23
Dec 2018Must-Try Traditional Christmas Cocktails
Posted by Drink Responsibly / in Responsible Drinking /
As refreshing Autumn gives way to freezing winters, it’s time to get in the festive groove yet again because Christmas is just around the corner. One of the charms of this chilly season is to curl up in bed all cosy and sipping on your favourite drink as your senses soak in the beauty all around. Keeping up with the wintery and Christmas theme, in this article we bring you a curated list of Christmas cocktails you might want to try as you revel in the festivities.
*For more information about the recipes, please follow the mentioned links.
Bombardino – Italy
Recipe Source:http://honestcooking.com/bombardino-christmas-holiday-or-apres-ski-cheer-from-italy/
The legend has it that this drink was created by a young man from Genova, who then moved to leave his life by the sea to live in the Italian Alps. He served in the mountain infantry and later on opened a ski lodge wher he created this drink to keep few skiers warm in the blizzard. The skier upon taking a sip exclaimed that the drink was like a bomb, and hence the name came into being. Years later, the recipe was improvised & perfected to attain the modern creamy egg & liqueur, stirred in brandy and finished with whipped cream along with cinnamon.
With the story so fascinating, Bombardino tastes divine!
Ingredients
Bombardino
- 1 part rum or brandy
- 1 part homemade Advocaat or Egg Nog or Vov
- Sweetened whipped cream
Calimero
- 1 part rum or brandy
- 1 part homemade Advocaat or Egg Nog or Vov
- 1 part espresso
- Sweetened whipped cream
Advocaat or Egg Nog or Vov
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (65g) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon (12g)
- 2 cups (.5l) whole milk
- 1 cup (.25l) heavy cream
- 6 ounces (.175l) brandy
- 4 egg whites
Directions
Bombardino
- Heat the Advocaat and rum or brandy in a small saucepan. If you have a cappuccino machine, you can use the steamer to heat.
- Top with sweetened whipped cream. Serve.
Calimero
- Heat the Advocaat, rum or brandy, and espresso in a small saucepan. Again, you can also heat using your cappuccino machine.
- Top with sweetened whipped cream. Serve.
Advocaat or Egg Nog or Vov
- Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are light in color.
- Gradually add the ⅓ cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved.
- Add the milk, cream, and brandy. Transfer to another bowl.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of the mixer and beat to soft peaks.
- With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
- This can be stored for up to a week in your refrigerator.
Sorrel Punch – Jamaica
Image Source: https://jamaicans.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/03/Jamaican-Sorrel-Drink-Recipe.jpg
Recipe Source: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/jamaican-sorrel-rum-punch-200629
It goes like this, that in Jamaica wherever Christmas follow, sorrel punch also follows. Christmas celebrations are incomplete without the traditional rum-based sorrel punch. It is cold brewed & made from sorrel flowers (hibiscus) and spiced with star anise, cinnamon, other spices along with ginger.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) dried sorrel calyxes (also called jamaica or hibiscus)
- Two 1-inch cubes of peeled fresh ginger, chopped fine
- 3 whole cloves
- 5 3/4 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups amber rum
- 2 cups ice cubes, or to taste
- Lime and orange slices for garnish
Directions
In a heatproof bowl combine the sorrel, the ginger and the cloves. In a saucepan bring 5 cups of the water to a boil, pour it over the sorrel mixture, and let the mixture steep for 4 hours or overnight. While the mixture is steeping, in a small saucepan bring the remaining 3/4 cup water and the sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and let the syrup cool. Strain the sorrel liquid into a pitcher, discarding the solids, stir in the sugar syrup, the rum and the ice cubes, and garnish the punch with the lime and orange slices.
Feuerzangenbowle – Germany
Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Feuerzangenbowle_044-3.jpg
Recipe Source: https://www.epicurus.com/beverages/feuerzangenbowle/7517/
This zesty, lemony-orangy, fiery drink most definitely is not for the faint-hearted! In the literal terms, it’s a classic German ‘fire punch’ much-loved by the world over. Why is it fiery you might wonder? Well, it is because the Sugarloaf is soaked in rum and then set afire which drips into mulled wine.
Ingredient
- 2 organic oranges
- 2 organic lemons
- 3 bottles dry red wine (2 to 3 litres total)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cloves
- 1 pinch ginger (ground)
- 1 pinch cardamom
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1 sugar cone
- 2 cups brown rum (at least 54% alcohol)
Directions
- Wash oranges and lemons thoroughly, pat dry and cut into slices or wedges.
- In a large pot combine red wine, gently squeezed oranges and lemons, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, allspice and ginger. Heat slowly making sure it does not come to a boil. Remove pot from heat and place on a heat source (such as from a Fondue set).
- Place sugar cone into metal holder (“Feuerzange”). A metal rack or mesh strainer will do, as long as it doesn’t sink into the wine – don’t use aluminium.
- Soak sugar cone with rum and carefully light it. The sugar will melt and drip into the wine.
- Little by little start adding more rum to the sugar cone using a long-handled ladle.
- Once the sugar cone and rum have completely burned off, gently stir the concoction and serve in mugs or heatproof glasses.
- Important note on safety: This recipe requires handling alcohol and open flames. Be extremely careful and proceed with caution.
Wassail – England
Image Source: https://cf.ltkcdn.net/cooking/images/std/187105-325×217-Christmas-Wassail.jpg
Recipe Source: https://www.farmflavor.com/recipe/type/appetizers/traditional-wassail/
Typically served on Christmas Eve, Wassail is a traditional drink from medieval England. With cider, cinnamon, cloves & brandy, Wassail is served warm in the cups & makes for a perfect Christmas-y drink. It keeps you warm as you enjoy the festivities.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon apple cider
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 orange, sliced
- ½ cup brandy, optional
Directions
- Mix juices, sugar and seasonings together. Add the brandy at this point to make the alcoholic wassail.
- Slowly bring to a boil in a large saucepan or pot. Boil for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot with sliced oranges floating in the punch bowl.
Glögg – Sweden
Image Source: https://blog.etsy.com/en/files/2015/12/glogg-header.jpg
Recipe Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/180453/old-fashioned-swedish-glogg/
This sweetly aromatic warm boozy wonder is a true Swedish delight. Scandinavians consider this mulled wine as an important traditional drink for the holiday season. This feisty drink keeps you warm & fuzzy and adds to the flavours of the festive season.
Ingredients
- 5 (750 milliliter) bottles port wine
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle 100 proof bourbon whiskey
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle white rum
- 3 whole cardamom pods, cracked
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 (3 inch) strip of orange peel
- 1 (8 inch) square of cheesecloth
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 (15 ounce) package dark raisins
- 1 (6 ounce) package blanched slivered almonds
Directions
- Heat the port wine over medium heat until just below the simmer point in a large stockpot with a lid. Add bourbon and rum, and bring back to just below simmering. Save the bottles and their caps for storing leftover glogg.
- While the wine and liquors are heating, place the cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel onto the centre of the square of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to secure.
- When the mixture is very hot but not boiling, carefully light it with a long-handled match. Wearing a heatproof cooking mitt, carefully pour the sugar into the flames, and let the mixture burn for 1 minute. Put the lid on the stockpot to extinguish the flames, and turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool, covered, for about 10 minutes; add the cheesecloth bundle of spices and the raisins and almonds to the warm wine mixture and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
As the spirit of Christmas knocks on your door, make sure to celebrate it with these traditional festive drinks from around the world!