Festive Winter Cocktails
Our hearts will always belong to a chilled glass of something sparkling, but as the nights draw in, the allure of a frosty drink is diminished…and there’s only so much tea we can drink before wanting something a little more interesting.
(We found a recipe for mulled prosecco, but we’re not convinced…)
A decent hot chocolate recipe is a must to start off. Felicity Cloake has done all the hard work and come up with the perfect recipe after testing multiple variations - and we have to say, it’s pretty damn good. This recipe might take a bit longer than a sachet of Options, but the difference in flavour is worth it - and it really makes snuggling down with a mug feel like a real treat and indulgence.
Once you’ve got the knack of making the perfect mug of cocoa, the possibilities for making it a bit more interesting are pretty much endless. Try Cointreau for a boozy chocolate orange flavoured one, peppermint schnapps for candy cane hot chocolate, or bourbon and Nutella for the ultimate in spiked hot chocolate?
If you fancy something a bit less creamy, nothing, and we mean nothing, beats a glass of mulled wine on a cold dark evening. The scent of it cooking makes the house smell amazing, and it’s pretty much the most festive thing you can put in a glass without using Santa’s fingers as swizzle sticks (we can help you with that!). Most families seem to have a traditional recipe, but this recipe has never let us down, and is perfect to drink whilst working your way through the Netflix Christmas movie section and wrapping gifts.
If hot booze isn’t your thing, the festive season brings out the best in people’s imagination for interesting drinks - and we don’t just mean the product developers at Baileys (who this year have dropped a salted caramel variation). Why make a normal sour when you could make a cake flavoured amaretto sour, with a maraschino cherry on top? And why have a plain martini when you can use up some of the clementines you bought because you’ll definitely eat them this year, and make a clementine martini?
The introduction of the red cup drinks at a certain coffee shop heralds the beginning of the festive season for many people - and if you’re starting the day with a gingerbread latte, there’s a whole host of gingerbread cocktails to finish the day off with. This gingerbread martini includes ice cream as well to make it super creamy - whereas this recipe includes actual coffee liquor, to neatly bookend your day.
Speaking of the red cups - one festive cocktail that’s a staple over the pond but hasn’t really made it over here apart from as a coffee flavour, is eggnog. It takes a bit of prep, but the nutmeggy, creamy drink is well worth it - and offering homemade eggnog around will make you seem like Martha Stewart.
If none of these inspire you to raid the liquor cabinet - check out our pinterest board, which we’ve been pinning more festive inspired cocktails to - let us know what you’ve tried!
