Gin and vodka are UK’s Christmas favourites

Gin and vodka have replaced Sherry and brandy as Britons’ favourite Christmas spirits, new research has revealed.

Gin and vodka are apparently more popular than brandy at Christmas in the UK

According to the study by Cambridge University Press and Lancaster University, Spoken British National Corpus 2014, some of the UK’s traditional Christmas favourites are losing their appeal.

Researchers compared spoken British English today with recordings from the 1990s to analyse how language has changed, thus determining how the nation’s tastes in food and drink have changed over time.

It showed that over the past 20 years vodka and gin have been talked about more than former Christmas staples Sherry and brandy.

The findings also suggested that alcohol is more important to British English speakers than coffee.

“Our tastes in food and drink have certainly changed, but our interest in the family seems to be ever increasing,” said Dr Claire Dembry, senior language research manager at Cambridge University Press.

Earlier this month, a Waitrose poll put Irish cream liqueur Baileys as the UK’s favourite Christmas drink to enjoy neat.

For festive cocktail inspiration, take a look at our list of 10 of the best Christmas cocktails and how to make them.