How to make the perfect Christmas cocktail

The most festive time of year is upon us yet again, and bars around the world are celebrating with a host of innovative and delicious Christmas cocktails.

We ask a panel of experts to give us their advice on how to make the perfect Christmas cocktail

Whether a spicy or sugary, fruity or creamy mix, it seems that the one essential element of any Christmas cocktail is a generous dose of nostalgia.

While many bartenders are finding ways of reinventing old favourites such as the Snowball and Hot Buttered Rum, others are branching out a little further, producing modern serves laced with unusual and decadent ingredients. Yet, as one of our bartending judges astutely notes, Christmas cocktails should get you in the party mood, but also help you “slip into a cosy dream” afterwards.

We’ve asked a panel of experts to offer some insight on this jolly category – so put down the tinsel, turn up the dulcet tones of Cliff Richard, and see what they have to say.

Danilo Tersigni, assistant general manager of Mr Fogg’s, London; Patrick Smith, bar manager of The Violet Hour, Chicago; and Cihan Anadologlu, head bartender at Schumann’s, Munich, all offer their perspectives.

We divide their advice into three separate sections: recipe for disaster, what to remember and how to impress.

Recipe for disaster

DT: It is not cold and snowy everywhere, it can also be sunny and hot, so nothing can be denied outright. Being based in London, I would suggest using less citrusy and more sweet flavours. And, as it is Christmas, you can be even more generous when making it – add more alcohol and more sugar.

PS: I would refrain from using clear spirits first and foremost. In terms of spirits, brown is the colour of Christmas. Stick with the season; don’t use bright flavours such as summer fruits and ingredients with high acidity. It should be rich and fatty, for example, with a whole egg or heavy cream.

CA: We would never use dried fruits and absinthe in our Christmas cocktails. Also we try to keep it simple so that our guests can serve our drinks at home for Christmas.

What to remember

DT: A ready-to-wear Christmas cocktail needs to give the drinker a warm sensation and help them slip into a cosy dream. Christmas is about family, so love and passion are always the secret ingredients.

PS: Aroma is a crucial item for a good Christmas cocktail. The drink should mirror the smell you get when you walk into your grandma’s house after she has spent an entire day baking. Cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, or chai tea should definitely be included in the cocktail.

CA: This cocktail would create a flavour which reminds us of our childhood and should not use too many spices. Our Christmas cocktail, the Schumann’s Christmas Cup, is served hot and not with too much alcohol.

How to impress

DT: A long, long time ago Santa Claus was a bartender, obviously freelance and around the world, and in his red bag during his Christmas travels, there were no toys or sweets, but a big barrel of aged mulled wine from the Christmas before. Made with wild raisins, Cognac, colourful wild berries, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, oranges and a cheeky bit of homemade (by the elves) dark chocolate. In my opinion, this would be the most magnificent Christmas cocktail and I have used a very similar recipe to make the “Dodged a Bullet” Christmas cocktail that we serve at Mr Fogg’s.This consists of Bourbon, Berry’s red port, mulled wine spice syrup, lemon juice, blackberry puree and a dash of egg white. Delicious.

PS: For me, this would be extremely boozy, but not really taste as such. Dealing with family on Christmas day is better when not sober. My mum is not much of a drinker and has probably never been drunk in her life. If I could make a drink that was delicious enough for her to drink and strong enough to get drunk, that would be a very successful Christmas.

CA: Like all great chefs in the world, to create incredible flavours you must take the best ingredients and let quality speak for itself. I would use the highest quality spirits combined with a bartender’s passion for spirits to create the best Christmas cocktail.