Nobody wants to host the Christmas party from hell with Wham! on repeat and soggy mince pies.
And frankly, nobody wants to go to a party that features Granddad from Only Fools And Horses insulting your mother-in-law and starting a punch up on the faux leatherette settee.
There’s a pretty simple ingredient to avoid the party turning all Ricky Gervais… and that ingredient is gin. Lots and lots of gin.
Gin means that rather than row with Uncle Bernard over how to make devil’s on horse back, Uncle Bernard will be galloping past the lounge window on a vacuum with Aunt Vera in hot pursuit.
Yes, with that in mind, here are 14 easy to make gin-based cocktails for Christmas parties.
1) Flora Dora by Greenall’s
40ml Greenall’s Wild Berry Gin
20ml fresh lime juice
10ml raspberry syrup over ice in a high ball glass
Top with ginger beer and churn. Garnish with a raspberry and a slice of lime and serve.
2) Tom Collins by Ruairi Giles
25ml lemon juice
25ml sugar syrup
50ml gin
Soda water
Shake with ice and strain over ice, top with soda. Garnish and serve.
3) Zorro Gin Fizz by Nick Fox
35ml Portobello Road Gin
10ml Patxaran Basque liqueur
5ml Alvear Fino sherry
12.5 ml Pedro Ximenez Sherry
25ml blood orange purée
25ml cream
25ml egg white
5 drops of orange blossom water
35ml soda water
Put all ingredients into a liquidizer with a small scoop of crushed ice.
Blend on high for 30 seconds.
Pour into long glass with candied orange strips for garnish.
4) Highwayman spritz by Ladies And Gentlemen
35ml Highwayman gin
20ml Bittermans citron savage
10ml lemon
10ml sugar
75ml prosecco
Build over ice in a wine glass.
5) Sloe gin fizz by Greenall’s
Pour 50ml Greenall’s Sloe Gin into a flute glass. Top with Champagne or Prosecco.
6) Blackcurrant Gin Fizz by Kathrine Larsen
50ml gin
25ml lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Appletiser Apple and Blackcurrant
In a highball glass pour gin on crushed ice.
Add the lemon juice and honey and stir well. Add Appletiser Apple and Blackcurrant.
Decorate with a lemon slice and bramble.
7) Raging Charleston by Cocktail Bandits
30ml Bristow Gin
15 ml Grand Marnier Raspberry Peach
15ml Tippleman’s Falernum Syrup
30ml orange juice
Tonic floater
Orange peel garnish
Add gin, syrup, juice and Grand Marnier to mixing tin. Add ice to tin.
Close tin and shake passionately.
Strain contents into ice filled rocks glass. Add tonic floater. Place orange peel garnish.
8) The Clover Club by Liquorary
45ml dry gin
22ml lemon juice
15ml raspberry syrup
1/2 egg white
Mix and shake to foam. Shake with ice.
Strain and serve.
For this, you can also use a handful of fresh raspberries or strawberries, muddled, instead of raspberry syrup.
9) Smoke On The Water by Dee Davies
60ml Jinzu gin
10ml Grapefruit sherbert
2 dash orange bitters
Stir down and serve in a smoked rocks glass.
Garnish with an origami cherry blossom pinned to the glass.
10) Pooh’s Honey Pot by Ladies And Gentlemen
50ml Highwayman gin
25ml lemon juice
25ml honey and thistle syrup
Egg white
Shake, fine strain then serve.
11) The White Lady by Ruairi Giles
50ml gin
20ml Triple Sec
20ml lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup
20ml egg white
Shake with ice in a mixing glass then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange zest.
12) Violet Risshun by Sake No Hana
Carafe and martini glass
50ml Jinzu Gin
3ml green chartreuse
35ml fresh grapefruit juice
10ml lemon juice
15ml Shiso syrup
2 drops Burlesque bitters
Add cubed ice, shake and double strain into a martini glass. Decorate with grapefruit peel.
Small jug
2 marachino cherries, muddled
10ml Belsazar rose vermouth
20ml cranberry juice
3ml sugar syrup
Add cubed ice, shake and double strain into the glass.
13) Almond Martini by Sebastian Reaburn
40ml Bombay Sapphire gin
15ml Noilly Prat
15ml Carpano Antica
10ml Creme de Noyeaux
7ml Orgeat Syrup
Stir with plenty of ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a twist of orange.
14) Gin Cucumber Martini by Adi Astley
3 cucumber slices
6 mint leaves
60ml gin
15ml elderflower cordial
Muddle cucumber in mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients.
Shake with ice and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint leaf.
