34 Festive food & drink Christmas
cocktails Get into the spirit of things this Christmas with these five festive boozy concoctions. Words: Tamsin Wressell
30 NOVEMBER 2020 CHRISTMAS IN THE CAPITAL — AN ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE IN
While it’s looking as though we’re all going to be spending a lot more time at home this Christmas, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have just as much fun as usual. And what better way to get into the spirit of things than with a fine selection of festive cocktails? Not only will they bring some variety to your palate, they can complement food and even aid the digestion of one of the biggest meals of the year.
To start the day: Paloma Tis is a tequila-based cocktail that’s easy enough to make before your morning coffee has kicked in. It’s sweet, sour, a little bitter, a teeny bit salty and, thanks to a combination of grapefruit juice and soda, hydrating and immune-boosting. To make, shake 60ml of tequila (100% agave), 30ml grapefruit juice, 15ml lime juice and 7.5ml of agave syrup with ice and strain into a collins glass before topping with grapefruit soda. Salt the rim (optional) and garnish with a wedge of grapefruit. For a smokier version, swap out the tequila for mezcal.
For a mid-morning toast: The reindeer Te reindeer is a festively spiced champagne cocktail that can see you through the present-opening part of the day. Freshly squeezed lemon juice balances out the spiced aspect, while root ginger can help soothe your stomach in the lead-up to a mighty meal. Make the reindeer by muddling two thumbnail-sized slices of ginger in the base of a shaker before adding 20ml vodka, 7.5ml Monin spicy syrup and 2.5ml lemon juice. Shake with ice and fine strain into a chilled flute glass before topping with champagne.
To prepare your palette: Rum pickle An aperitif can help awaken taste buds and kick-start digestion. Te rum pickle is savoury, yet delicate. Stir 45ml dark rum with 20ml chardonnay, a spoon of white balsamic vinegar and a spoon of caster sugar, first without ice to allow the sugar to dissolve, then again with ice, before straining into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with one or two green olives. Te acidity of the vinegar works with the fruit of the wine and the richness of the rum, making it a well-balanced concoction.
CHRISTMAS NEGRONI/GETTY
What better way to get into the spirit of things than with a fine selection of festive cocktails? Tey can complement food and even aid the digestion of one of the biggest meals of the year
Something to cradle throughout the evening: Negroni With only three ingredients in equal parts, this classic bitter, dry cocktail is easy to make. Pour 30ml gin, 30ml Campari and 30ml sweet vermouth into an ice-filled glass and stir before garnishing with a twist of orange zest. What’s more, it can be adapted to suit your taste — to
LAVENDER HONEY SOUR/GETTY
boost the orange notes, add in a few drops of chocolate bitters or for a more wintery, warming version, swap out the gin for bourbon to make a boulevardier.
For a nightcap: Lavender honey sour Tis sour is the perfect drink to end the night with — the combination of a whiskey base with herby, spicy liqueur give it warming notes, while the combination of honey and lemon is calming. In the base of a shaker, stir two spoons of honey with 45ml Irish whiskey until the honey has dissolved. Add in 15ml of Bénédictine D.O.M., 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 15ml egg white and three dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters. Shake with plenty of ice and fine strain into a flute glass before garnishing with dried lavender.
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