5 Christmas Cocktail Recipes to Try This Festive Season

Lifestyle | WESTLOFT Magazine

Lebensstil: Dieser schmatzende Cocktail wird Ihren Valentinstag dazu bringen, immer wieder zurückzukommen

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Suchen Sie etwas, um Ihren Valentinstag zu beeindrucken? Dieser schmatzende Clover Club Cocktail ist all der holländische Mut, den Sie am 14. brauchen.

We all have the drinks we automatically reach for at Christmas, but some of the best festive evenings start with making something you would not normally pour.

Over the years we have found that Christmas cocktails work best when they still feel recognisable. Rather than reinventing the entire drinks cabinet, take a familiar cocktail and introduce one seasonal flavour — chocolate, pomegranate, cinnamon, pear or winter citrus.

These are five Christmas cocktail recipes we would happily make for friends, serve after dinner or mix at the start of a festive evening.

And because we spend almost as much time thinking about the room as the drink, we have included a few ideas for styling the home bar too. Our After Hours cocktail and drinks wall art collection was created for exactly these kinds of spaces.

1. Christmas Espresso Martini With White Chocolate

An espresso martini is already one of the easiest after-dinner cocktails to serve at Christmas. Adding white chocolate makes it richer and slightly more indulgent without losing the coffee flavour that makes the original work.

Ingredients

  • 60ml white chocolate liqueur
  • 30ml vodka
  • 30ml chilled espresso or strong coffee
  • Ice
  • White chocolate shavings or desiccated coconut to garnish

Method

  • Chill a martini or coupe glass before serving.
  • Add the white chocolate liqueur, vodka, espresso and ice to a cocktail shaker.
  • Shake until thoroughly chilled.
  • Strain into the chilled glass.
  • Finish with white chocolate shavings or a small amount of desiccated coconut.

From our own experience, this works particularly well as an alternative to dessert rather than something to serve at the beginning of the evening.

2. Pomegranate Mojito: A Fresh Christmas Cocktail for Parties

Not every Christmas cocktail needs to be creamy, spiced or heavy. A pomegranate mojito keeps the freshness of the classic drink while bringing in the deep red colour that makes it feel particularly suited to Christmas parties.

We like this one because it provides a useful contrast if the rest of the drinks menu is dominated by champagne, wine and richer after-dinner cocktails.

Ingredients

  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Lime wedges
  • Simple syrup
  • Pomegranate juice
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • White rum
  • Crushed ice
  • Soda water

Method

  • Add mint, lime juice, simple syrup and lime wedges to a highball glass.
  • Gently muddle the ingredients to release the mint and lime.
  • Add pomegranate juice, rum and crushed ice.
  • Stir thoroughly.
  • Top with soda water.
  • Garnish with mint, lime and pomegranate seeds.

Christmas Home Bar Ideas for Serving Festive Cocktails

When we style a home bar or drinks area, we normally treat it like any other part of the room rather than filling it with alcohol-related accessories.

  • Use one framed cocktail print as the main wall feature.
  • Keep your most attractive glassware visible.
  • Add a small lamp rather than relying on overhead lighting.
  • Use a tray to group bottles, glasses and bar tools together.
  • Leave enough space to actually make the drinks.

For artwork designed around cocktails, bottles and evening entertaining, browse After Hours.

3. Chocolate Orange Christmas Cocktail

Chocolate orange is one of those flavours that seems to become almost unavoidable once December arrives, which also makes it an obvious starting point for a Christmas dessert cocktail.

The original version of this recipe used white chocolate liqueur, Cointreau, Irish cream and double cream. The result sits somewhere between a cocktail and dessert, so we would serve it in a smaller glass after dinner rather than alongside food.

Ingredients

  • 25ml white chocolate liqueur
  • 25ml Cointreau
  • 25ml Irish cream liqueur
  • 25ml double cream
  • Ice
  • A small piece of chocolate orange to garnish

Method

  • Add all of the liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
  • Shake until chilled and slightly frothy.
  • Strain into a martini or coupe glass.
  • Garnish with a small piece of chocolate orange.

How to Style a Drinks Trolley for Christmas

A drinks trolley can easily become cluttered at Christmas, particularly once extra bottles and glassware appear. We have found it looks better when most of the visual interest comes from a few stronger pieces.

  • Keep frequently used bottles on the lower or rear section.
  • Display a small group of interesting glasses rather than every glass you own.
  • Add one framed print above or beside the trolley.
  • Use a bowl of oranges, lemons or seasonal fruit for colour.
  • Add greenery or a small branch rather than covering the trolley in Christmas decorations.

4. Christmas Passionfruit Martini With Cinnamon

The pornstar martini has become a modern classic, but the combination of passionfruit, vanilla and cinnamon makes it surprisingly easy to push in a more festive direction.

We prefer keeping the cinnamon fairly restrained. Too much can overpower the fruit, while a small amount gives the drink just enough warmth to distinguish it from the standard version.

Ingredients

  • 50ml vanilla vodka
  • 25ml passionfruit purée
  • 15ml cinnamon syrup
  • 5ml fresh lemon juice
  • 1 slice fresh pineapple
  • Ice

Method

  • Muddle the pineapple in the base of a cocktail shaker.
  • Add the vanilla vodka, passionfruit purée, cinnamon syrup and lemon juice.
  • Add ice and shake thoroughly.
  • Double strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass.
  • Serve immediately.

If you are serving several cocktails at a Christmas party, this is the one we would choose for guests who prefer something bright and fruit-led rather than creamy or coffee-based.

5. Spiced Pear and Rosemary Christmas Fizz

Pear works particularly well in winter drinks because it is softer and less acidic than many citrus-led cocktails. Paired with rosemary and sparkling wine, it creates a Christmas cocktail that feels festive without becoming overly sweet.

Ingredients

  • 40ml gin
  • 30ml pear juice or pear nectar
  • 10ml fresh lemon juice
  • 10ml simple syrup
  • Sparkling wine
  • Ice
  • Fresh rosemary and a thin slice of pear to garnish

Method

  • Add the gin, pear juice, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
  • Shake until chilled.
  • Strain into a coupe or wine glass.
  • Top with sparkling wine.
  • Garnish with a small rosemary sprig and thin slice of pear.

This is probably the most versatile drink in the list. We would happily serve it at the beginning of a Christmas dinner, at a drinks party or as a lighter alternative to champagne.

Easy Christmas Cocktail Ideas for Different Tastes

  • For coffee lovers: make the white chocolate espresso martini.
  • For something fresh: choose the pomegranate mojito.
  • For a dessert-style drink: make the chocolate orange cocktail.
  • For something fruity: choose the passionfruit and cinnamon martini.
  • For a lighter sparkling drink: make the pear and rosemary fizz.

Christmas Cocktail Party Ideas: Make the Drinks Part of the Room

One thing we have learned from styling interiors is that entertaining works better when the drinks area feels like part of the room rather than an improvised collection of bottles on the kitchen counter.

A sideboard, console table or drinks trolley can become a temporary home bar for the evening, particularly when it already sits beneath artwork.

  • Group bottles and glassware on a tray.
  • Keep garnishes together in small bowls.
  • Prepare anything that can be chilled or measured in advance.
  • Use a lamp or candlelight to make the drinks area feel more atmospheric.
  • Hang framed drinks or cocktail art nearby to make the bar feel part of the interior.

Our Favourite Christmas Cocktails for the Festive Season

If we were choosing only two from this list, we would make the pomegranate mojito early in the evening and the white chocolate espresso martini after dinner.

The important thing is not to make Christmas drinks unnecessarily complicated. A familiar cocktail with one seasonal flavour usually works better than a recipe involving fifteen ingredients you will never use again.

And if cocktails are already part of the character of your kitchen, dining room or home bar, explore the After Hours cocktail and drinks wall art collection for framed art inspired by drinks, bars and evening entertaining.

You can also find more food, entertaining and lifestyle ideas in Westloft Magazine.

Please drink responsibly.

Foto von Clover Club Cocktail von Juan Serlo | Almayer Bar [Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung von @juanserlo und @almayerbar ]

Was ist der am wenigsten sexy Tag der Woche, fragen Sie?

Nun, lassen Sie es uns Ihnen sagen. . .

Es ist Montag!

Und zufälligerweise fällt dieses Jahr der Valentinstag auf diesen Tag.

(Sieht so aus, als würde Amor für eine nicht so glänzende Leistungsbeurteilung herangezogen werden !!)

Der Gedanke an einen düsteren Wintermontag ist eine ernsthafte Ablenkung, also haben wir entschieden, dass ein amouröses Stärkungsmittel benötigt wird, nicht nur für ein wenig holländischen Mut, sondern um die Funken der Romantik zwischen potenziellen Partnern zu entzünden.

Egal, ob du eine alte Flamme triffst oder die heiße Frau kennenlernst, die du beim Spinning-Kurs getroffen hast, dieser Clover Club-Cocktail wird die Unterhaltung am Laufen halten, während du entscheidest, ob du über Nacht bleibst oder ein Uber im DL bestellst.

Clover Club Cocktail von Gin von @ginmonkeyuk

[Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung von @ginmonkeyuk ]

Falls Sie den Clover Club-Cocktail noch nicht kennen, er ist ein klassischer Gin-Cocktail, aromatisiert mit spritzigen Himbeeren, Zitronensaft und vollendet mit einer Wolke aus fluffigem Schaum . Also, wenn dieses köstliche Getränk in Ihrer Straße klingt, besorgen Sie sich die Zutaten und gönnen Sie sich einen Probelauf, bevor Sie es Ihrem Date servieren.

Mit einem so einfachen Rezept und minimaler Vorbereitungszeit müssen Sie nicht in eine teure Cocktailbar gehen, wenn Sie diese in jeder heimischen Küche zubereiten können – stellen Sie einfach sicher, dass Sie genügend frische Himbeeren haben, sie sind SEHR lecker!

Unterm Strich! X

(Übrigens, wir haben hier einen Wandkunstdruck des Clover Club Cocktails)

Zutaten

50 ml Gin
10ml Wermut
15 ml Eiweiß
15 ml Himbeersirup oder Grenadinesirup
30ml Zitronensaft
6-8 Himbeeren
4-5 Eiswürfel
Optional: Rosenblätter zum Garnieren

Methode

Alle Zutaten in einen Cocktailshaker geben, dann die Himbeeren muddlen (zerdrücken). Ohne Eiswürfel trocken schütteln, um das Eiweiß dick und schaumig zu machen, dann die Eiswürfel hinzufügen und 30 Sekunden lang schütteln. Durch ein Sieb (ein kleines Sieb geht auch) doppelt in ein gekühltes Coupe-Glas abseihen und mit frischen Himbeeren oder Rosenblättern garnieren.

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Written by

Hannah Fraser

Hannah Fraser writes for Westloft on interiors, art, vintage furniture and seasonal living. Her features focus on practical decorating ideas, collected homes and the ways artwork and objects shape how a room feels.

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