Eight fabulous festive cocktails you can make at home this Christmas

Worried about your Christmas celebrations being cancelled? Here’s a few festive tipples you can enjoy at home whatever happens
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In Manchester there is an endless list of amazing places you can go to catch up with your friends over cocktails.

There is something for everyone, and most places push the boat out at Christmas with some festive twists on your favourite drink.

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But with an uncertain Christmas ahead of us, you may want to also make plans for a few festive celebrations at home home.

With this in mind, here are a few easy to make cocktails you can create in your own kitchen this Christmas.

Snowball

This Christmas classic takes a few minutes to make and has just three ingredients:

  • Lime juice or cordial
  • Advocaat
  • Sparkling lemonade

How to make it:

  • Fill your glass with ice, and add 15ml of lime juice.
  • Pour the advocaat and lemonade over and stir gently.
  • Optional: add marachino cherry for garnish.

Cranberry Gin Fizz

This delicious delight is an all year rounded, but there’s something special about a gin fizz at Christmas. Here’s what you need:

  • Caster Sugar
  • Frozen or fresh cranberries
  • Gin of your choice
  • Soda Water
  • Orange
  • Ice cubes

How to make it:

  • Pop the sugar and water into a saucepan on a low heat, until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Add the cranberries and turn up heat to medium-low. Cook these for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
  • Leave the mixture to cool and blitz to a smooth puree, this step is optional
  • Pop 1 tbsp of the cranberry mix into each glass, and stir in a measure of gin.
  • Top the drink with soda water and garnish with ice cubes and an orange slice.

Easy Mulled Wine

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Mulled wine can often feel like a mammoth task but this recipe calls to just chuck everything in a pot and heat gently until it is simmering:

  • Bottle of red wine
  • 50ml brandy
  • Cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 sliced clementine
  • 3 dried figs

How to make it:

  • Pour red wine, and dry ingredients into a saucepan.
  • Heat very gently until simmering then bring the saucepan of the heat
  • Remove the whole spices and peppercorns, and stir in the brandy!

Bucks Fizz

The ultimate Christmas morning drink, because it has orange juice so that makes it OK to drink before 11am. All you need is:

  • Orange juice
  • Prosecco (or the fizz of your choice)

How to make it:

  • Pour your orange juice and fizz into a glass of your choice.
  • Enjoy!

Champagne Cocktail

This sparkling showstopper is super easy and will impress your guests:

  • 1 sugar cube
  • Angostura bitters
  • Cognac
  • Cold fizzy

How to make it:

  • Place sugar cube onto a spoon and add the bitters.
  • Drop the soaked sugar cube into your glass and add the cognac
  • Top the glass up with fizz and enjoy!

Hot Toddy

The most warming and maybe the most famous festive drink is also one of the easiest to make:

  • Whisky
  • Honey
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Lemon
  • Cloves

How to make it:

  • Whisk the Whisky and honey together and split between 2 heatproof glasses.
  • Add half cinnamon stick and top up with boiling water.
  • Add a splash of lemon (your preference).
  • Garnish with a slice of lemon, clove and enjoy!

Festive Negroni

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This twist on an Italian favourite will impress all your guests:

  • Vermouth
  • Campari
  • Gin
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Cloves
  • Star anise
  • Cardamom pods
  • Peppercorns

How to make it:

  • Toast the cinnamon, cloves star anise, cardamom and peppercorns in dry frying pan for 5 minutes.
  • After leaving them to cool tip the toasted spices into a medium jar over gin - seal, chill and allow them to infuse for 48 hours.
  • Strain the infused gin. Fill glasses with ice.
  • Pour 25ml of infused gin over the ice, with vermouth, and campari.
  • Garnish with orange slices and bay.

Cranberry Spritz

This non-alcoholic festive fizz is just the follow delicious ingredients:

  • Cranberry juice
  • Orange
  • Sparkling white grape juice
  • Ice cubes

How to make it:

  • Pour 50ml cranberry juice into champagne coups or a glass of your choice.
  • Add a splash of orange juice to each glass and stir.
  • Add an ice cube or two to each glass and top them up with sparkling grape juice!

Have we included your favourite? Send in your pictures of making these delicious drinks at home.

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