Festive Tipples
Cocktails have become very vogue in the past few years! So why not experiment with your own at home for a festive treat — here are a few of our favourites!
Mulled Wine (8 Glasses)
![Three glasses of mulled wine with snowflake christmas decoration](../_images/mulled-wine_02.jpg)
What you need:
2 x 75cl bottles of fruity red wine (e.g. Merlot), 4 cinnamon sticks, pinch of ground ginger, 20 cloves, 4 oranges & 140g soft brown sugar.
How you do it:
- 01. Peel the oranges & stud the peel with the cloves.
- 02. Juice the oranges into a saucepan, add the wine, ginger, cinnamon sticks & peel.
- 03. Add the sugar a little at a time — you can then make it to your desired sweetness, so taste as you go.
- 04. Simmer gently for 10 mins until all of the sugar has dissolved (do not allow to boil).
- 05. Serve warm in heatproof glasses.
Poinsettia (8 Glasses)
![Poinsettia cocktail in a champagne glass](../_images/poinsettia-cocktail.jpg)
What you need:
1 x 75 cl bottle of chilled Prosecco, 125ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier & 500ml chilled cranberry juice.
How you do it:
- 01. In a large jug gently mix together all of the ingredients.
- 02. Serve in wine glasses or champagne flutes.
Pear Martini (1 Glass)
![Pear martini in martini glass with slice of pear](../_images/pear-martini.jpg)
What you need:
40ml pear vodka, 60ml chilled cloudy apple juice, 5ml sugar syrup, fresh lime & slices of pear to garnish.
How you do it:
- 01. Shake all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice.
- 02. Strain into a martini glass with a squeeze of lime and garnished with a slice of pear.
Amaretto Fizz (6 Glasses)
![A jug and two full glasses of Amaretto fiz](../_images/amaretto-fizz.jpg)
What you need:
200ml amaretto, 300ml orange juice, 1 x 75cl chilled bottle of prosecco & strips of orange zest to garnish.
How you do it:
- 01. Gently mix the amaretto, orange juice and sparkling wine in a jug.
- 02. Garnish with strips of orange zest.
Pomegranate Gin Fizz (2 Glasses)
![Gin glasses with sugar around the edges with christmas decorations in background](../_images/pomegranite-gin-fizz.jpg)
What you need:
125ml pomegranate juice, 1 x tsp fresh pomegranate seeds (garnish), 1 x tsp lime juice, 250ml soda water & 50ml gin.
How you do it:
- 01. Divide the pomegranate juice between two glasses, add in half a tsp of fresh lime, 25ml of gin & 125ml of soda into each glass.
- 02. Add ice & give a good mix before serving.
- 03. Garnish with a teaspoon of fresh pomegranate seeds.
Note: You could easily make a non-alcoholic version of this by leaving out the gin.
Cranberry Cooler Mocktail (6 Glasses)
![A cranberry cocktail with fresh mint on a wooden board](../_images/cranberry-cooler.jpg)
What you need:
500ml chilled cranberry juice, 500ml chilled red grape juice, 500ml chilled ginger ale & 1 x lime cut into 6 wedges.
How you do it:
- 01. Pour all of the juice & ginger ale into a large jug. Give the mix a gentle stir.
- 02. Pour into glasses containing ice.
- 03. Squeeze a lime wedge into each glass before serving.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate (6 Cups)
![A mug of peppermint chocolate topped with cream with a red striped straw](../_images/peppermint-chocolate.jpg)
What you need:
200g plain chocolate (broken into chunks), 600ml whole milk, 300ml double cream, sugar to taste, 8 candy canes & marshmallows to garnish.
How you do it:
- 01. Put the chocolate and milk in a saucepan and heat gently. Stir until all of the chocolate has melted and the milk is steaming. Remove from the heat and stir in 150ml of the cream.
- 02. Whip the remaining cream.
- 03. Divide the hot chocolate between 6 cups, add sugar to taste, and top with a spoon of whipped cream.
- 04. Crush 2 of the candy canes and use this and the marshmallows to garnish. Hang a candy cane on each cup.
- 05. Encourage each person to stir their hot chocolate with their candy canes allowing some of the sweet peppermint to dissolve into the hot drink.
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