It’s a lovely idea to make cocktails at home for Christmas – but as anyone who has tried replicating a cocktail they’ve had in a bar will know, DIY versions often end up as murky, stringent, too-potent concoctions rather than the perfectly balanced, pretty coloured drink you get from the pros.
This year, we want to serve a sophisticated Christmas cocktail without the throat-burn. So we got the professionals out from behind the bar to give us some tips.
Jack Trewhella, brand ambassador for gin at Pernod Ricard, said the key to making a good cocktail at home is to keep it simple.
He says: ‘Like so much in life, the simple things are often the best. Ask your bartender what their favourite drink to make is – I very much doubt they’ll name a 15-ingredient cocktail that requires 20 minutes of shaking.
‘An original Plymouth Gimlet, for example, has two ingredients – Plymouth Gin and Rose’s Lime Cordial – and is delicate, delicious and debonair.
He also recommends a hot toddy with a twist – made with Absolute Rhubarb and cloudy apple juice, a chocolate orange martini, a festive espresso martini – just add cinnamon and gingerbread syrup – and a Christmas Buck – the simplest of all, just gin, ginger ale and lemon juice, topped with rosemary and cranberries (all recipes below).
Jack Charlton, UK Ambassador for Rémy Martin agrees. His recipes include the ever-popular Porn Star Martini, given a festive twist with clementines, an Old Fashioned made with rum instead of whisky and a sidecar, a classic cocktail with just three ingredients you’re likely to have already in your home bar – cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. The part where skill comes in is getting the balance right.
The secret to your success is to be prepared – stock up on lots of ice, a cocktail shaker with strainer and fruit – and be precise. Much like cooking, Jack Trewhella says to have your essentials in stock at all times – that way you can rise to the occasion easily.
He says: ‘Having a good base of key ingredients is always helpful in the long run. Think of it like your spice rack – it’s always good to have stocks of salt, pepper, maybe some cinnamon and dried rosemary readily available, but those four jars of Chinese five-spice you need for that one dish isn’t necessary.
‘Have some bitters available, some basic liqueurs, vermouths and syrups, and always keep your freezer well stocked with ice.
‘This will give you a base to make a variety of drinks when you start delving into those recipe books. For instance, I will always have at least two varieties of Lillet in my fridge for a range of spritz options, add some Beefeater gin and Monkey 47 gin on the shelf and that Lillet can double up to make an array of different martinis.
For the best results, stick to the rules. Jack Trewhella says: ‘Remember to keep it fun, but also consistent. If it’s no fun then you won’t want to do it again – so though it might seem fun at the time to start doubling quantities the more drinks you make, the next morning definitely won’t be.
‘Find some recipes that appeal to you and suit the occasion, but follow them carefully. If you find that for your personal taste it needs more/less of a certain ingredient then note that down and stick to it.
‘An Irish coffee, for example… it may seem like throwing in another double measure of Jameson’s wouldn’t do any harm, but in reality the over-indulgence can make the drink much less palatable.’
Here, Jack Trewhella and Jack Charlton bring you a few festive cocktails you should be able to get right at home – plus some mocktails for the AF among us.
Festive Porn Star Martini
Jack Charlton, Remy Martin’s UK Ambassador, suggests serving simple classics but giving them a festive twist. He says: ‘The Porn Star Martini is the UK’s favourite cocktail and always a winner at parties. Give it festive flair with clementine juice – the taste of Christmas. You can pre-batch the mix and just top up flutes with your fizz of choice.’
INGREDIENTS
25 ml Passoã
10 ml Vodka
10 ml Passion fruit sugar / syrup (Waitrose or Amazon)
25 ml Fresh clementine juice (Waitrose or Amazon)
10 ml Fresh lemon juice
100-125 ml (depending on glass size) prosecco / champagne
METHOD
Shake everything except the fizz over cubed ice and fine strain into a chilled flute. Top with fizz and give a gentle stir. Feel free to add your favourite winter berry as a garnish.
Royal Sidecar
The Sidecar is a classic and ideal to serve at home, since it has just three ingredients – cognac, lemon and Cointreau. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity though – get the balance wrong and it can taste caustic. Jack of Rémy Martin’s advice? ‘Always be precise with your measurements. Eventually, the more you make, the better you’ll be able to gauge the ratios you like – but it’s best not to free pour.’
INGREDIENTS
35ml Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal (or any cognac you have available)
30ml Cointreau
15ml lemon juice
Lemon zest to garnish
Shake 35ml Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal (or any cognac) with 30ml Cointreau and 15ml lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, then strain into your best coupe glass.
Old Fashioned
Jack of Rémy Martin says: ‘The Old Fashioned has minimal ingredients that can be easily found in most homes. You can replace the traditional bourbon in your Old Fashioned with the brown spirit of your choice – rum is a great choice which gives this cocktail a Bajan flavour, ideal in the winter when you’re dreaming of sunshine. The drink goes well with chocolate so you could serve with pudding. Cognac also works – my personal favourite is the Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal.’
INGREDIENTS
50ml Mount Gay XO rum (any dark rum will do, or try cognac or the more traditional bourbon)
1 brown sugar cube
4 dashes of angostura bitters
1 orange zest
Place sugar cube in a whiskey glass and saturate with the bitters. Stir until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice, add the rum (or whichever spirit you’re using). Garnish with a slice of orange.
Plymouth Christmas Buck
Pernod-Ricard’s Jack Trewhella recommends this one as it’s the sort of cocktail you can make with ingredients you’ll already have. Simple, just a handful of ingredients and pretty impossible to get wrong. A nice, spicy alternative to a G&T.
INGREDIENTS
50ml Plymouth Gin
20l Lemon juice
150ml Ginger Ale
Rosemary
Cranberries
METHOD
– Pour 50ml of Plymouth Gin and 150ml of Ginger Ale
– Add 20ml of lemon juice
– Serve over ice
– Top with a bunch of rosemary and cranberries
Absolut & Kahlúa Festive Espresso Martini
This one needs no introduction… The ideal post-Christmas lunch cocktail. We have salted caramel syrup at home so will be using that in place of the gingerbread.
INGREDIENTS
25ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur
25ml Absolut vodka
10ml Cinnamon syrup (available online and at larger supermarkets including Morrisons and Waitrose – or you can make your own quite easily. See recipes online)
10ml Gingerbread syrup (available online and at larger supermarkets including Morrisons and Waitrose)
25ml Espresso
Cocoa powder
METHOD
– Pour 25ml of Kahlúa and 25ml of Absolut into a shaker and shake thoroughly
– Add 10ml cinnamon syrup, 10ml of gingerbread syrup and 25ml of espresso
– Serve in a cocoa powder-dusted glass, reminiscent of a snowy winter setting
Absolut & Kahlúa Chocolate Orange Martini
This year we’ll be serving these after dinner so that anyone too full for Christmas pud can have something sweet. Save the figgy pudding for Boxing Day.
INGREDIENTS
30ml Absolut Original (or any other vodka)
30ml Kahlúa
15ml Grand Marnier
5ml Sugar syrup
25ml Espresso
METHOD
– Pour 30ml of Absolut Original and 30ml of Kahlúa into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
– Add 15ml of Grand Marnier, 5ml of sugar syrup and 25ml of espresso. Shake and serve into a martini glass.
Absolut Rhubarb and Apple Hot Toddy
INGREDIENTS
Absolut Juice Rhubarb Edition
Cloudy apple juice
Hot water
Maple syrup
Cinnamon stick or dehydrated lemon
METHOD
– Pour 50ml Absolut Rhubarb and 75ml of cloudy apple juice into a mug
– Add 75ml of hot water and 15ml of maple syrup
– Channel the festive season by garnishing with a cinnamon stick or dehydrated lemon
Non-alcoholic cocktails and mocktails for the alcohol free
Let’s not forget about the non-drinkers, the drivers, the pregnant people and the too-hungover-to-drink-ers. They used to be overlooked, it’s now growing in popularity to go no or low alcohol. The ‘no and low’ market is now worth £108m – and the no and low spirits sector is growing by more than 370% year on year, well outperforming growth of regular spirits. It’s big business – and there has never been a better time to join the alcohol free (AF) trend.
Here are a few options for the AF among us.
Celtic Soul with ginger
Celtic Soul is a new, non-alcoholic dark spirit – it’s not called ‘non-alcoholic whiskey’ (to be able to call itself ‘whiskey’ it would need to meet certain standards, including alcohol content) but that’s what it tastes like. It has a smokey, peaty aroma and a complex flavour that is immensely satisfying if you’re AF. It can be served on its on with ice or mixed into a cocktail.
INGREDIENTS
60ml Celtic Soul
Fever Tree Ginger Ale
Orange slice
METHOD
Fill rock glass with ice, add Celtic Soul, top up with ginger ale and serve with a twist of orange.
Celtic Soul ‘New Fashioned’
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp sugar syrup
1-2 dashes non-alcoholic bitters
60ml Celtic Soul
Orange slice
Cherry
METHOD
Put the sugar, bitters and a splash of water in a small tumbler. Fill your glass with ice and stir in the Celtic Soul. Add a splash of soda water if you like and mix. Garnish with the orange and cherry.
Cederberg Brew
This one is made using Ceder’s Non-Alcoholic Spirit – it’s an aromatic drink, called an ‘alt-gin’ that is distilled in the same way as gin but without the alcohol. Botanicals it uses include juniper, rose, geranium and coriander. You can mix into cocktails or it works equally well with soda water or tonic. You can buy it online for around £20 – and it’s currently on offer in Tesco for £16.
INGREDIENTS
50ml Ceder’s Crisp
25ml Jasmine tea (cold)
10ml Elderflower cordial
10ml Lime juice
METHOD
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice and fine strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Rosemary Christmas
From La Maison Wellness (where you’ll find many more appealing AF drinks) this is a simple drink that has plenty of flavour without being too sweet. A blessing if your usual AF offering is sweet fizzy drinks or water.
– 10ml pomegranate syrup
– 80ml Kombucha
– 60ml Rosemary water
Garnish
Lemon wheel
Fresh pomegranate
Rosemary sprig
Fill a high ball or rock glass with ice – important to use plenty or it will melt and dilute the drink. Build the cocktail in the glass and top with the rosemary water. If you haven’t watched the video, you make it by simply popping a spring of rosemary into sparkling water and allowing it to infuse for half an hour or more in the fridge).
If you want to try and make your own pomegranate syrup at home:
Pomegranate syrup
1. Put one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of pomegranate juice in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and stir for 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool.
Keep in the fridge for a week
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/19/make-easy-christmas-cocktails-mocktails-home-christmas-day-11916025/
0 Comments