If you’re looking to make your Christmas celebrations extra special this year, there’s nothing better than a festive Christmas cocktail to help celebrate the season in style!
Christmas has its traditions, and rightly so, but there’s nothing wrong with expanding our horizons and experimenting with different ingredients and flavours – so long as we achieve a result that’s just as delicious, if not better.
As much as we love the traditional mulled wine, eggnog and tipple of sherry, our pick of Christmas gin cocktails showcases some of our very favourite festive tipples, that can be enjoyed throughout the Christmas period all the way through to New Year. If you’re looking for something sweet, spicy or just refreshing our list has it all.
Here’s to a very merry Christmas…cheers!
1. HOT MULLED SLOE GIN (made with Sipsmith Sloe Gin)
A hot toddy is a must at Christmas, and this delightful serve made with Sipsmith Sloe Gin is one of our favourites. A mulled sloe gin is becoming ever more popular nowadays, as an alternative to the more traditional mulled wine (dating way back to the 2nd century) and is the perfect winter warmer to sip in front of a crackling fire.
Sipsmith Sloe Gin: This lovely smooth gin is created with a base of their award-winning London Dry Gin, which is left to rest on ripe sloe berries, harvested in the autumn months. The result is a fruity gin with notes of delicious winter fruits and sweet cherry, balanced beautifully with hints of warm spice and piney juniper.
Hot Mulled Sloe Gin Recipe
Ingredients
• 250 ml Cloudy Apple Juice
• 50 ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin
• Assorted Spices (such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves & cardamon pods)
• Vanilla Pod (cut down the middle)
• A Cinnamon Stick (to garnish)
• Half an Orange Slice (to garnish)
Method
• Add assorted spices and vanilla to a pan
• Top with cloudy apple juice
• Simmer for around 5-10 minutes, until just before boiling
• Ladle into a mug, teacup, or Irish coffee mug and add sloe gin
• Garnish with a half orange slice and/or a cinnamon stick
2. FRENCH 75 (made with Hendrick’s Gin)
This refreshing cocktail dates back to WWI, with the earliest form being created at The New York Bar in Paris, in 1915. Inspiration for the name came from the French 75mm field gun, which was seen as a symbol of hope during the battle, and the cocktail ingredients were said to have such a kick that drinking it felt like being shelled with the powerful weapon. This elegant cocktail is perfect for a pre or post Christmas lunch tipple.
Hendrick’s Gin: A world-renowned gin with a distinctive character and a very special aroma, Hendrick’s Gin is the result of blending two different spirits from two rare and unusual stills, the Carter-Head Still (constructed in 1948) and the Bennet Still (built in 1860). It is infused with traditional juniper, Bulgarian rose and cucumber – creating a delightful floral profile with a subtle freshness.
French 75 Recipe
Ingredients
• 30 ml Hendrick’s Gin
• 10 ml Sugar Syrup
• 10 ml Lemon Juice
• Top with Champagne
Method
• Add gin, sugar syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker
• Add ice, shake well and fine strain into a flute glass
• Top up with champagne
3. CRANBERRY GIN FIZZ (made with Cotswolds Dry Gin)
A classic gin fizz has a light, citrusy flavour and usually requires just four ingredients: gin, lemon juice, sweetener and soda water. Almost identical to a Tom Collins, gin fizzes are shaken with ice – making them foamy, whereas a Tom Collins is usually stirred and served over ice. So, as it’s Christmas, what could be better than a refreshing cranberry gin fizz – a festive twist on a classic gin cocktail that looks and tastes absolutely gorgeous.
Cotswolds Dry Gin: This superb award-winning gin is made with nine carefully considered botanicals including locally sourced lavender (from the Cotswolds) and freshly peeled lime and grapefruit zest. A beautifully balanced gin with gorgeous aromatics, it offers bold herbaceous and citrus flavours on the palate accompanied by soft floral tones.
Cranberry Gin Fizz Recipe
Ingredients
• 60 ml Cotswolds Dry Gin
• 30 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
• 30 ml Cranberry Syrup (see recipe below)
• Ice
• Soda Water
• Fresh Cranberries and Rosemary Sprig to Garnish
Method
• Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker, then add ice
• Shake well and strain into an ice-filled glass
• Top with soda water
• Garnish with cranberries and rosemary
Cranberry Syrup Recipe (Makes around 360 ml)
• 240 ml Water
• 130 g Granulated Sugar
• 130 g Fresh Cranberries
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries break down, for 10 to 12 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature, then strain and use (or refrigerate to keep).
4. SPICED NEGRONI (made with Monkey 47)
The Negroni is one of the most popular cocktails in the world, and is believed to have originated in Florence, Italy in the early 20th century. It is made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, served over ice in a rocks glass and garnished with an orange slice or orange peel. This spiced Negroni is a seasonal twist on the classic Negroni, featuring warming winter spices for a delicious Christmas tipple.
Monkey 47: An exquisite gin that has won multiple prestigious awards, Monkey 47 is a well balanced and complex gin made with a unique and aromatic blend of 47 botanicals, hence the name 47. It offers crisp citrus, layers of sweet floral flavours and has a hint of peppery spice with subtle bitter fruit.
Spiced Negroni Recipe
Ingredients
· 25 ml Infused Monkey 47 Gin (see recipe below)
· 25 ml Campari
· 25 ml Martini Rosso Sweet Vermouth
· Cinnamon Stick and Orange Peel Twist to Garnish
Method
· Mix all ingredients into a rocks glass half-filled with ice, stir well
· Garnish with cinnamon and an orange twist
Infused Gin Recipe
· 1 50cl Bottle Monkey 47 Gin
· 1 Star Anise
· 2 Cinnamon Sticks
· 12 Cloves
Tip the spices into a large screw cap jar, followed by the gin. Seal the jar and store for 5-7 days to infuse, giving it a gentle shake every day or so (keep tasting regularly). Sieve the gin and store it in a glass bottle for up to 3 months.
5. CHERRY MARASCHINO ESPRESSO MARTINI (made with Roku Gin)
The espresso martini was invented back in 1983 by Dick Bradsell, while at the Soho Brasserie in London, and was originally named the “Vodka Espresso”. The created drink was a mix of vodka, freshly pressed espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar syrup, garnished with a few coffee beans. This recipe for a cherry maraschino espresso martini is a gorgeous version of this classic cocktail, and a perfect festive sip – it’s silky, smooth and indulgent with a hint of cherry goodness.
Roku Gin: Released in 2017, this outstanding gin is produced at Japan’s legendary Suntory Yamazaki distillery, where they are best known for making single malt whisky. It is made with six unique botanicals including Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Sencha tea, Gyokuro tea, Sanshō pepper and Yuzu peel – offering a clean fresh taste with a floral and sweet aroma.
Cherry Maraschino Espresso Martini Recipe
Ingredients
• 65 ml Roku Gin
• 75 ml Stambecco Cherry Maraschino Amaro Liqueur
• 75 ml Freshly Brewed Espresso
• 1 Egg White
• Ice
• 6 Coffee Beans to Garnish
Method
• Add Roku, Stambecco Liqueur, Expresso and Egg whites with ice in shaker
• Shake 30 seconds
• Strain in to espresso glass and garnish with coffee beans
