The Twelve Days of Christmas - Chris's Selections

The streets are hung with lights, the stores are decorated, and you can't turn on the radio without hearing songs about the spirit of the season, the glories of Santa Claus and our advert.

Great drinks are an essential to every good Christmas gathering. Whether you are having a get together with your friends or hosting a formal dinner, a good cocktail will ‘up' the entire feel of your party. You don’t need to make cocktails more complicated than they need to be. The principle behind mixing a drink is simple: you just pour together ingredients, stir and sip.

As the excitement builds, we challenged our team to create a drinkable homage to 'The Twelve Days of Christmas’.

On the first day of Christmas, Love Wine sent to me

Three scrumptious recipes…

Right, so I have the task of starting the enlightenment of your Christmas drinking this month. While you start singing The Twelve Days of Christmas instead of thinking about what your true love can give to you, think about what to drink this festive season.

Are you entertaining friends, having a quiet night in or hosting a dinner party? One of my three festive drinks will definitely serve your needs.

So, let’s get started. First up is the Scottish Mule. The ginger beer in this drink invokes my childhood memory of gingerbread men at Christmas, but in the Scottish Mule it’s certainly not a drink for children. 

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A Partridge in a Pear Tree - The Scottish Mule

On average, 34 bottles of whisky are exported from Scotland every second… So here’s to The Scottish Mule! It’s really just a twist on the Moscow Mule, but it replaces the vodka with whiskey. This drink is a snap to mix up. Just add some fresh squeezed lime juice, whiskey and a sprig of mint (optional), and you have yourself the tastiest drink to toast the old country with.

Ingredients

60ml of Muckle Flugga Whisky

180ml of Fever-Tree Ginger Beer (or more!)

Juice of half a lime (about 30ml)

Lime slices (optional, for garnish)

Mint sprig (optional, for garnish)

Ice

Instructions

Fill a glass tumbler (or copper mug) with ice, then pour in the whiskey. Juice the lime directly into the glass. Fill the glass with the ginger beer and stir to mix everything together.

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Two Turtle Doves - Hot Mulled Sloe Gin 

Next my two turtle doves bring you an alternative to Mulled Wine – Mulled Sloe Gin. You’ll like this drink so much you will be picking your own sloes to make homemade Sloe Gin next year!

Unlike hot mulled wine, this does not leave the back of your throat filled with tannic solids. Sloe gin makes an excellent toddy – and beats the pants off any wine for mulling. Serves two:

Ingredients

100ml of water

100ml of cloudy apple juice

100ml William Chase Sloe Gin

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 all spice berries

3 -4 cardamon pods

1 piece candied ginger

A slice of orange (optional, for garnish) 

Instructions

Combine water and cloudy apple juice in a saucepan on low heat. Add spices and candied or fresh ginger. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Add the sloe gin and allow it to heat for another minute or two. Serve hot in a mug, teacup or Irish coffee glass. Garnish with a half orange slice and/or a cinnamon stick, or a piece of candied ginger on the rim.

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Three French Hens - Smoked Espresso Martini

For the third day of Christmas I have a drink which doubles up as both a lifesaver and a digestif. I love this recipe and it can also be interesting to search coffee bean for the best match in taste. 

Ingredients

37.5ml Chase Smoked Vodka

37.5ml ml espresso

12.5ml runny honey

A pinch of coarse sea salt 

Method

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker (tip: if you don’t have one, use a solid container or if need be a pint glass, cover it with a clean coaster). Stir until the honey is dissolved. Shake with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with three coffee beans floating on the top. 

Happy Christmas!

Next up keep an eye out for Kevin's selection!

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