Oh how Christmas is the most wonderful time of year! And its not complete without some boozy cozy cocktails by the fireplace (or by the Christmas tree if you sadly don’t have a fireplace like me). As Christmas is only one month of the year, I like to make the most of the Christmas flavours. Every morning I add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg sprinkled over my coffee or if i’m feeling bold, I’ll add a dash of peppermint essence to kick start to the day.
Cocktails:
My three favourite things: cocktails, Christmas and coffee. So of course I had to find a recipe that combines all 3: The Gingerbread Martini. A few years ago my sisters and I found this little Christmas miracle: recipe, and it has now been engrained in the Nelson Christmas tradition. This is the perfect cocktail recipe to have at night, getting cozy whilst watching some Christmas movies (especially National Lampoons Christmas Vacation). The Feeney’s Irish cream absolutely makes this drink as it’s a bit thicker and smoother than Baileys. I particularly love drinking this whilst planning my Christmas shopping list (one of my favourite things to do at Christmas).
On a more traditional note, Eggnog in Marty Moose mugs…need I say more? Eggnog is a classic holiday drink that embodies all the seasonal spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla bean A little history behind this drink, it was created because of the abundance of eggs and rum in the American colonies. The warm drink quickly became popular around the winter holidays and has ever since, became a staple for the Christmas season. We usually make our own eggnog every year and drink it warm at night, however we do also buy it from the supermarket and have a non-alcoholic cold version for the daytime.
One festive favourite my sister, Alicia showed me was the Rosemary gin fizz. Combing a homemade rosemary sugar syrup, Gordon’s gin and soda water, this is a great cocktail to have with friends and family in the summery weather we have during Christmas. A beautiful crimson red, the colour and taste screams Christmas.
What is Christmas in a glass you say? Mulled wine of course. Come to the holiday season, there is nothing better than a glass of warmed spiced mulled wine. I love to drink this whilst wrapping my presents at night around the tree.
As a lover of port, my favourite muscat to drink around this season is the Fermoy Estate Muscat. To me, it tastes like plum jam with a dash of orange peel, with its aroma smelling like rich fruit cake, perfect for the holiday season.
Hot chocolate:
To me, a true Christmas entails sitting by the twinkling tree at night with Bing Crosby carols playing, holding a warm cup of cocoa. My favourite Christmas hot chocolate recipe of all time is Nigella’s ‘Hot Schnocolate’. With a boozy option of Peppermint Schnapps or peppermint essence as a sober substitute, the peppermint twang truly tastes like Christmas. I usually add a dash of cinnamon in the batch just to further the Christmas spices.
The best part of Christmas hot chocolates is decorating the mugs with toppings. Whipped cream is mandatory of course, while crushed candy canes and mini marshmallows always make your drinks look just as festive as they taste.
A new favourite topping of mine however, is this little guy:
