Each year, the festive season is filled with copious amounts of food, fizz and terrible jumpers. In the midst of all the partying, you may experience Prosecco (Champagne if you're fancy) fatigue, it's a scientific thing...
Ok, it's not, but variety is the spice of life, or so they say. We've tried and tested a few (it was a difficult job) and here are five of our favourite festive cocktails that'll keep your guests on the dancefloor at your Christmas bash.
So, go dust off those sequinned dresses and dinner suits and put your party hat on, it's gonna be fun! For more help planning your Christmas do or finding the perfect venue, get in touch with our event experts and we'll be happy to help!
1. Amaretto Fizz
We're easing you in slowly with a Prosecco cocktail; we don't want to go too off-piste just yet! This one's pretty simple too, so no one will have to wait half an hour for a tipple. In a jug, mix together 200ml Disaronno, add 300ml orange juice and top up with a bottle of Prosecco or sparkling wine. Chuck a few raspberries and a twist of orange peel into some Champagne flutes and serve. You'll have yourself a marzipan-y dream that reminds you of Christmas cake.
via Waitrose
2. Pomegranate and Rosemary Gin Fizz
This one takes a little forward planning as you'll need to make your own syrup, but after that, it's a simple assembly job.
For the syrup; boil 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until sugar dissolves, remove from heat, add a sprig of rosemary and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Remove the rosemary and refrigerate.
Then, take a tumbler, pour 25ml gin over ice, add a squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of the rosemary syrup and 2 tbsp of pomegranate juice. Top up with club soda and garnish with rosemary and pomegranate seeds. It smells fresh and foresty and the green and red colours are bang on theme.
3. Christmas Punch
Punch can conjure up images of a teenage house party or memories from university that you'd perhaps rather forget. But this is a grown-up version, perfect for the festive season.
Mix together the following ingredients in a jug and leave to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
75 ml clementine juice
150 ml Benedictine liqueur
225 ml Dewar’s white label scotch whiskey, or cognac
300 ml cranberry juice
1 vanilla pod , seeds of
1 clementine , thinly sliced
3 sour cherries
Half-fill a large jug or bowl with ice and serve in a glass of your choice. Your guests will be pleased as punch (!) when they taste it.
via Jamie Oliver
4. Hot Buttered Rum
We can't get enough of this winter warmer, ideal as a first drink as guests come in from the cold. The smell is heavenly too; a perfect welcome.
Beat together 25g of butter and 1 tbsp maple syrup in a small bowl. Add the 30ml rum (spiced rum works best) and a piece of orange peel. Pour over 50ml of boiling water and whisk until blended. Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Yum!
via The Guardian
5. White Mulled Wine
Traditionalists may baulk at this idea, but we like to try different things. This recipe is a little lighter than the original but no less tasty. And it's super easy too, bonus.
Put 2 bottles of medium-dry white wine, a 500ml bottle of cider, 150ml of elderflower cordial, the zest of 2 lemons, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 vanilla pod and finally four-five tbsp of caster sugar, into a pan and heat until steaming but not boiling. Serve in glasses or mugs and keep the pan on a low heat to keep it warm.
via BBC Good Food
There you have it! Five deliciously festive cocktails to try out for this year's festive celebrations. If you're looking for a top venue to set the scene for your cocktails, browse our top festive venues in London and submit your brief to us.
For more help planning this year's events, book a call with our event experts below to see how we can help you!