Best Winter Cocktails to Make at Home
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Best Winter Cocktails to Make at Home

Wet your whistle with one of these tipples

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

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Christmas Spiced Sidecar

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

Tanqueray Gin - Dry Festive Gin Fizz

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

Tanqueray Gin - Flor De Sevilla Negroni

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

Cointreau Christmas Margarita

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

METAXA Cocktail

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

The Sexton Whiskey: The Night Before Christmas

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 Sexton Single Malt

Russian Standard Vodka - Christmas Blossom

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.

Fentimans

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

Botanist Gin

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

Slingsby Rhubarb Gin

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

Three Spirit

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

ketelone vodka cocktail

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 

Royal Bellini

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

Metaxa winter cocktail

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

Botanist Gin

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

Mince Pie Whiskey Sour

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

Vodka Hot Chocolate

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

Barentsz

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