Christmas Cocktails

Christmas Cocktails Christmas Cocktails 2 Dec 2019 Gordon Johnstone Christmas, and the holiday season in general, means different things to different people. For some it’s about family; gathering friends and relatives around to celebrate togetherness, bonding and shared memories â€" to spend time with people you may not see as often as you’d like. For others it’s an opportunity to reflect; to take stock of life and gaze inwards to ponder the year ahead, for quiet self-analysis and betterment. For a third group of people Christmas means one thing and one thing alone â€" rampant consumerism. And what goes best with rampant consumerism? Cocktails. Here are our favourites. Mulled Wine You can’t have a Christmas cocktail list without mulled wine â€" it’s against the ancient laws of the land…probably. It originated in Roman times when soldiers would heat wine to keep themselves warm in the winter months, then over the centuries people added herbs and spices to ward off illness or cover up the taste of unpalatable wine â€" a practice still common today. Click here for a recipe. Snowball A snowball is Advocaat (the Dutch liqueur made from egg yolks, sugar and brandy), lemonade and ice. Now, I know what you’re thinking â€" why would you ever take a milky, eggy drink and put sharp, citrusy lemonade in it? It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask and you’re right to question this unusual festive practice. However, much like a bumblebee’s flight â€" you don’t question how it works; it just does. Click here for a recipe. Cinnamon Butter Rum Another Christmas tradition, at least for me, is to get as much butter into my system as humanly (and occasionally inhumanly) possible. You can butter a turkey, freshly baked bread, parsnips, and so on, but ever since I discovered you can also butter rum I’ve been a happier, if not healthier, person. Now if they can invent rum toast we’ll be set as a civilisation. Click here for a recipe. Chai White Russian White Russians are a staple of any good cocktail bar â€" they’re the perfect combination of “why am I drinking milk?” and “why am I drunk after one drink?”. Bring a little festive cheer to your next cocktail by making a chai white Russian instead; it’ll taste like Christmas in a glass filled with milk â€" just like babushka used to make. Click here for a recipe. Baileys Literally just Baileys. You could dip a Kit Kat in it, I guess. If all this talk of festive cocktail has made you think “I really need a new job”, just drop us and email and we’ll do everything we can to help.