Christmas Drinks
Good housekeeping involves - amongst other things - making sure the Christmas party or the "Christmas shelf" is stocked with the traditional festive drinks..... For any party the drinks list is an essential ingredient in ensuring your party goes with a bang. Here are some great ideas to get you started.
A fortified wine, port has become firmly established in recent times as an ideal Christmas tipple. Served at room temperature it can be used as a great accompaniment to blue cheeses as well as cheddar and Gloucester varieties. Ideally port should be served after your main course and compliments desserts based on strawberries, raspberries, currents etc very well indeed. ServingPort should be served in a traditional port glass at room temperature. Your glass should only be filled halfway as it is said that this helps enhance its aroma.
Imported to Britain more than 400 years, sherry and its unique aroma and flavorings makes it an ideal choice for those cold Christmas evenings. Dry sherry is an excellent accompaniment to fish dishes such as salmon, and the rich, darker varieties with Christmas pudding and cheeses. ServingAs with white wine you should serve your sherry chilled. You can serve it in traditional sherry glasses or even in wine glasses. Formally known as an aperitif, many more people are enjoying its qualities during their main course.
Personally my festive drink of choice. Basically its heated wine which is then “Mulled” by adding spices to it. An excellent drink for those cold Christmas nights, the secret to its success is that it’s easy and simple to make and has no correct method in doing so, which means it’s easy to experiment with and difficult to ruin. A simple recipe can be found below: Ingredients Directions ServingThis Christmas drink must be served hot, and can be done so in either wine glasses or mugs.
A Dutch drink made of un-pasteurised egg yolks, vanilla, grape brandy, and aromatic spices. Its rich creamy texture along with its fortified wine like kick makes it an ideal Christmas beverage. As it’s a liqueur it’s an excellent base for making cocktails such as Snowball (by adding soda water). Serving Served at room temperature, with ice added, Advocaat can be served either as a cocktail, in cocktail glass or on its own in any appropriate glass.
Drambuie is made from a blend of Scotch Whiskey, honey, and aromatic spices. This mixture gives it a rich, smooth and warm taste. This taste goes hand in hand with all that Christmas encompasses and can also be used in the making of cocktails. Serving Drambuie is served at room temperature either as part of a cocktail or on its own; again you may add ice to it or drink it neat.
Brandy was first mass produced in the early 16th Century and is made using a variety of fruits such as grapes. No Christmas drinks cabinet would be complete without Brandy, its smooth yet warm tones and aroma makes any Christmas complete. ServingThis Christmas drink should be served in a large bulbous shaped brandy snifter, and should be heated slightly or served at room temperature. If you don’t have anything to heat it with, by serving it in a snifter the drinker will be able to heat it in their hand. Heating the brandy allows its rich aroma to scent the air.
Another excellent winter warmer, sweet and smooth, Irish cream liqueur is a perfect after dinner tipple and can be enjoyed in a relaxed and laid back manner. The simple recipe below provides a fun and easy way to produce your own Irish cream or you can purchase your own ready made brand which are on the market. Ingredients DirectionsCombine and place the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. Serve over ice. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Stir before serving. ServingIrish cream can be served in traditional glasses or any fancy tumbler. It should be served chilled and over ice. We are adding Christmas drinks all the time, so don't forget to click on and check them out. Thanks for checking out our OPH Good Housekeeping Christmas drinks. Why not check out our Christmas shopping tips page?
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