Spirit no bar, it’s important to keep the festive spirit running high this Christmas! What better way than to nurture your inner mixologist with some delightful (and easy!) cocktails?
With the winter coziness settling in and the Christmas festivities in full swings, there’s nothing like some jingle juice to set the mood. True to tradition, the halls are filled with signature drinks like eggnog and mulled wine. There’s also contemporary takes on classics, allowing for some experimental fun this season!
Looking for some unique yet delicious cocktail recipes for Christmas gatherings? Or simply in the mood to put the inner mixologist to test? We’ve curated a list of traditional and innovative concoctions guaranteed to impress.
And they’re easier than ever to create. While each cocktail utilises a unique blend of bitters, sweet notes and garnishes – they’re all decidedly simple concoctions with complex flavour notes. With enough recipes to get you through all social events from Christmas to NYE, you’re sure to turn heads (quite literally!) with these cocktails!
Premium holiday cocktails
Alongside some luxurious wild cards from Glenmorangie and Hennessy, there’s plenty of holiday cocktails from Maka Zai to explore. What sets these recipes apart is the ease of preparation as well as the heritage involved with quite a few of them.
The O’Coquito, for instance, is a traditional Christmas drink with its roots in Puerto Rico. Using coconut cream and rum, it makes for a velvety concoction similar to eggnog. There’s also the Cranberry Carols, perfect for the festive season. It caters to a wider palate with its refreshing flavours and is Gram-friendly too!
Whiskey cocktails
If you’re looking to amp your winter cocktails game though, you’ve come to the right place! The Kyndal Group, a leading premium alcobev company has come up with the intoxicatingly delicious idea of marrying whiskey and chai in some fun cocktails. These chai-whiskey recipes are super easy to whip up whilst still meeting all the complexities that enhance a cocktail. A hot chocolate cuppa can get a lot more interesting (and adult friendly!) when spiked with some friendly spices too.
Paired with appetizers of your choice at a party, or a book that you’d long been meaning to get to – it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
Rum cocktails
Rum has been synonymous with Christmas since time immemorial. From rum balls to pudding and even savoury dishes consisting of meat, the spirit has lent its unique flavour and rich notes to winter meals for years.
Indians have always been fascinated with rum, as a certain aged monk would tell you. Capitalizing on this love and elevating it with some experimental touches, Dushyant Tanwar, the Brand Manager and Mixologist from Monika Enterprise is here with a list of rum cocktails guaranteed to slay!
From a regular to a ‘special’ macchiato, it’s just a little rum away from some fantastic jingle juice.
Tequila cocktails
Who said a Christmas cocktail can’t feature a good amount of tequila? As winter sundowners continue to feature on social calendars, there’s always an excuse to ramp up festivities. And what better way to do so than with some innovative tequila cocktails?
To make sure your revelry fits the bill, we’ve got some amazing tequila cocktail recipes from Patron. A classic Margarita is a great way to get the party started, followed up by some refreshing Paloma with citrus notes.
Beer cocktails
Didn’t we say this list had something for everyone? With all the wine, rum, cognac, brandy, and whiskey going around – we haven’t forgotten about the best way to include beer cocktails into the Christmas spirit.
As mixologists continue to get creative, there’s plenty of room for us to experiment ourselves! Once again courtesy Dushyant Tanwar, Brand Manager at Monika Enterprises, explore some deliciously cool cocktails to get the winter festivities going.
Scotch cocktails
The beauty of this amber coloured liquid lies in its versatility. From on the rocks to becoming a steady part of an evolving cocktail culture, there’s a scotch cocktail out there for anyone looking to experiment.
Akash Tomar, Diageo India’s brand ambassador shares 5 unique scotch cocktail recipes for the perfect Christmas party. Making use of interesting ingredients such as cinnamon, pumpkin, ginger candy, and cherry liqueur among others, there’s a scotch cocktail for every mood.
Bonus: Mulled Wine
Any and every Christmas menu under the sun is incomplete without a special and house brewed mulled wine. A tradition passed down from the Ancient Greeks and Romans, it’s a combination of mulling spices and maybe not your best bottle of wine for the most iconic Christmas drink.
While there are at least a dozen variations of the classic mulled wine, there is unanimous agreement on the best way to consume it, i.e, when the temperature starts to drop. With so many customizations available to the traditional Christmas beverage, why not experiment and test it out yourself?