Cocktails to Fire Up the Christmas Party

The season for merrymaking is here and with feasting comes drinking. Skip the good old beer this season, a good holiday deserves some fun-serve festive cocktails to your guests and let them enjoy some versatility with more flavour variety.

Christmas cocktails come in a variety of style from fruity, tropical drinks to smoky to spicy drinks. Here’s a guide from Nairobi’s top mixologists on how to make memorable Christmas or New Year’s tipple to perfection.

1. ‘The Red Rolex’ cocktail

Ingredients: Red Cabbage and Gordon’s London Dry Gin

Prepared by Josephine Nguone, a mixologist and head bartender at the Attic Bar, Park Inn by Radisson.

“I made this cocktail red to match the Christmas mood and since I am a vegetarian, I used red cabbage juice to get the colour,” Josephine explains.

The ‘Red Rolex’ stood in a tall glass with the striking the pinkish-reddish colour inviting me to take a sip. The cocktail also had berry juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup and Gordon’s dry gin.

Making cocktails for a large group can be a daunting task. There is the risk of making it too strong or too dilute.

“To make cocktails for a group all you need to do is multiply all the quantities it takes to make one cocktail by the number of people you will be hosting. This is the only way that you will manage to know how many bottles of alcohol you need, as well as other ingredients,” she advises.

To get red cabbage juice, Josephine recommends using a food processor as opposed to a blender.

“When using a blender, you will be required to add some water unlike when you use a food processor which is the best for juicing as it gets all the nutrients from the vegetable,” she adds.

Should you need to make a mocktail version of the ‘Red Rolex’, add more lemon and pineapple juice, sugar syrup and red cabbage juice.

When selecting the base spirit, Josephine advises that there is the need to be careful not to purchase counterfeit bottles of gin which are in the market.

“Unfortunately we have fake gin varieties in the market and it is very easy for one to purchase a counterfeit bottle, thinking it’s the real one.”

To avoid buying a counterfeit bottle of gin, always look at the bottle top and the label on the drink.

“Also, keep off new drinks when making cocktails for guests to avoid errors. Always stick to what you have tasted before and this will also help you minimise the risk of purchasing a counterfeit bottle,” she adds.

RECIPE: RED ROLEX

Ingredients

-30ml Red Cabbage Juice

-30ml Berry Juice

-30ml Pineapple Juice

-30ml Lemon Juice

-15ml Sugar Syrup

-60ml Gordon’s London Dry Gin

Preparation

1. In a shaker, add all the ingredients. Shake with ice and double strain into a glass with one ice block.

2. ‘Grinch Sip cocktail’

Ingredients: Singleton of Dufftown 12-year-old, black tea, cinnamon, lemon juice, cloves, sparkling wine

Prepared by Briane Onyogo, head bartender at Peppertree

If a whisky cocktail is more likely to please your guests, Braine Onyogo, the head bartender at Peppertree in Nairobi recommends the ‘Grinch Sip’ cocktail which has the Singleton Duff Town 12yr Old whisky, orange flavoured Kenyan black tea, cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, sparkling wine and homemade spices.

The spices used include cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, fennel seeds and cloves. “Singleton is an easy drink with fruity notes and also its characteristic of being a non-smoky drink makes it an easy whisky that people can enjoy in a cocktail,” he says.

The fact that this cocktail also includes Kenyan tea infused with orange zest gives it a familiar taste that non-whisky drinkers can relate to.

“The festive season is filled with warmth and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, fennel seeds and cloves bring the drink closer home,” he adds.

When celebrating, a bottle of bubbly must feature and this cocktail’s last touch is a dash of champagne or sparkling wine. The mocktail version results in a spicy iced tea for the teetotallers.

Should you be looking to make a punch serve cocktail, having tea in the drink is necessary.

“When making cocktails for groups, it is important to ensure you use simple ingredients that are locally available. Items such as fruits, spices that are also common in Kenyan meals will bring a harmonious balance and a taste close to home,” adds Briane.

“When buying alcohol for your cocktail, avoid heading straight for those with the heaviest alcohol by volume (ABV). As much as you need it to be a good drink for everyone, your aim is not to get your guests drunk. Aim to have them enjoy a smooth well-balanced drink. Go for a drink whose ABV is within the normal range. For instance for whiskies, a drink with 40 percent ABV is a good choice,” he advises.

Adding light beverages such as tea which has water, or other light drinks will make the cocktail more pleasant and less overpowering.

Whisky cocktails tend to go well with meat and this festive season, it’s a guarantee a lot of grilling will be going on.

“A good cocktail is mostly attributed to a balance of ingredients and not just using an expensive bottle of alcohol,” adds Briane.

RECIPE: GRINCH SIP

Ingredients

-60ml Singleton Duff town 12yr

-30ml Orange Flavored Kenyan Black Tea

-15ml Cinnamon Syrup

-15ml Lemon juice

-2 dashes Winter Spices Bitters (Homemade)

-Sparkling Wine (top-up)

Preparation

- In a shaker, add all the ingredients (except sparkling wine), shake with ice and double strain into a wine glass with one ice block, top up with sparkling wine.

3. ‘Merry-land’ cocktail

Ingredients: Ketel One Vodka, Lemon Juice, Soda

Prepared by Evans Otieno, head mixologist at Villa Rosa Kempinski

A drink made with 50ml Ketel One Vodka, 20ml Blue Curacao Liqueur, 20ml lemon juice and a dash of sprite soda is what Evans Otieno, the head mixologist at Villa Rosa Kempinski recommends that you serve if you are hosting this holiday.

“I chose Ketel One since it is charcoal distilled which makes it a smooth and premium drink,” he says.

Vodka is a strong drink and when making a vodka cocktail, Evans recommends using an ideal quantity that’s not too much to overpower other flavours in the cocktail. “50ml per single cocktail is a good amount,” he says.

The mocktail version of the ‘Merry-land’ cocktail not only lacks vodka but it also has no Blue Curacao as it is an alcohol-based orange flavoured liqueur.

“The alternative is to combine orange, lemon and pineapple juices, sprite and some sugar,” he says. Soda water, ginger ale, tonic water are other alternatives that can be used.

Your guests also need ice-cubes for their vodka cocktail. Set aside an ice-cubes container at the cocktails table.

RECIPE: MERRY LAND COCKTAIL

Ingredients

-50ml Ketel One Vodka

-20ml Blue Curacao Liqueur

-20ml lemon juice

-Dash of sprite soda

Preparation

-Mix all ingredients in a glass, top with ice and finish with a dash of sprite