Christmas party season is here which I reckon means cocktail hour can be any hour you like – for the next few weeks, anyway. I mean I love a glass of Sauvignon or a gin and tonic, but it’s nice to have a change and be able to mix something a bit more special up for your guests over Christmas.
Or if, like me, you don’t want to wait until you have guests over, you can just make one up for yourself and drink it in front of the TV. In December, there are no rules, right?!
I was out on Friday on my work Christmas party, and had two of these cocktails at the start of the evening. The Amaretto Sour is a favourite of mine – the gorgeous sweet almond liqueur and the bitterness of the lemon are just a great combination for me.
I also tried a Ginger Sparkler, which is prosecco mixed with a measure of ginger liqueur or ginger wine. Both are easy to make up at home and have a lovely festive feel to them. The amaretto sour has egg white in too, surely making it a tiny bit like eggnog!
The third cocktail I only tried this weekend. It’s called a Brown Cow and is made purely with Tia Maria or any other coffee liqueur, milk and ice cubes shaken up together. I do love a Tia Maria straight if I’m honest, but this makes it a bit later and creamier tasting.
Here’s how if you’d like to try…
Ginger Sparkler
Mix about 25-50ml ginger wine and top with prosecco.
Brown Cow
Mix 50ml Tia Maria with milk and a handful of ice. Shake and serve.
Amaretto Sour
Mis 50ml amaretto with 25ml fresh lemon juice with a dash of egg white and a dash of sugar syrup. I added a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of water to the cocktail shaker in place of the syrup and it worked really well.
Also if you have it add a splash of Angostura Bitters.
Shake these ingredients together, then add a handful of ice and shake again. Then strain through the cocktail shaker into a glass of ice, and garnish if you’re feeling fancy with a cocktail cherry. Drink and enjoy!
x Julia
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