Christmas is a time for celebration, and what better way to make merry than to pour yourself, friends and family a tipple or two of some of the best drinks of the season?
We’ve rounded up a selection of bottles which are perfect for straight pours, minimising any additional fuss. From Champagnes and ports to wine and beer, this group of high-end sips are perfect for toasting the festivities with. Because we’re all about flavour at SquareMeal, we’ve included tasting notes for each of our suggestions that don’t require mixing, so you can make an informed choice about when and how to serve it. Elsewhere we’ve come up with some of the easiest Christmas cocktails to help see you through the season when something a little extra is required. With just a handful of ingredients, and premium spirits and mixers, these drinks are sure to impress without impacting on your time too much. A gin and tonic is a classic, of course, so we’ve come up with a few different ways to serve this wonderfully British drink; while elsewhere we’ve worked out ways to serve rich whisky that will warm you up from the inside.
Whichever of our easy Christmas cocktails or drinks you choose, we’re pretty confident it will be delicious. Ready to get started? The below follow the image above them on a left to right basis and are some of our favourite ways to toast our friend's and family's good health over Christmas and the New Year. Cheers to that!
Zonin Cuvee 1821
Tasting notes: Soft, fruity and floral with a gentle frothiness, this is quintessential prosecco, with flavours of apples, pears and acacia blossom and a lick of salty minerality. Great on its own or as a versatile mixer as well as a match for salads and fruit desserts.
Graham’s Port and tonic
Glass: Tall
Method: Add the port to a glass with ice, top up with tonic water and garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint.
Ingredients: 50ml Graham’s Blend N 5 White Port | Tonic water
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
Tasting notes: This tribute to Madame Clicquot combines vibrancy with richness, ripe pears and yellow plums with figs and apricots, toasted hazelnut notes with fresh brioche, all wrapped in a silky textured frame. It’s also a tribute to the Pinot Noir grape, with its depth and elegance.
Kingfisher beer
Tasting notes: Kingfisher is crisp, clean and unfailingly refreshing, it’s deft balance of light bitterness and citrus makes for a perfect partnership with the heat and spice of even the richest curry.
Salcombe Gin G&T
Glass: Highball
Method: Stir all ingredients together over ice and garnish with grapefruit.
Ingredients: 50ml Salcombe Gin | 100ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic
Mionietto Prosecco Brut NV
Tasting notes: Aromas of apples, pears and stone fruits complement a palate that is lively, dry and fresh with well-balanced acidity and mineral notes. Easy-drinking prosecco with a firm, even mousse.
Silent Pool G&T
Glass: Old fashioned
Method: Stir ingredients together over ice, and garnish with orange zest.
Ingredients: 50ml Silent Pool Gin | 100ml of premium Indian tonic water
Ayala Le Blanc de Blancs 2013
Tasting notes: This Blanc de Blancs expresses itself with a bright, vivid citrus nose that leads into a palate of delicate yellow fruits that is fresh, pure and precise, with zip and richness delivered in equal measure. Elegant and silky. Classy, too.
The London Essence G&T
Glass: Balloon
Method: Stir together and serve over ice. Garnish with lemon zest.
Ingredients: 25ml London Dry Gin | 125ml Chilled Original Indian Tonic Water
Pinkster Gin G&T
Glass: Highball
Method: Stir all ingredients together over ice and garnish with a raspberry and a sprig of mint.
Ingredients: 50ml Pinkster Gin | 100ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic
Glengoyne Old Fashioned
Glass: Rocks
Method: Add half the whisky and 2 ice cubes to a rocks glass. Stir. Add the sugar syrup, Angostura bitters and 2 more ice cubes. Stir. Add the rest of the whiskey and 2 more ice cubes. Stir. Add 2 more ice cubes, then pinch the a lemon zest garnish, then drop it into the glass.
Ingredients: 50ml Glengoyne Legacy Chapter One | 5ml 2:1 sugar syrup | 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Taylor’s 10 Year Old Tawny
Tasting notes: This beautiful Tawny that’s been fully aged in wood boasts rich aromas of ripe and dried dark berry fruit, nuts and hints of chocolate. A silky-smooth palate unleashes prunes and sultanas intermingled with nutty, spicy, butterscotch flavours. Complex and intense. Always serve chilled.
Duvel
Tasting notes: To enjoy Duvel sharp, without the yeast, keep the bottle upright until the point of serve and then pour slowly, leaving 1cm in the bottle. For a slight yeast haze, which is excellent with spicier foods, add the yeast at the end. Either way, pour with the glass tilted at a 45° angle and straighten up towards the end: there should be a substantial, billowing head.
Anna de Codorniu Brut
This fresh, well-balanced Cava reveals delicate notes of pineapple, grapefruit and lime on the nose leading into a soft palate of citrus, pears and dried herbs. An excellent base for Bellinis as well as a foil for prosciutto, sashimi or mild cheese.
No.3 Martini
Glass: Coupe
Method: Stir over ice and strain into chilled glass, garnish with a trimmed lemon twist.
Ingredients: 50ml No.3 Gin | 10ml Dolin dry vermouth
Pommery Brut Royal
Floral and fresh brioche aromas lead to a rich but lively palate, blessed with apple and citrus notes and a steely core. The texture is round and generous but with nice finesse, and the soft creamy finish is a delight.
Alhambra
Tasting notes: Consistent head with a smooth texture. Golden amber colour and intense aroma, mixing toasted cereal notes with floral and spicy hints. Perfect bittersweet balance with a note of intensity and flavour but refreshing character.
The Ultimate Spiced Orange Whisky Ginger
Glass: Highball
Method: Fill the glass full of ice. Add the Scotch and top up with Ginger Ale. Garnish with a fresh wedge of orange.
Ingredients: 50ml of Scotch or Blended Scotch | 150-200ml of Fever-Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale
The Glenrothes Rob Roy
Glass: Martini
Method: Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with Maraschino cherries.
Ingredients: 60 ml The Glenrothes 12 Year Old Single malt Whisky | 30 ml Martini Rosso sweet vermouth | 2 Dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters | 5 ml Maraschino cherry syrup
Portobello Road Gin Singapore Sling
Glass: Tall
Method: Mix everything but the soda water in a cocktail shaker and shake. Pour your soda onto ice in a tall glass and top up with the gin mix. Garnish with lemon and a cherry.
Ingredients: 40ml Portobello Road Gin | 10ml Cointreau | 5ml Benedictine | 10ml Grenadine | 10ml Cherry Heering | 25ml Fresh Lemon Juice | Dash of Angostura Bitters | Splash of Soda Water
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut
Tasting notes: Fresh, well-balanced Champagne with classic structure, delicate bubbles and notes of hazelnuts and almonds on the nose. On the palate there are pear, apple and citrus flavours, and a roundness amplified by the inclusion of?reserve wines and ageing on the lees.
Yalumba Organic Viognier
Tasting notes: This light and refreshing wine is the perfect partner for spicy food and exotic cuisines, managing to cut through any richness with its crisp honeysuckle notes. The palate is long and deep with hints of tropical fruits and citrus rind, and there’s a luxuriously silky texture and mouth feel to it.
Louis Roederer Brut Premier
Tasting notes: Winey, complex and rich, underscored by freshness and finesse, with delicious nutty, yeasty notes. This renowned non-vintage fizz benefits from using a high proportion of its own grapes, a full three years ageing on lees and a good dollop of reserve wines.
Laurent Perrier Rosé Brut
This benchmark rose is elegant, vivacious and full of charm, renowned for its wonderful salmon-pink colour, natural finesse and subtle but distinctive red-berry aromas. Made extra special by its stylish, curvaceous bottle.
Tamdhu Manhattan
Glass: Coupe
Method: Stir the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and a twist of pared lemon
Ingredients: 50ml Tamdhu 12 YO | 25ml sweet vermouth | 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Angostura Pink Gin
Glass: Cocktail
Method: Fill a mixing jug or cocktail shaker with ice. Add gin and bitters, then stir to combine. Strain your drink into the glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
Ingredients: 60ml gin | 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Beckett’s English Rose
Glass: Coupe
Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake. Strain into glass and garnish with a single red rose petal.
Ingredients: 50ml Beckett’s London Dry Gin | 25ml rose liqueur | 15ml fresh Lime Juice | 10ml Sugar Syrup
Edinburgh Gin martini
Glass: Martini
Method: Pour everything into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a fresh fennel frond.
Ingredients: 50ml Edinburgh Gin 1670 | 15ml Dry Vermouth | Dash Lemon Bitters
Schweppes Ginger Crackle
Glass: Rocks
Method: Place the teabag in the whiskey for 15 mins, then remove. Fill the glass with ice and add the infused whiskey. Top up with Schweppes and garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of rosemary
Ingredients: 50ml bourbon whiskey | 1 lapsang souchong teabag | 150ml Schweppes 1783 Golden Ginger Ale