The Top 10 Winter Vodka Cocktails

Brown spirits tend to dominate winter cocktails, but as a neutral spirit, vodka is so adaptable and integrates into the winter flavours wonderfully. It’s punchy and serves as great mixology foundations to build delicious flavours on.

Homemade syrups show up in a few of the recipes below, so for a guide on how to make your own click here! It’s way easier than you might expect and can do amazing things for your cocktails.

Espresso Martini

All the polls show that this is the most popular winter cocktail in the UK, so we just had to include it. The seductive white foam of the meniscus, the rich flavour, the lusciously smooth mouthfeel – you’ve got no chance hibernating after a few of these.  

Ingredients
40ml Vodka
25ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur
25ml cooled espresso
½ tbsp simple syrup
Three coffee beans (garnish)

Method
Shake everything with ice and strain into a pre-chilled martini glass, before garnishing with a beautiful trio of coffee beans for that distinct look.

Hot ‘n’ Minty White Russian

Taking inspiration from the Espresso Martini, this is a sweeter version to warm your cockles. Velvety, deliciously sweet white-hot chocolate is cooled by peppermint syrup, all built on a foundation of robust vodka and rich espresso. It’s viscous, lively, and surprisingly light with the peppermint. A uniquely indulgent concoction indeed.

Ingredients
30ml vodka
25ml espresso shot
80ml white hot chocolate
15ml peppermint syrup
Whipped cream (optional garnish)

Method
As long as your espresso and white-hot chocolate are hot, there’s no need to heat everything else up because some room temp vodka and peppermint syrup will bring the temperature together nicely. It’s just a case of combining everything gently and finishing with some whipped cream for that extra special touch.

Dirty Martini

This is another winter favourite. Getting down and dirty with your Martini brings a fantastic savoury flavour, with a salty, olive-y profile. It’s about as far from the sweet, tropical cocktails of summer as it’s possible to get, but just as satisfying with it’s crisp, saltiness.

Ingredients
70ml vodka
25ml dry Vermouth
15ml pickle juice

Pickles (garnish)

Method
Stir all your ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, and strain into a chilled Martini glass before finishing off with the signature pickle garnish. It might feel strange if this is your first, but chances are it won’t be your last. 

Elderflower Cosmopolitan

We were going to include the standard Cosmo, because that is a stalwart of winter cocktails, but this elderflower version feels a touch more wintery and aromatic. Cocktails are about experimentation after all! The delicious elderflower liqueur brings a mellower, more fragrant, and floral flavour than the usual cranberry. It feels bright and the first sip is a real life to

Ingredients
45ml vodka
20ml elderflower liqueur
20ml pineapple juice
Dash of lemon
Dash of rose water (optional)
Basil (garnish)

Method
All about the shaking here – get those arms pumping until your shaker feels cold to the touch, and strain over large ice cubes. Voila!

White Russian

How could we not? Made iconic in The Big Lebowski, it’s a dreamy combination of vodka, coffee liqueur and cream, resulting in sweet, velvety and undeniably delicious flavours. It’s heavy, indulgent, and loved by everyone, and perfect for wintertime.

Ingredients
60ml vodka
30ml coffee liqueur (Kahlúa)
15ml heavy cream

Method
Mix everything together before pouring over ice in a small tumbler glass. You could sprinkle chocolate powder or add coffee beans, but keeping it bare like a snowcapped rooftop works great too.

Moscow Mule

The refreshment of a Moscow Mule makes it a summer classic, but the dominant ginger notes absolutely resonate with winter too. It’s one of the original cocktails that made use of vodka when it wasn’t mainstream, which is strange considering it’s now the most popular cocktail spirit. It’s punchy, spicy, and gorgeously light with that fizz.

Ingredients
50ml vodka
80ml ginger beer
Juice of half a lime
Lime wedge (garnish)

Method
You don’t have to have the copper mug, but it really completes the Mule, and keeps it super cool. Just pour vodka and lime juice into the mug over ice, top up with ginger beer and finish with a lime wedge.

Cranberry and Pomegranate Punch

This is one for those winter gatherings saving you the hassle of individual cocktails. It straddles tartness and sweetness perfectly, tasting super refreshing with fruity fizz. As with any punch, you can sort of throw anything in, but we think the balance below is harmonious.

Ingredients (jug)
300ml cranberry juice
350ml pomegranate juice
350ml sparkling wine
100ml vodka
70ml cranberry syrup
2tbsp grenadine
10 mint leaves
4 lime wedges
fresh cranberries and lime (garnish)

Method
Muddle the mint first and fill the bottom of the jug with ice. After that, slowly stir everything except the sparkling wine which you should add last to keep the bubbles going. Scattered in cranberries and lime for brightness, and you’re away.

Pear and Elderflower Collins

A classic Tom Collins is an all-round cocktail, but this fruity makeover really takes it to the next level. Pear puree brings the freshness and pear liqueur brings the sweetness. It’s the lightest, fruitiest cocktail out there and vodka is perfect just to add some steel.

Ingredients (jug)
50ml vodka
15ml elderflower liqueur
2 tsp pear liqueur
25ml pear puree
20ml lemon juice
15m honey
Sparkling water to top up
Pear slice and cinnamon (garnish)

Method
Shake everything but the soda in a shaker with ice until it feels cold, and strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Once you’ve added the sparkling water, be gentle with the stirring to combine. Add a thin slice of pear and a dust of cinnamon for the finishing touches.

Rosemary Fizz

Rosemary is one of the key wintery scents, but it’s difficult to integrate into a cocktail. Here, it just adds an aromatic, herbal undertone to a mellow but vibrant mix of lemon juice, sparkling water and vodka. It is unbelievably refreshing, and so simple to pull together

Ingredients (jug)
50ml vodka
20ml lemon juice
20ml rosemary syrup
Top up with sparkling water
Rosemary and lemon twist (garnish)

Method
Fill a highball glass with ice, strain vodka, rosemary syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice over and top up with those bubbles. Rosemary sprig and lemon twist are a must.

For all the syrups featured, they can be bought, but they’re all simply sugar, water, and whichever flavour you want – so it saves so much money doing it yourself. Give it a go here! If you’re still adhering to Dry Jan or just don’t drink, then check out our Wintery Mocktails here.

One Drink, Three Ways: Cutty Sark Prohibition Whisky

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join us as we take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, we help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

Cutty Sark is an iconic whisky, from the stand-out yellow label (which was actually a printing error that’s stuck), to its Prohibition roots. Dreamt up in London in the 20s, it captured hearts over the Atlantic where speakeasy cocktails thrived and once it actually became legal, its popularity sky rocketed.

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition was released in 2013 as an ode to these origins, and Captain Bill McCoy (AKA The Real McCoy), who shipped it nearly a century before. It’s a small batch blend of the finest single malts and quality grain whiskies, using carefully chosen American Sherry oak casks. At 50%, it packs a bigger punch than the original, with the signature vanilla and spice coming through as well as crushed nuts, dark chocolate and caramel, before a stunningly smooth finish.

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Pear Cooler

Ingredients:
50ml Cutty Sark Prohibition
20ml fresh lemon juice
20ml ginger syrup
1tsp honey
ginger ale
pear slices

The Prohibition Pear Cooler marries the whisky spice with beautiful ginger syrup for sweetness, and ginger ale for refreshment. Silky honey brings its own aromatic sweetness and texture, and the lemon cuts through nicely before a hit of fresh pear. Method: Muddle the pear, lemon, honey and ginger syrup, and add in your Prohibition. Strain it well (that’s important), before topping up with ginger ale, and a leftover pear slice. Cheers!

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The Rob Roy

Ingredients:
50ml Cutty Sark Prohibition
20ml sweet vermouth
dash of orange bitters
orange peel

Prohibition absolutely makes this 19th century classic sing. Malty, smooth, fantastically sweet and with just a little spice on the finish, this whiskey is ideal. Method: Famously simple, all you need to do is shake everything and pour into your cocktail glass, over large ice cubes. A little garnish of orange peel and you’re sorted.

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The Godfather

Ingredients:
40ml Cutty Sark Prohibiton
20ml amaretto liqueur
ice

This one is perfect for winter, really bringing out those nutty notes with sweet, luxurious almond flavoured amaretto. Everything is so silky it’s heaven. The sweetness is perfectly poised, and it feels indulgent yet sophisticated. Method: Add some big ice cubes into a glass, and pour in, first your Prohibition, and then the amaretto of your choice (Disaronno is hard to beat). Stir gently, and enjoy.

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces here

Celebrate The New Year in Style With These Champagne Cocktails

Yes, there are alternatives, and yes, it’s more expensive than other sparklers, but Champagne will always be the ultimate glass of elegance and celebration. It’s a classic way to ring in the new year, and such a big day requires the special feeling that cocktails bring to an occasion, so why not combine the two?

Champagne is perfect for keeping cocktails light and refreshing, as well as bringing a bit of fruity crispness to robust mixes. Start the year as you mean to go on with these memorable Champagne cocktails.

Kir Royale

This wonderful cocktail goes back to 19th century France and makes full use of the gorgeous blackcurrant liqueur Crème de Cassis. Elegant bubbly bite with silky, juicy sweetness – simple but delicious. Also, it pairs perfectly with berry and meringue desserts like Eton mess and pavlova if you’re having a New Year feast.

Ingredients
1 tbsp crème de cassis
Champagne
Blackberry or raspberry (optional garnish)

 Method
Crème de cassis first, poured into a Champagne flute before topping up with Champagne. A blackberry or raspberry tops it up nicely, and if it’s frozen you can use it to chill the cocktail too.

Black Velvet

These two might seem like a slightly odd match at first, but it’s actually a cocktail steeped in history. As the legend has it, a London steward was inspired to come up with it following the nation’s mourning of Prince Albert in 1861. The crisp Champagne takes the robust heaviness away from the Guiness, and you get a fruit dipped in dark chocolate kind of profile. Rich, lively and interesting to try if you never have before.

Ingredients
100ml Guinness
100ml Champagne

Method
Two ingredients with equal measures, how’s that for simple? Go for Champagne first, and then pour the Guinness in over the back of a spoon for some lovely layering.

Champagne Bowler

This wine heavy classic dates back to the 30s and brings a splash of summer to the New Year celebrations. The foundation of three grapes compliments the fresh, natural flavour of those sweet strawberries, and the result feels clean and crisp, with a hint of richness.

Ingredients
3 chopped strawberries
20ml brandy (preferably Cognac)
30ml dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
60ml champagne
Dash of syrup (optional)

Method
Muddle your chopped strawberries in a shaker, and add the brandy, white wine, a little ice and shake well. Unusually, we don’t recommend straining here because we want all that strawberry goodness and flavour, so just top up with Champagne and toast to the warmer weather ahead.

Poinsettia

This is essentially a cranberry mimosa, and it’s delicious. The ruby red hue and rosemary garnish keep the festive theme, and the flavours are citrusy, tart and refreshing. The orange liqueur gives a little weight and sweetness, the cranberry juice gives that bittersweet fruit, and of course, the fizz is there with its fine bubbles to lighten the mood. It just works so well.

Ingredients
25ml orange liqueur
50ml cranberry juice
75ml champagne
1 rosemary sprig to garnish

Method
Chill everything beforehand for this one, it makes all the difference. Pour the orange liqueur and cranberry juice into a chilled glass, and very gently top up with champagne before finishing with a rosemary sprig for aesthetics and faint whiff of herby goodness.

Classic Champagne Cocktail

This old-school classic is what started it all, and though it’s as simple as a cocktail can get, it is definitely worth including if you’re looking to retain all the star power and complexity of your champagne. The Angostura-soaked sugar cube gives a little sweet spice to liven up a straight serving of fizz.

 Ingredients
1 sugar cube
4 dashes of Angostura bitters
200ml champagne
Lemon or orange slice to garnish

Method
Drop the sugar into the bottom of the flute and soak for a few minutes with Angostura. Then top up with Champagne and finally, garnish with a little citrus. Simple excellence.

Champagne Punch

Something slightly different here, because if you’re seeing in the New Year with a big group, then a punch is always handy. It’s quite an extravagant way to use champagne, but if you can’t do that at New Years then when can you? Like any punch, there aren’t many hard and fast rules, but we think this run down works a treat. The fresh lemon, lime, and citrus cut through nicely, there’s plenty of crisp wine, fruity sweetness and gentle warmth from Cognac and ginger.

 Ingredients (for 8)
1 bottle of champagne
250ml grapefruit juice
200ml ginger ale
200ml dry white wine
100ml orange liqueur
100ml pineapple juice
1 sliced lemon
1 sliced lime
1 sliced orange
40ml Cognac/brandy
70ml simple syrup
Handful of mint leaves
Handful of cranberries
Ice

Method
The only important thing here is to leave the Champagne till last. We want to retain all those bubbles, so combine everything else and chill for an hour (at least). When guests arrive, pour in the bubbly, and make sure it’s drunk first so the effervescence hasn’t faded.

If these have caught your eye, then you just need one thing... that all important Champagne. Let’s be honest, if you’re mixing it then there’s no need to splash out on a super expensive bottle, and there are plenty of fantastic Champagnes at in the mid-range area that are perfect for cocktails. Take a look here!

One Drink, Three Ways: Amarula Cream Liqueur

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join us as we take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, we help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

If ever there was a time that us Brits loved to sip on a cream liqueur, winter is it. So, let us turn your attention to Amarula, an exquisite cream liqueur hailing from South Africa, distilled with precision from ethically sourced Marula fruit.

Aged in French oak for two years before being blended with velvety smooth cream, this cream liqueur is unlike any other with delightful notes of sweet tropical guava, fig, and a hint of silky caramel. It’s absolutely divine on its own, however it makes a brilliant cocktail too. So, without further ado, let us introduce three simple yet stunning Amarula Cream Liqueur cocktails for you to try…

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The Gingerbread Man

Ingredients:
50ml Amarula Cream
50ml gingerbread liqueur
25ml coffee
30ml coffee liqueur

It’s creamy, it’s indulgent and it’s quite frankly Christmas in a glass. What more could you ask for! Method: Simply pour all the ingredients into your cocktail shaker, add 6-8 ice cubes, shake rigorously for 10-15 seconds until the cocktail has cooled and double strain into a chilled coupe. Who said that perfection had to be complex?!

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Apricot & Cream

Ingredients:
65ml Amarula Cream
35ml brandy
25ml apricot liqueur
10ml sugar syrup

The tropical fruit notes in the Amarula mix beautifully with the apricot liqueur and brandy to make a gloriously decadent cocktail here. Method: Another very simple recipe, simply pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add 4-5 ice cubes, stir rigorously for 10-15 seconds and double strain into chilled coupe. If you’re feeling fancy you could also try garnish the cocktail with a sliced apricot skin on a toothpick! Cheers.

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Cranberry and Orange Twist

Ingredients:
60ml Amarula Cream
25ml vodka
15ml cranberry liqueur
10ml orange liqueur

For something even Christmassier with an elegant twist, try this fruity, creamy delight. Another super simple Amarula Cream cocktail that has the wow factor. And if you want to add an extra touch of magic, make sure to add those cranberries on that cocktail pin! Method: Pour all the ingredients in a shaker, add 6-8 ice cubes and shake rigorously for 10-15 seconds. Finally, double strain into a chilled coupe, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces here

The Sloe Gin Fizz

How about this for a merry elixir? A Sloe Gin Fizz is perfect at Christmastime, and though it usually uses sparkling water for the bubbles, this is the season of going over the top, so we’re swapping in sparkling wine. It balances the sweet against the tart wonderfully, with so much fruity refreshment and brightness. Sloe gin (a liqueur, not a gin), brings a warm berry richness perfect for winter, sparkling wine lightens the mood and cuts through with effervescence, lemon juice brings some sour vibrance, and a little syrup just rounds off the balanced profile. A proper Christmas cocktail.

If you’re not into sloe gin then you are seriously missing out, so if you want more info on it and some recommendations, go here!

Ingredients (for 1)
50ml sloe gin
25ml lemon juice
10ml syrup
sparkling wine to top up
Optional garnishes: maraschino cherry or lemon slice

Method
1.      Shake everything but the wine with plenty of ice until it feels cold to the touch.
2.      Strain into your glass (highball or flute preferably).
3.    Top up with your choice of sparkling wine, be that Champagne, Cava, Prosecco etc.
4.      Garnish with a slice of lemon or cherries and voila!

For a cosier Christmas cocktail, how about The Spiced Clementine Mulled Whisky?

The Drinks Subscriptions to Gift This Christmas

If you’ve picked up on someone dropping hints throughout the year with ‘I’d love to try more gins’, or ‘It’d be handy to have different beers from around the world delivered to your house each month’, then a drinks subscription is a thoughtful and useful gift.

If you know someone’s favourite drink, or that they’re wanting to get into something new, then a drinks subscription is probably the best way to do it. It takes the stress out of wandering the supermarket aisles, checking reviews and after all that, just buying your usual, and leaves it to the experts.

A new batch of your favourite drinks (or potential new favourites) from around the world, arriving at your door every month, with treats, ingredients, guides, and advice – who wouldn’t want that? Let’s explore the best of them.

The Best Cocktail Subscription to Gift This Christmas

The Cocktail Society Cocktail Subscription

The Cocktail Society leads the way when it comes to exploring different cocktails, and it’ a style of drink that massively benefits from subscription services. Cocktails don’t come cheap, so you want to be confident that when you order it, you’re gonna love it. However, it’s easy to play it safe and order that same old favourite. This box, which can arrive monthly or quarterly, contains a ready to drink 500ml cocktail, more cocktail cans from Friends of the Society, ingredients for 2 different DIY cocktails, premium snacks, recipes, guides, discount codes, and even the odd surprise too. It’s a fabulous gift for the cocktail lovers in your life, and it’s free delivery too!  

Find here: £40 per month

The Best Wine Subscription to Gift This Christmas

Majestic Wine Club

For reliability and expansive range, there is a reason Majestic are such a household name. Being part of their Wine Club gives you access to the industry expert’s favourite bottles, 12 of which you get in each case, four times a tear. You also get the ‘Six Mix’ saving, but when buying single bottles, savings and vouchers, free tickets to expert tastings and free delivery for everything. Every bottle is explained, everything can be returned without hassle, and all in all, it’s a very complete and worthwhile wine subscription experience, with 7 different subscriptions to select from. It really brings the world of wine to your front door, or your giftees door… right?

Find here: £99-£199 for a 12 bottles case

The Best Beer Subscription to Gift This Christmas

Beer 52 - The Craft Beer Discovery Club

Beer 52’s Discovery Club is all about just that, with a different themed box delivered to your door every month, containing 8 beers, Ferment magazine and some suitable snacks too. At the time of writing, all the beers celebrate the Celtic Nations, but the variety is huge so it’s great for drinkers that want to try beers from all across the world each month, all selected by experts. Delivery is free, and if you’re not keen on the beers, then they pick up the tab! Mixed beers or light beers are your choices with this one.

Find here: £27 per box

The Best Gin Subscription to Gift This Christmas

Craft Gin Club

We were big fans of their advent calendar, and their subscription is also great for the same reasons. Craft Gin Club are the biggest gin subscription in the UK, and joining it gives you access to their packed boxes. A full-sized bottle of craft gin is the highlight, but there are also ingredients for your own seasonal cocktail, the perfect pairing tonics and garnishes, various delicious treats, and glossy magazine. They list all their previous boxes on the site so you can see what you get for the money, be that December’s Manchester Gin, October’s Mexican, or July’s Scotland. They all look stunning too, and with so many gin lovers at the moment, this will definitely make someone’s Christmas.

Find here: £40-£45 per month

The Best Whisky Subscription to Gift This Christmas

The Whisky Nest

Becoming part of The Whisky Nest brings unique distilleries to your front door, with new releases, modern twists, cocktails, and other exciting ways to explore whisky. At the centre of it all is the 100ml sample, one of the largest on the market, and you’ll get all the information about that featured distillery, tasting cards and videos, free delivery, discounts, and video calls with the community – so it really is a club.

Find here: £18.95 per month

The Best Rum Subscription to Gift This Christmas

Craft Rum Club

Established in 206, Craft Rum Club now offer a really great, flexible subscription service. Each month focuses on a new destination, but you have 6 plans to choose from, so you can explore all kinds of rum, or stick to one style. You can get one bottle or two, and alongside that will be other goodies – mixers, cocktail ingredients, snacks, and their magazine. The rum is full sized too which is always a plus.

Find here: £39.95 per month

Christmas Drinks Essentials for Your Home Bar

If you’re hosting Christmas guests, then a well-stocked ready to go home bar is a must have. You’ll probably have a lot of these in anyway, but this guide just helps fill any gaps in your inventory so that everything festive drink is catered for.

Of course, Christmas is the perfect time to put a home bar to good use, but they’re a great feature to have all year round. Whether it’s going the whole hog, and carving a small, bespoke area for it, or just expanding on the drinks cupboard, take a look at our guide on creating the perfect home bar here. Before you do that though, let’s dive into the Christmas drinks essentials! We have tonnes of recommendations for specific bottles across the website, and we’ll link to some throughout, so you know where to go.

Christmas Spirits

The star of the cocktail, spirits are obviously essential, but wide-ranging and expensive too. If you’re planning on making some festive cocktails, then vodka is the most popular cocktail spirit, so it has to be included (these our are favourite wallet-friendly vodkas). However, this is where you will need to cater to your guests. If you know what they like, then we’d recommend buying a premium bottle of this, or multiple, and only getting a budget option for a less popular spirit.

Gin’s resurgence continues, and it’s probably the most popular British spirit in the 2020s so far, so a bottle or two would be wise – perhaps a London Dry and a flavoured gin (we have some recommendations here). We also think gin bottles are the most beautiful available, so they spruce up the home bar nicely.

A Whisky is a must, not just for cocktails and simple serves, but for cosy winter warmers like Hot Toddies and Irish Coffees in the evening. A good Scotch should suffice unless you’ve got serious dram drainers round, in which case branch out with a Bourbon and Irish Whiskey too.

Of course, Rum is another big one that people will likely want to sip on, and in an ideal world you’d be stocked up with a light and a dark, but if you aren’t sure what guests will want, go dark – it’s used in more wintery recipes, and works great in the Christmas punch.

Christmas Syrups

If you’re into cocktail making, syrups are a mixology essential and can transform drinks. Christmas syrups are also a fantastic way of making drinks feel festive and special, rather than just the same drink as any other day of the year. They’re surprisingly easy to make yourself, as we have shown here! A simple syrup is always good to have available (and it can rescue an underwhelming drink), but being able to easily elevate serves with cinnamon, winter spice, cranberry, ginger etc. will be a guaranteed hit

Christmas Liqueurs

The first name here has to Baileys. Served simply with ice, or in a Baileys Hot Choc, its quintessential Christmas drinking, and someone will want one at some point. If you want to give Baileys some competition this year, then believe it or not, there are similar cream liqueurs that a lot of people actually prefer. Take a look!

Elsewhere, coffee liqueurs like Kahlua are handy for lots of cocktails and have a rich, Christmassy profile and Amaretto has the indulgent, nutty sweetness that suits the season.

You can liqueurs for pretty much anything, from classic flavours to eyebrow raisers. The Giffard range is expansive and they stock pretty much every kind of liqueur you can think of to a high level, so browse their collection and see if something takes your fancy.

Christmas Wines

Wines depend hugely on the people you’re anticipating to host. If they’re into wines, then it’s easy to get carried away with all sorts of bottles, for solo sipping or different foods. Alongside spirits and mixers, sparkling wine is the most bought drinks product for the festive season, so you have to have this in your home bar without a question. Prosecco is the most bought, but Cava and Crémant are other fantastic value alternatives for bubbly cocktails and nostalgic classics like Bucks Fizz. They also wash down food nicely. Of course, Champagne is an option if you want to spend a little more.

For Reds, if you want to play it safe, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are universally popular across the world, but Malbec and Shiraz take the top two spots in the UK, so a couple of different varieties should cover your needs.

With Whites, you really can’t go too wrong with crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio – the UK’s favourites.

As we say, if you’ve got some oenophiles round, then you probably want to try something more niche, or buy in a greater range of wines, and if cheese and wine pairings are expected, then things get a tad more complicated but we’ve got a guide on dream cheese and wine marriages here.

Christmas Glassware

Proper glassware is what takes your home bar to that next level, contributing towards an authentic bar experience. But don’t get us wrong, it’s not the be all and end all, and there’s no need to empty your wallets for all the different glass variations. You’ll likely be stocked up with many of these already, so it’s probably just a case of filling in some of the gaps.

A few wine glasses will of course be needed, ideally with smaller glasses for whites and larger for reds. Get some flutes for sparkling wine serves like Bucks Fizz, some rocks glasses for spirit-forward serves, and particularly if you’re getting the cocktail shaker out, some tall/Collins glasses for more elaborate serves. Let’s not forget a pint glass for the beer and cider drinkers too.

Christmas Mixers

They’re the most popular mixers for a reason, so getting some Coca-Cola and lemonade in is first priority. Beyond that, some delightful tonics for G&Ts, cocktails or diluting neat spirits. Ginger beer is also in keeping with the warmth and spice of the season, and a popular mixer for a variety of highball serves. Lastly, if you’re planning on making cocktails, then fruit juices are a must. If you don’t want to make your own, then apple, orange and cranberry are the most useful to have stocked.

Christmas Garnishes

Garnishes are another undervalued step in creating an authentic bar experience and give drinks that special little something that they deserve to have over Christmas. Fresh lemon and limes are the most obvious essential, bringing zingy citrus and refreshment to so many serves. Oranges and cherries are other popular garnishes in the fruit department.

Ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks will both be useful, the former for the rim of the glass and sprinkling on cream, and the latter for infusing with hot drinks. You can go as far as you like with garnishes really, because whilst the cocktail umbrellas might be a little out of season, you’ll find herbs like rosemary and thyme cropping up in recipes, as well as edible flowers, chocolate dustings, nutmeg, and all sorts.

A home bar is all about making it work for you, stamping your personality on it with preferred drinks and design, but the above is a guide to the essentials that will keep everybody pleased (or most people, at least – we can’t guarantee the satisfaction of all relatives). For more ideas, pay a visit to our in-depth guide, and browse our website for up to date recommendations on all kinds of drinks.

The Spiced Clementine Mulled Whisky

This is one warming cocktail that screams Christmas, loaded up with warmth, spice, richness, and naturally sweet citrus. With clementines and a variety of winter spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, the flavours are an instant comfort. Add into the mix the refreshing warmth of ginger beer, the luxurious silky sweetness of honey, and the rich oomph of your favourite whisky and you’ve got the cocktail version of a hug. Oh, and don’t let the winter spice syrup put you off – it’s really, really easy to make. Go to our Simple Homemade Cocktail Syrup Guide here.

Ingredients (for 1)
150ml ginger beer
50ml whisky
40ml clementine juice
10ml winter spice syrup
1 tsp honey
Optional garnishes: clementine slice and cinnamon stick

Method
1.      Combine ginger beer, clementine juice, honey, and your spice syrup into a pan on a low heat.
2.      Continuously stir and bring the mix to a simmer. Keep it there for 5 minutes, before turning off the heat.
3.      Stir in the whisky, and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4.      Strain into a handled glass or mug.
5.      Garnish with clementine slices and a cinnamon stick.

For more seasonals cocktail recipes to warm you up, how about our Boozy Coffee and Hot Chocolate Recipes. Or, if you’re ditching the alcohol, peruse our Delicious Winter Mocktails.