Christmas drinks: Our 5 festive favourites

Mulled cider

Ingredients for 2 litres

• 1.5l cider, no- or low-alcohol cider or sparkling apple juice
• 400ml apple juice
• 75g dark brown sugar
• Zest of 1 orange, pared into strips
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• A few tablespoons of rum or bourbon (if you are having the alcoholic version)

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, cover and put on a very gentle heat for 20-30mins. Strain and serve.

Gingerbread martini

Ingredients for 4 serve:

• 200ml vodka
• 50ml hazelnut-flavoured liqueur
• 25ml herbal digestif or liqueur (e.g. Pastis or Fernet)
• 50ml ginger syrup 

Pour the syrup into a 500ml bottle along with all the alcohol and 100ml cold water. Shake and serve in chilled glasses.

Festive negroni

Ingredients for 4-8 serves:

• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 200ml gin
• ice
• 100-200ml vermouth
• 100-200ml Campari

Toast the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and peppercorns for 5 mins. Then tip all the toasted spices into a jar, pour over the gin and seal to infuse. Leave for at least 24 hours.

Strain the gin and fill tumblers with ice. Add 25-50ml each of the gin, vermouth and campari. Garnish with a slice of orange peel and serve.

Christmas hot chocolate

Ingredients for 4 serves:

• 700-800ml milk
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 110g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 110g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Heat the milk with the sugar and vanilla and a pinch of salt until bubbling. Whisk in the chocolate until fully combined and serve straight away with mini marshmallows on top!

Sloe gin fizz

Ingredients for 1 serve:

• 50ml sloe gin
• 25ml lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar syrup
• ice
• sparkling water

Pour the sloe gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker and fill up with ice cubes. Shake well until the outside of the shaker feels cold, then strain into a tall glass filled with more ice. Top up with sparkling water and stir gently. Feel free to add a slice of lemon or a festive garnish of your choice.