CHRISTMAS DRINKS TO SPREAD THE HOLIDAY CHEER!!!

’Tis the season to be merry with drinks that don’t just add colour to your brunch, lunch, or dinner table but also bring some exciting flavours to the party.

Holiday Sangria

You can never go wrong with Sangria.  The Christmas special Sangria could have red wine, cranberries, apples, spices, the list is endless. Choose a good red wine preferably Cabernet Sauvignon. Remember that your sangria is as good as the wine in it. You will also need brandy, some citrus fruits, cinnamon sticks, sparkling water, or ginger ale. If you want a lighter sangria, you can also choose a pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, or even a rosé wine. Pour some brandy to the mixing jar. Add freshly chopped fruits such as oranges, lime, pomegranate, throw in some cinnamon sticks and top it with ginger ale or sparkling water. Make the drink a day before, refrigerate it and add some fresh fruits to the glass before serving.

Ingredients

1 bottle of dry red wine

¼ cup brandy

¾ cup of of ginger ale/sparkling water

 1 lime sliced, 1 pear, ½ cup pomegranate seeds, 1 apple

Cinnamon sticks to garnish.

Recommendation: Chilean Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Reserve No 1 Brandy. Lucaris Crystal wine glasses.

Negroni

One of the most popular cocktails Negroni is made with equal parts of Gin, Vermouth, and Campari. However, for the holiday season you can infuse the Campari overnight with cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.

Ingredients

45 ml gin

45 ml campari

45 ml vermouth

1 large cube of Ice

Orange zest for garnish

Cinnamon stick for garnish

Recommendation : Bombay Sapphire gin + Martini  Vermouth + Campari. Lucaris Rims Collection – The Pillars Lowball glass

Manhattan

The cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters Manhattan is perfect for those long Christmas evening celebrations. Although bourbon, rye, Canadian, and Tennessee whiskies are preferred choices for this cocktail, you can try other blended whiskies too.

Ingredients

60 ml whiskey

20 ml vermouth rosso

2 dashes of angostura bitters

Stir all the ingredients with ice in a missing jar. Pour into a martini glass.

Cherry garnish.

Recommendation: Jack Daniel’s Whiskey + Martini rosso + Angostura bitter. Lucaris RIMS Collection- The Classic Martini glass.

Mulled Wine

Nothing speaks Christmas like a nice glass of mulled wine. There are many recipes for mulled wine, warm or cold, that you can follow to prepare mulled wine. Here’s an easy one.

Ingredients

The traditional warm mulled wine requires a liquid made with sugar, spices boiled with water.

 Some lemon, oranges

 ¼ cup triple sec

 Bottle of light red wine (Pinot noir, Beaujolais or Merlot)

 Orange zest as garnish

Add the warm spiced water with other ingredients. Stir and serve in wine glasses and garnish with orange zest.

Recommendation: Cointreau Triple sec, Cloudy Bay pinot Noir. Lucaris Crystal RIMS Collection -The Classic Deco Glass. 

Christmas Punch

This is the easiest drink to make during the busy holiday season. All you need isCranberry juice, some rum or brandy, sparkling wine, and orange slices. 

Ingredients

100% pure cranberry juice

Brut or extra dry sparkling wine

Some apple cider and ginger ale,

¼ or ½ cup cup Dark rum or brandy

Fresh cranberries, slices of oranges and lots of ice

Take a large punch bowl, fill it with ice, add all the ingredients and stir well. Add the cranberries and oranges, and serve in tumbler glasses.

Recommendation: Ocean spray Cranberry Juice, Sheppy’s cider, O Ginger ale, Old Monk Rum, Chandon Brut Sparkling wine. Lucaris Crystal Universal wine glass.

Lucaris Crystal RIMS Collection

Happy Holidays!

(Images : From online sources)