Raise a glass and get ready to explore the delightful world of these creations
As the festive season approaches, the scent of pine fills the air, twinkling lights brighten every corner, and festive gatherings are in full swing. What better way to toast to the season than with a delicious Christmas cocktail?
Whether you’re hosting a holiday party, curling up by the fire, or simply enjoying a quiet evening with loved ones, a well-crafted drink can elevate the mood and add extra cheer to your celebrations. These holiday-inspired cocktails are perfect for sipping, sharing, and creating lasting memories.
So, raise a glass and get ready to explore the delightful world of Christmas cocktails – where every sip is a toast to the most wonderful time of the year…
Candy Cane Martini
- 70ml Hernö gin
- 50ml lemon juice
- A few drops of The Bitter Truth Old Fashioned Bitters
- 3 candy canes, crushed, plus more to garnish
Method: Finely crush 2 candy canes, then wet the rim of a coupe glass with lemon juice and dip it in the crushed candy cane mixture to rim the glass. Set aside and chill. Pour the gin and 1 crushed candy cane per serve into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously then fine strain. Return the gin to a clean cocktail shaker, along with the lemon juice, bitters, and ice. Shake vigorously. Double-strain the drink into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a candy cane.
Winter in a Cup
Method: Prepare the hot chocolate by using instant or homemade mix cocoa powder and sugar and pour into a festive mug. Pour in your Five Farms Liqueur and stir to combine. Add a gorgeous swirl of whipped cream on top. Garnish with chocolate shavings, crushed candy canes or dust with cocoa powder to add a Christmas touch.
El Alto Royal
- 40ml PATRÓN El Alto
- 15ml Lemon Juice
- 15ml Simple Syrup
- 40ml Champagne
- Chilled Champagne Flute
- Lemon Zest
Method: In a shaker with ice, add the tequila, lemon and simple syrup. Shake, and double-strain into a champagne flute, top with Champagne, Garnish with lemon twist
Never Say Die Winter Old Fashioned
Method: Add all ingredients to a rocks glass and fill with cubed ice or an ice block. Stir until well chilled and diluted. Top up with ice if needed, and garnish with a smouldering cinnamon stick.
To make your winter syrup: You’ll need one cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 2 strips of orange peel, 1 cup demerara sugar, and 1/2 cup of water. OR – buy off the shelf
Break the cinnamon stick into pieces and add it, along with the cloves, to a small frying pan. Heat gently until the aroma of the spices becomes strong. Add the sugar, water and orange peel and bring to the boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once all the sugar is dissolved and the liquid has come to a boil, strain the spices and peel out of the liquid, and allow it to cool before bottling. To extend the shelf life of the syrup, add 25ml of Never Say Die.
Figgy Fizz
- 40ml Hernö gin
- 20ml Cointreau
- 20ml Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Fig Jam
- 20ml Soda
- 60ml Prosecco
Method: Shake all the ingredients apart from the soda and prosecco in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a wine glass filled with ice and then top with the soda and prosecco. Garnish with orange peel.
Spiced Cherry Paloma
- 40ml PATRÓN Reposado
- 15ml Morello Cherry Syrup
- 10ml Pink Grapefruit Juice
- 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Method: Build ingredients in a Highball Glass with ice. Garnish with Cherries on a stick
Nirvana Perfect Spice
- 60ml Paul John Nirvana
- 15ml Cocchi Di Torino Vermouth/Sweet Vermouth
- 15ml Dry Vermouth
- 3 – 4 Small thinly sliced ginger
- Bar spoon of honey
Method: Mix all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir for 15 – 20 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Mulled Rum Fizz (6-8 servings)
- 475ml Goslings Rum
- 475ml cups sparkling apple cider
- 120ml pear juice
- 1/2 tsp clove + 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional whole spices; remove before serving)
- 60ml honey or brown sugar syrup
Method: In a large pitcher, combine the rum, pear juice, spices, and honey or syrup. Stir until combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. To serve: Add chilled sparkling apple cider just before pouring to maintain fizz. Serve over ice with optional pear slices or cinnamon sticks.
Mermaid Winter Negroni
Method: Serve it hot by the fire or chilled for a twist on a classic.
Patron Spicy Reposado Margarita
- 60ml Patron Reposado
- 30ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 30ml Agave Syrup
- 3 Seedless Jalapeño Slices
- Tajin Rim
- Lime Wheel for Garnish
Method: Gently muddle the jalapeño slices in the cocktail shaker. Add tequila, lime juice, agave, and ice to the shaker. Shake and strain into a rocks glass rimmed with Tajin over fresh ice. Garnish with lime wheel and one more jalapeño slice.
Blackberry Sake Gimlet
To Garnish
- 2 Blackberries
- 1 sprig Rosemary
Method: Muddle three blackberries with a sprig of rosemary in a cocktail shaker. Add Samurai Sake, elderflower liqueur, lime and ice, then shake until well combined. Strain into a gimlet glass and garnish with the final two blackberries speared with a sprig of rosemary.
Retro Old Fashioned
- 50ml Paul John Nirvana
- 10ml Organic honey
- 2 drops of vanilla essence
- 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Orange zest
Method: Fill double old fashioned glass with ice.. Add whisky, honey, essence and Angostura bitters and stir. Garnish with orange zest.
Never Day Die Epsom Derby
Method: Add all ingredients to your cocktail shaker and shake hard with cubed ice. Fine strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a single mint leaf floating on the surface of the drink.
Wooden Delish
Method: Shaken, serve in a coupette, no garnish
Never Felt Bitter
Method: Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in your Smokehead & Fernet measures. Top with Coke and garnish with a charred lime wheel
Spiced Cranberry & Jazz Apples Sangria
For the spiced syrup
- 85ml water
- 50g granulated sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cardamom pods
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 whole star anise
Method: In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and whole spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the syrup to steep and cool to room temperature, at least 10 minutes. Once cooled, strain the syrup into a bowl or jar, discarding all of the spices except the cinnamon sticks.
For the sangria
- 1 Jazz Apple, quartered, cored and diced
- 1 medium orange, sliced into wedges
- 100g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 750ml bottle dry red wine (Spanish Grenache or Pinot Noir work best)
- 90ml brandy
- Juice from 3 oranges (approx. 190ml)
- 120ml unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice
- Ice, to serve
- Rosemary sprigs, to garnish (optional)
Method: To a large pitcher, add the apple, orange, and cranberries. Pour in the red wine, brandy, orange juice, cranberry juice, and spiced syrup, and stir everything together well. Add the cinnamon sticks reserved from making the spiced syrup. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate the sangria for 2-4 hours or overnight. Remove the pitcher from the fridge 1-2 hours and let the sangria come to room temperature before serving. Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of rosemary.
Piñata Daiquiri
- 35ml Ron Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo 11yo
- 20ml pineapple juice
- 20ml cream of coconut
- 20ml fresh lime juice
- Pinch of powdered cinnamon
- Glass: Coupe
- Garnish: Cinnamon sugar rim, caramelised pineapple on skewer, grated nutmeg
Method: Prep sugar rim on glass (Cinnamon sugar rum – combine equal parts of powdered cinnamon with fine caster sugar). Add all ingredients to the cocktail tin. Add cubed ice to the tin, shake and double-strain into chilled glassware. Garnish and serve!
Disaronno Sour
- 50 ml Disaronno
- 25 ml Fresh lemon juice
- 5 ml Sugar syrup
- Egg white (optional)
Method: Shake all the ingredients with ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Never Say Die Chestnut Highball
Method: Pour all ingredients into a highball glass and fill with cubed ice. Top with soda water and give a quick stir to mix. Garnish with an orange twist.
Kir Cardinal
Method: Serve in a wine glass neat
Cider & Mezcal Margarita
To rim the glasses
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Lime wedges
Method: Stir the cinnamon, sugar and salt. Rub the rim of the glass with a lime wedge, then dip the rim into the cinnamon, sugar and salt combination. Fill the glass with ice. Fill a shaker with ice. Pour in the mezcal, orange liqueur, and apple cider. Squeeze in the lime wedge, then stir thoroughly to combine. Strain into the rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with apple slices.
The DV Pink 75
- 30ml Seedlip Grove
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 50ml Della Vite Zero
- 20ml 1:1 sugar syrup (one part water, one part sugar. Heat the water first – don’t boil, then add the sugar and allow to cool
Method: Shake ingredients with ice, and strain into your favourite martini glass. Top with Della Vite Zero and garnish with skewered juicy raspberries dusted with icing sugar for extra festive vibes.
Cuban Naranja Negroni
Method: Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin or mixing glass. Add cubed ice, stir down to chill to correct dilution. Strain into glassware over fresh cubed ice. Garnish and serve!
Matcha Basil Smash
- 15ml La Matcha Liqueur
- 45ml Etsu Gin
- 10ml fresh lemon juice
- 10ml basil syrup
- Ice
Method: Add the gin, lemon juice, basil syrup, and matcha powder to a shaker. Fill with ice and shake well. Strain into a glass with ice and garnish with basil leaves.
Sparkling Cosmo
Method: Shake and strain ingredients, top with Prosecco. Garnish with lemon wedge.
Spiced Bramble
- 25ml Ron Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo 8yo
- 25ml Crème de mure or Cassis
- 20ml Fresh lemon juice
- 15ml Sugar syrup (1:1)
- Pinch powdered all spice
- 1 muddles fresh blackberry
- Glass: Rocks
- Garnish: Fresh blackberries, mint sprig, powder sugar dusting
Method: Muddle fresh blackberries in a cocktail tin. Add remaining ingredients, and add cubed ice. Shake and double-strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish and serve!
Alcohol Free Spicy Bloody Mary
Method: Add chilli to decorate.
Matcha Sour
- 15ml La Matcha Liqueur
- 45ml Tottori Bourbon Cask
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 15ml maple syrup or sugar syrup
- Egg white or 30 ml aquafaba
- Ice
Method: Add the whisky, lemon juice, syrup, matcha powder, egg white or aquafaba to a shaker and shake without ice. Add ice and shake again. Strain into an old-fashioned glass with ice and garnish with a lemon peel.
DV Blancmange
Method: Mix the cognac, almond milk and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker, pour into a tumbler over cubed ice. Top with Della Vite, and garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
Alcohol-free Hugo Spritz
Method: Serve In a wine glass full of ice. Top up with Alcohol Free Codorniu. Garnish with a mint sprig
Sake & Sugar Plum Punch
- 150ml Samurai Sake
- 100ml Ginger Wine
- 10ml Agave Syrup
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 200 ml Sugar Plum Puree (Recipe Below)
- Dash of Soda Water
For the Sugar Plum Puree
- 12 ripe plums
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
Method: Begin by preparing the sugar plum puree. Halve and de-stone the plums. Place on a lined baking sheet, flesh-side-up, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a food processor. Pulse to a fine puree then strain through a fine sieve. To prepare the punch, add all ingredients other than the soda water to a shaker with ice. Shake well to combine. Pour into glasses and top with a dash of soda water.
DV Sgroppino
Method: Add one scoop of sorbet to a martini glass, top with Della Vite, garnish with a lush fresh cherry and dribble over some cordial.
Sugar, Rum, Cherry
Method: Add The Bitter Truth Cherry Bitters and demerara sugar to a rocks glass with a large ice cube and stir. Pour in the rum and stir for 30 seconds until well combined and chilled.
Salted Peach G&T Spritz
- 1 x Mix Up Gin & Tonic can
- 8 slices of tinned peaches
- A pinch of smoked sea salt
- 100ml fresh grapefruit juice
- 4 slices of grapefruit peel
Method: In a mixing glass/shaker, muddle the peaches with the smoked sea salt before adding the grapefruit juice and Mix Up Gin & Tonic. Double strain into 4 martini glasses filled with cubed ice and garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel.
White Bloody Mary
- 100ml La Tomato Liqueur
- 500g Ripe Tomatoes
- 2 sticks celery
- 50 ml Apple Juice
- 15ml Lemon Juice
- 6 dashes Tabasco (or more to taste) dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Method: Place the tomatoes, celery, apple juice, lemon juice and tabasco in a blender. Blitz until smooth, then strain through a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth. (Allow the juice to drip slowly; this may take a few hours. Do not stir. Divide the clear tomato consommé between two glasses, then top each glass with 50ml of La Tomato and ice. Finish with 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
