1/18/2024 0 Comments Mulled wine recipe cider![]() ![]() The classic mojito – rum, sugar, lime, mint and soda water – gets a wonderful festive treatment using cranberries in three forms. Taste, then stir in a little honey if you think it needs it. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave to infuse for five minutes. Put the cider or apple juice in a pan, add all the other ingredients except the honey, then bring slowly up to a simmer and leave to bubble gently for five or so minutes. Depending on the character of the cider/apple juice, you may like a little more honey, but go easy at first, because the spices imply sweetness and you may find you prefer it as it is.Ĥ40ml cider or apple juice 2 cloves 2 star anise, broken into pieces 1 allspice berries, bashed 2 green cardamom pods, seeds only 1 slug apple brandy or sloe gin (optional) 1 tbsp honey (optional) It works equally well with apple juice instead, but please don’t dilute the quality of either. Having lived in the West Country for most of my decades on this planet, and having made my own cider and apple juice for a good many years, I feel confident in encouraging you towards the excellence of this embellished version. Pour the syrup and prosecco into a flute, stir with the sprig of lemon thyme and serve. Strain before funnelling it into a bottle, or funnel it in spices and all. Add the spices, simmer very gently for a few minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool completely. Put the sugar and 350ml water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. This makes enough syrup for 15-20 cocktails if you have any left over, store in the fridge, where it will be good for months – try it over ice-cream or pancakes, for a start, and you absolutely have to make a brandy alexander with 40ml syrup, 40ml double cream and 80ml brandy.įor the syrup (makes about 600ml) 400g caster sugar 2 whole nutmegs, bashed to rubble 1 generous cinnamon stick, broken into piecesįor the fizz (per serving) 1 part nutmeg and cinnamon syrup (see above and method) 4 parts prosecco 1 sprig lemon thymeįirst make the syrup. Try this with the ratio of syrup to prosecco below first, and add a little more syrup to suit your taste and the character of the prosecco, if need be. By all means sieve out the spices when bottling, or leave that until just before using. The syrup is ready to use as soon as it is cold, but will gain intensity if you leave to infuse further. I love this simple cocktail just as it is – sweet, sharp and spicy in perfect balance – but feel free to add an inch of orange or grapefruit juice if you fancy a little fruitiness in there. To build the drink, put all the ingredients in a rocks glass generously upholstered with ice cubes, stir for a few seconds and serve immediately. Put all the ingredients for the infusion in a large jar and leave to infuse for at least 12 hours. And if you’re after an especially Christmassy tipple, do try a gimlet using 50ml gin with 25ml nutmeg and cinnamon syrup and 30ml lime juice.įor the infusion (makes 1 litre) 1 litre gin Zest of 2 oranges 2 fresh bay leaves, torn 10 peppercorns 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 2 good-sized rosemary sprigsįor the negroni, per serving 25ml Christmas gin (see above and method) 25ml Aperol 25ml red vermouth 1 rosemary sprig I may lose (or gain?) a few friends for suggesting Aperol ahead of Campari in this, but I think it works better with this festive gin. Christmas negroniĪ short sharp, overnight infusion of the gin leaves the orange sitting very much upfront and driving this festive car, which suits a negroni (or, indeed, a bright gin and tonic) very well by all means let it infuse longer for a mellower result. And while the punch recipe makes enough for a dozen or so, and the gin infusion for the negroni a litre, the ingredients for the rest are per serving, so multiply them up for more people as you wish and build them in a jug if it makes the preparing and serving easier. I’ve included some suggestions, but don’t let that stop you experimenting. Those key ingredients – spiced gin, syrups and so on – are superb in other ways, too. Some of the recipes require just a little time for a key ingredient to be made ahead, but the result is so worth it the making of the drink itself is quick and easy. These six Christmas drinks each carry flavours that cement that feeling, and even the ones with alcohol can be tweaked to cater to those too young or who prefer to be booze-free: for the spiced gin and the mojito, for instance, try one of the excellent alcohol-free spirits now out there, and there are several zero-alcohol proseccos and ciders available these days. Whether that’s just for you, or for family or for when you have people coming round, take a little effort over the quality and combination of the ingredients, and pleasure is guaranteed. For a couple of festive weeks at least, it feels acceptable – appropriate, even – to have a special drink at any time of day.
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