Christmas is the time to greet friends, to welcome family into our house and to try some new recipes that can tickle everyone’s taste buds. It is on this time of the year that we make our best efforts to be great hosts such that our guests remember us for the coming year and look forward to the next year’s Christmas party. Enchanting decorations and splendid Christmas themes form a part of our Christmas party preparations; however, it is equally essential to put some innovative cocktails in the menu along with the appetizing dishes so that the party can be a success in all ways.
Talking about Christmas in particular, there are many dishes and drinks associated with it traditionally. However, with the changing times, most of them have undergone a makeover resulting in some of the most intriguing Christmas cocktails that you would not be able to resist.
Top Seven Christmas Cocktail Recipes
Christmas Special Egg Nog and Rum Cocktail
Egg Nog is a traditional drink that is prepared especially for Christmas. Here’s an interesting variation of it that you and your guests would relish.
Ingredients
Vanilla Yogurt (1/3 cup)
Sugar (3 tbsps)
Dark Rum (1/4 cup)
Sherry (1/4 cup)
Milk (1 cup)
Egg Whites (large) (2 nos)
Heavy Cream (1/2 cup)
Freshly grated Nutmeg (for garnish)
Method
Take a medium sized bowl and whisk yogurt and sugar in it. Once the sugar is dissolved add rum, sherry and milk to the blended yogurt and sugar. Keep the mix aside and in another bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric beater till the time soft peaks are formed.
Then, combine the two mixtures, by slowly sliding the egg whites into the yogurt blend and not mixing the two mixtures. Next, beat the cream till the soft peaks formation stage in a separate bowl and add it to the yogurt mixture. Finally, combine the three blends carefully. Your Rum Egg Nog is ready to serve, so take small cups, and serve this splendid Egg Nog variation topped with nutmeg.
Christmas Special Tomato Martini Cocktail
Ingredients
Ice Cubes (as required)
Dry White Vermouth (1 tsp)
Tomato Water (3 ounces)
Tomato based Vegetable Juice (preferably V-8) (2 tbsps)
Juice of half a Lemon
Lemon twist (for garnish)
Salt and Pepper (as per your taste)
Hot Sauce (as required)
Toothpick with cherry tomato, olive and cocktail onion (for garnish)
Method
Take a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice cubes. Combine gin, tomato water, vermouth, vegetable juice and lemon juice with the ice along with the seasoning and hot sauce as per your taste. Give all the ingredients a nice shake (for about 30 seconds) so that they are well mixed and come out as a chilled cocktail.
Strain the blend into a cocktail glass that has been chilled already and garnish with the olive-onion-tomato strung toothpick and lemon twist.
Stringer Cocktail
Ingredients
Anejo Rum (2 oz)
Brandy (1 oz)
Lemon Juice (1 oz)
Orange Juice (2 oz)
Orggeat Syrup (1/2 oz)
Crushed Ice (1 cup)
One Cherry and Orange Slice (for garnish)
Method
Combine all the ingredients in blending bowl and blend them together using an electric blender. Pour the blended drink in an old-fashioned glass and garnish with cherry and orange slice. Serve decorated with a fancy straw.
Special Candy Cane Cocktail
This is an interesting blend of vodka with crushed candy canes such that you get the taste of candy cane flavoured vodka martini. The ultimate result would not be wrongly addressed if you call it a cross between cocktail and martini!
Ingredients
Vodka (1 ½ oz)
Peppermint Schnapps (1/2 – 1 tsp)
Club Soda (1 oz)
Ice cubes (as required)
Crushed Candy Canes
Method
In a cocktail shaker, add some ice cubes. Over the cubes, put the vodka, peppermint schnapps, and club soda. Give the shaker a fine shake and pour the blended drink in a martini glass. Serve the drink garnished with crushed candy canes. In order to reduce the sweetness of this drink, you may add more ice to it and add lesser quantity of peppermint at first, to avoid an overpowering peppermint flavour in the drink.
Christmas Special Orange Punch
Nothing would be better than a punch bowl when you are expecting a large number of guests at your Christmas party. This is an interesting concoction of a punch that you would definitely love!
Ingredients
Cointreau (4 oz)
Brandy (4 oz)
Big Ice Chunks (as required)
Champagne (2 bottles)
Orange Wedges (from 2 oranges)
Cranberries (1 cup)
Method
In a punch bowl, first put the ice until it is half filled with it. Next pour in the brandy and Cointreau and give them a stir. Then put the orange wedges, champagne and cranberries. Stir the mixture well so that the ingredients blend in well with each other. A special tip: Remember to prepare this drink just before your guests arrive, as it would taste best when chilled!
The Three Wise Men Cocktail
No, even if it sounds like a tribute to the three wise men who went following the North Star; this drink is indeed the best possible blend of the three mighty forms of Scotch: Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar.
Ingredients
Jack Daniels (1/3 oz)
Jim Beam (1/3 oz)
Johnny Walker (1/3 oz)
Ice Cubes (as required)
Method
In a cocktail shaker, put the ice cubes as per your requirement. Then add the three scotch variants in equal measures and give them all a 10 second shake. Serve and win applaud for yourself; especially from all those who adore Scotch!
The Snowball
Ingredients
Frangelico (1/4 cup)
Amaretto (1/4 cup)
Kahlua (1/4 cup)
Baileys (1/4 cup)
White Rum (1/4 cup)
Butterscotch Schnapps (1/4 cup)
Ice Cubes (as required)
Cinnamon and Nutmeg (for garnish)
Method
In a cocktail shaker, put the ice cubes and pour all the ingredients (other than the garnishing materials) on top of it. Give the materials a fine shake and then strain it into martini glasses. Serve garnished with cinnamon and nutmeg.These cocktails would indeed prove to be the charm for your party this year. So, just go ahead and try them for yourself!