deliciously pink winter cocktail infused with Slingsby’s Yorkshire-crafted pink gin, the Rhubarb Cream takes a little longer to make than most, but is most definitely worth the wait. Simply combine the spiced milk and cream and place in the fridge for 3 hours (use within 2 days), then combine all ingredients in a shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon dust for all the festive feels!
Recipe courtesy of Spirit of Harrogate spiritofharrogate.co.uk
The Botanist Mulled Gin
150ml cloudy apple
10ml spiced syrup
50ml Botanist gin
Spiced syrup:
500ml sugar
500ml boiling water
Half orange
10 cloves
4 cardamom
1cm ginger
1 cinnamon stick
Ginger, cardamom and cinnamon; it doesn’t much more Christmassy than this warming mulled gin from the Botanist. Heat all the ingredients in a pan, then add 40ml of Botanist’s Islay Dry gin. Decorate with a clove studded apple wedge if you’re feeling festively fancy.
Recipe courtesy of The Botanist thebotanist.com
Rose Snowball Winter Cocktail
75ml Advocaat
Top with Rose Lemonade
Garnish with cinnamon sprinkles
Creamy Advocaat and pink lemonade fuse together with a hint of cinnamon to form the most fantastic of festive beverages.
Recipe courtesy of Fentimans fentimans.com
Russian Standard Vodka – Christmas Blossom
¾ cup Russian Standard Vodka
2 cups fresh or frozen peach slices
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons peach schnapps
Ice cubes
Fresh mint springs, for garnish
Process first 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add ice cubes to the mixture in a blender (to 5 cup level) and mix until smooth. Pour into a coupe glass and garnish with fresh mint.
The Sexton Whiskey: The Night Before Christmas
60ml The Sexton
10ml rhubarb syrup
Few dashes of angostura bitters.
To create The Night Before Christmas – the first in the range of exclusive Noctails from The Sexton which utilise consumables that flourish under the cover of darkness – simply pour over ice, stir and garnish with fresh rhubarb (if desired). Those who intend to follow the path to darkness can expect the aroma of nuts, marzipan and dark chocolate with a pinch of spice.
The METAXA Blue Blazer
5cl METAXA 12 Stars
2cl Cointreau
3cl Water
2cl Amaretto
1 Dash of black walnut bitter
A fiery concoction starring METAXA, flame roll the Greek spirit with amaretto and bitters, then add water and syrup before serving. Garnish with orange zest and a burned cinnamon stick on the side.
Recipe courtesy of METAXA metaxa.com
Cointreau Christmas Margarita
30 ml Cointreau
50 ml Blanco Tequila
20 ml Fresh Lime Juice
6 drops Aromatic Bitters
For a seasonal take on the classic Margarita, try this delicious Christmas cocktail courtesy of Cointreau. Make a cinnamon-sugar rim on your glass, then combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass, then garnish with a rosemary sprig to finish.
Recipe courtesy of Cointreau cointreau.com
Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla Negroni
35ml Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla
25 ml Campari
25ml Sweet vermouth
Orange
Ice
Pour Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla, Campari and Sweet Vermouth into a glass over ice and stir, for the finishing touch garnish it with an orange.
Recipe courtesy of Tanqueray tanqueray.com
Tanqueray No. TEN Dirty Martini
50ml Tanqueray NoTEN
10ml Dry Vermouth
15ml Olive Brine
Stir the Tanqueray NoTEN, Olive Brine and Dry Vermouth together, and pour it into a chilled martini glass.
Recipe courtesy of Tanqueray tanqueray.com
Lettice Events Christmas Spiced Sidecar
35ml of spiced Brandy
35ml of Cointreau or Grand Marnier
35ml of fresh lemon juice
Ice
Fresh spices, cranberries and dehydrated orange segments
Add cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, stem ginger & star Anise to a bottle of brandy and let them sit at least overnight – the longer the better! Stir all of the ingredient together over plenty of ice. Garnish with fresh spices, cranberries and dehydrated orange segments.
Recipe courtesy of Lettice Events letticeevents.com
