Cocktails make any gathering feel extra special, and these Christmas medleys feel particularly festive.
When you have guests coming, prepare the drinks in advance, which is “the secret to making things feel seamless”, interior designer Isabella Worsley told London’s The Standard. You’ll also “save on time, mess and space”.
Adding simple touches to your favourite recipes is an easy way to make them “feel festive”, drinks expert Miriam Nice told the BBC. A rosemary sprig, frozen cranberries or a “sprinkle of edible glitter” will bring a Christmas touch to a classic. You could even “stud a strip of orange zest with a few cloves”.
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And there’s no need to worry if you don’t have a certain ingredient because you can experiment, said Nice. For a cocktail that’s usually gin-based, you could use the same recipe “but with mezcal or aquavit”. You can switch other elements, too. Try lime, grapefruit or orange juice instead of lemon juice. However, do “try and keep any swaps as similar as possible”. Don’t “switch a triple sec for a cream liquor in a margarita, but you could try swapping the triple sec for a crème de pêche or apricot brandy as they are all sweet, fruity, strong and clear”.
Rosemary and cranberry fizz
“Is there anything more Christmassy than a cranberry drink?” asked Good Housekeeping. You can make the rosemary syrup, cranberry and gin mixture up to a week ahead, pour into a bottle and chill until needed.
To serve eight people, gently heat 75g caster sugar, the leaves from a large sprig of rosemary and 75ml cold water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and leave to cool and infuse for at least four hours (or overnight). Strain into a clean jar, cover and chill.
To serve, mix the rosemary syrup with 200ml cranberry juice and 100ml London dry gin. Pour into eight martini or coupe glasses and top up with 50ml chilled Prosecco. Decorate with a small rosemary sprig or a fresh cranberry.
Whisky and clementine sour
A citrus twist brings a “vibrant colour and flavour” to this classic, said Mark Hix in The Telegraph. “It’s not quite as sour as the original but should appeal even to those who aren’t big whisky drinkers.”
To serve two, put 100ml whisky, 120ml clementine juice and two egg whites into a shaker with five or six ice cubes and shake well for a minute. Strain into tumblers or coupes, sprinkle with the grated zest of a clementine and place clementine segments at the edge of the glasses.
Nobu Bar’s teapple
Try a “warming British twist on Irish coffee”, said Sophie Bratt, bar manager at Nobu Hotel London, Portman Square, in The Guardian. Mixing a “good slug of spiced brandy, hot black tea and boozy orange cream”, this “draws inspiration from my mum’s love of orange liqueur-spiked cream and a firm Yorkshire favourite – the cuppa”.
To serve one, pour 125ml hot black tea, brewed for four to five minutes, into an Irish coffee glass. Add 50ml spiced brandy, 1 tsp orange liqueur and 2 tsp runny honey.
Put 100ml double cream and 20ml orange liqueur into a clean jar, seal and shake until the cream starts to thicken. Pour the infused cream onto the tea mixture over the back of a cold teaspoon, so it floats. Finish with a grating of nutmeg, and serve.
Air mail
This “tropical twist” on the Champagne cocktail first appeared in a pamphlet from the Cuban Bacardí company in 1930, which happened to be the same year the Cuban air mail service began, said Decanter. This might mean the drink was named after it, “but there’s no evidence to support that theory – nor do we know who actually created it”. Whatever its origin, “it’s a great party drink”.
To serve one, put 45ml rum, 15ml lime juice and 15ml honey syrup (dissolve 5ml honey in 5ml warm water) in a shaker with ice and shake until your hands are cold. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top with Champagne.
Rosemary negroni
Making this in advance “gives the three aromatic elements time to mingle and mellow”, said Delicious. Including rosemary “brings out the herbaceous notes of the vermouth and Campari” while retaining the “perfect bittersweet balance that makes this one of the finest cocktails in the world”.
To serve 10, mix 250ml dry gin, 250ml sweet vermouth, 50ml Campari and ¼ tsp fine sea salt in a large bottle, jug or freezer-proof container. Add a rosemary sprig, then cover and leave to infuse for 24 hours. Taste and if it’s to your liking discard the rosemary and decant the liquid into a bottle and into the freezer. If you want a stronger rosemary flavour, leave for another day before decanting but take care the rosemary doesn’t become overpowering. To serve, shake the bottle and pour into ice-filled glasses. Decorate with a rosemary sprig and a twist of orange peel, first rubbing it around the rim of the glass.
