Our 5 Favourite Festive Cocktails

With just one month to go until Christmas, chances are you’ll have started to think about what you’re going to serve your guests this December. We’re fans of the traditional Christmas dinner here at B&M, but why not do something a little different this year and serve some delicious festive cocktails to wash down all that turkey?

We’ve searched high and low for some of the best Christmas cocktail recipes we can find, plus we’ve added links to each one so you can give them a go yourself, because we’re nice like that! So without further ado, here are our favourite festive cocktails. Down the hatch!

Gin and Appletiser Refreshing Christmas Cocktail

 Image credit and full recipe at: fussfreeflavours.com

Shopping list:

• Frozen cranberries

• Filtered Water

• 2 shots of chilled gin

• 250ml of chilled Appletiser original

• 3 cranberry ice cubes

• Cinnamon stick

• 1 slice of apple

• A wedge of lime

This delicious cocktail is perfect for refreshing your tastebuds after a belly-busting Christmas feast. A festive twist on the classic gin and tonic, this light and fruity cocktail is sure to impress your guests.

Christmas Sangria 

Shopping list:

• 2 bottles of chilled Pinot Grigio

• ¾ cup of sparkling apple cider

• ¼ cup of sugar

• ¼ cup of halved cranberries

• ¾ cup of whole cranberries

• 1 chopped Granny Smith apple

• 3 rosemary sprigs

Think Sangria’s just for summer holidays? Think again! This festive recipe is perfect for Christmas, and is the perfect balance of crisp and fruity. We think that a jug of this cocktail looks fabulous on the table, so why not make a big pitcher of it so it can be refilled? This way your guests can enjoy it throughout their meal, as well as having a tasty after-dinner treat. Delicious!

Christmas Cranberry Mojito 

Shopping list:

• 8oz fresh cranberries

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 cup of water

• 10 mint leaves

• 1 tbsp of lime juice

• 2oz cranberry syrup

• 2oz rum

• Sparkling water

Perfect for fans of cranberry cocktails - this amazingly pink cocktail looks almost too good to drink! Cold and refreshing, a glass (or two!) of this is perfect for washing down all those Christmas treats. It’s quite easy to make too, so you don’t have to worry about spending hours mixing it on your oh-so-hectic Christmas eve.

After Eight Ice Cream Shots 

Shopping list:

• 160ml of condensed milk

• 10 After Eight mints

• 300ml of double cream

• 60ml of milk

• Some extra After Eight mints to serve with the shots!

Although technically half cocktail / half dessert, we just had to include these adorable (and delicious) After Eight Shots. We love food in a glass here at B&M, especially the type you can make and just put in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it! Once defrosted, these cute Christmas cocktails transform into an absolutely amazing light mousse - perfect for serving after an enormous festive feast!

Mulled Wine Bellini

Shopping list:

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 15 black peppercorns

• 20 star anise

• 1 pinch of mace

• Nutmeg

• 1 orange that has been juiced and peeled into strips

• 2 litres of red wine

• 1 handful of cloves

• 500g of caster sugar

• 100ml sparkling wine

• Lemon juice

What better way to finish off our list than with this sophisticated and oh-so-Christmassy mulled wine bellini? Easy to make and delicious to drink, this cocktail is an all round winner that’s sure to be a hit with your guests. The best thing about this one (apart from the taste!) is that it keeps for around a month in the fridge, so you can make it nice and early and enjoy bellinis with your guests throughout December. Bliss!

We love these Christmas drink ideas, and we’d love to see some of your creations! Post some pictures of your best Christmas cocktails onto our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you never know, you could get some more Christmas drink ideas!