Holiday cocktails bring good cheer

LONDON — Winter has set in, the Christmas lights have been switched on, and London’s top cocktail bars have added their seasonal favorites to bar menus.

From a festive Old-Fashioned to a boozy hot chocolate, these after-dinner drinks might inspire your own menu of holiday cocktails.

Five bars share their recipes:

Roasted Chestnut Old-Fashioned

from Archive & Myth

This hidden speakeasy, accessed by a password-protected door, has updated the traditional Old-Fashioned. They switch out the sugar for a chestnut liqueur, and instead of standard bitters they use walnut bitters for an extra nutty twist.

Jack Sotti, the bar’s consultant, says it couldn’t be simpler to make at home as it’s just three ingredients, plus a pinch of salt “for salted caramel vibes” and some cloves added to the orange twist for a Christmas-y aroma.

For dessert pairings, avoid the sweet-on-sweet of a Christmas pudding, and pair this drink with a cheese board instead.

Pro tips: The easiest way to “woo people” to this festive drink, Sotti says, is with a big block of ice, to show a bit of extra effort. “You just want to get a Tupperware in the freezer the night before and then just chop it up with a knife,” he says.

Also, clean up as you go. “When you start drinking, you become less tidy,” he jokes.

50ml (1.7oz) Compass Box Nectarosity (a blended Scotch whiskey)

20ml (0.7oz) roasted chestnut liqueur

2 dashes aromatic bitters (black walnut preferable)

1 pinch of salt

Directions: Stir with ice until chilled, strain into a rock glass with a clove-studded orange peel.

The Nutcracker

from Swift Borough

Rebecca Pink-Swann, senior bartender at Swift Borough, a two-story cocktail bar close to the historic Borough Market, showed off their Nutcracker, a take on the flip cocktail.

A flip is traditionally shaken with a fortified wine (in this case, vintage port), something sweet (she uses a hazelnut liqueur and cognac), and a whole egg, which gives it the creamy texture we associate with Christmas.

Pink-Swann finishes hers off with some grated nutmeg for an added seasonal touch, creating a “beautiful, decadent, dessertlike cocktail that’s not too sweet” and would pair well with your Christmas pud.

Pro tip: Apart from making sure your eggs are fresh, Pink-Swann says the perfect pour is all about the cold glass.

“I like to put mine in the freezer. Even as little as five minutes before you’re going to shake it up. Just for that beautiful, temperature contrast,” she says.

1 whole egg

20ml (0.7oz) chestnut liqueur (could substitute with Frangelico)

30ml (1oz) port

50 ml (1.7oz) Hennessy/cognac

Directions: Add all ingredients to your cocktail tin. Dry shake (no ice) first and then shake with ice. Single strain into a frozen glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Nougat & Vodka

from Twice Shy

Over in West London, the neighborhood bar Twice Shy offers a winter favorite that reminds co-founder Elon Soddu of eggnog. It uses his homemade nougat vodka, but you can make your own by adding nougat (you can buy it in a candy store) and vodka to a Mason jar and then stirring every few days until the nougat dissolves.

“It’s not anything which is complicated to drink. It’s quite light, it’s enjoyable and it’s kind of a happy drink,” Soddu says, adding that as a honey-based cocktail this works perfectly after dinner with cheese.

50ml (1.7oz) nougat-infused vodka

5ml (0.18oz) Disaronno amaretto liqueur

15ml (0.5oz) lemon juice

10ml (0.25oz) honey

15ml (0.5oz) egg white

Directions: Build the cocktail in the shaker, then dry shake. Add ice and shake the cocktail, double strain in a rock glass over ice, garnish with grated nutmeg

Suzette

by Sofitel London St James

At Sofitel London St James, bartender Mikey Chaplin recommends their Suzette cocktail for a holiday treat. It’s inspired by the classic French crepe and a take on the whiskey sour. Chaplin says the orange notes makes it fantastic for Christmas, and believes this one is best slowly sipped on its own.

30 ml (1oz) Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old whisky

15 m (0.5oz) Grand Marnier Cuvee Alexandre (regular Grand Marnier can be used)

10 ml (0.25oz) Aperol

5ml (0.18oz) Discarded Sweet Cascara Vermouth (Lillet can be used instead)

25ml (0.75oz) lemon juice

15ml (0.5oz) orange syrup* (recipe below)

Fresh orange peel

Directions: Place ice in a shaker base, pour in all ingredients. Shake well and single strain over large ice cubes in a rock glass. Finish with orange peel, trying to burn the oil squeezed over the glass.

*Orange syrup recipe (1 liter)

1 kg (5 cups) caster, or superfine, sugar

1 kg (5 cups) orange peels (sliced)

500ml (18oz) filtered water

Directions: Prepare: Slice orange peels into thin strips, removing the pith.

Cook: In a pot, combine the peels, sugar and water. Simmer over low heat until it gains a thick texture, stirring occasionally.

Strain: Strain the syrup to remove the peels.

Ho, Ho, Hot Chocolate

from Side Hustle, NoMad London

Shoppers in Covent Garden might slip into the nearby NoMad London’s Side Hustle bar or cozy up in its Library for afternoon tea and a boozy and extremely chocolate-y Ho, Ho, Hot Chocolate.

Bar director Liana Oster explains that this warm treat makes a great post-dinner tipple.

“If you don’t want dessert and you want a drink element, this one is fantastic to have after dinner. It’s a nice mix of chocolate and some bitter and herbal flavors,” she says.

Oster makes her own marshmallows to garnish, but says shop-bought work equally well. The homemade hot chocolate can also be substituted with a high-quality, ready-made version instead if you don’t want to create from scratch.

Pro tip: Oster urges budding mixologists to think big.

“For example, if you’re making an eggnog, make 2 liters instead of 1 liter. Think of bigger batches,” she says. “It’s just easier. And a lot of the time they stay fresh, so you won’t be wasting anything.”

15ml (0.5 oz) Green Chartreuse

22ml (0.75 oz) Fernet-Branca

150ml (5 oz) hot chocolate base*

Directions: Pour the hot chocolate base over the rest of the ingredients, mix until everything is dissolved, and then strain the mixture through a chinois strainer. Serve in a glass teacup or coffee mug.

*Hot Chocolate Base recipe:

200g milk chocolate

520g dark chocolate

8 split vanilla beans

8 pints (4 quarts) double cream (heavy cream)

300g white sugar

1 pint filtered water

Directions: Heat heavy cream, water and vanilla beans over medium heat, just hot enough to melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate and sugar to the mixture and stir constantly so it doesn’t scorch. Continue mixing everything to ensure the ingredients are dissolved. Strain.