Festive drinks...

I was recently given the chance to review some lovely drinks brands represented by my friends at Halewood International.* Since it is the festive season, I thought that I would take the opportunity to devise a couple of festive cocktail ideas for you to serve over the holidays.
First up, I decided to make a ‘Cranberry Fizz’ using the Red Square Sloe Vodka I was given for review. I love this fruity and syrupy vodka and it goes so well in cocktails.

The Sloe Vodka is quite sweet, so it goes perfectly with the slight sharpness of cranberries. Take one champagne flute and pour in a small measure of Sloe Vodka at the bottom of the glass, top with fresh cranberry juice until the flute is roughly half full then pour chilled prosecco in to fill the flute to the top.

I added a few Craisins  to the glass  as a garnish, because they look so festive and they add a sweet surprise when you get the end of the drink. I also topped the glass with a festive sugar decoration, sorry Rudolph!  These drinks are so delicious and I would suggest that they make the perfect pre-dinner drink or indeed they are good to celebrate with, so serving them at a cocktail party with a few canapés would be ideal too. For a twist on this, try a pineapple version. Replace the cranberry juice with pineapple juice and add some fresh pineapple and a sprig of mint as a garnish.

Next up I thought a Cherry Gin Fizz would be great, but not a traditional one. This one was made using the Whitley Neil gin  which is smooth and balanced gin which is easy to drink. Place a cocktail cherry into a champagne flute and add splash of the gin then top with prosecco. Stir in a little sugar syrup to taste, to add a touch of sweetness and this makes a delicious glass of festive fizz.

For another choice of festive Cherry Fizz, place a cocktail cherry in a champagne flute, top with a splash of Sloe Vodka and top up with Rosé Cava. Tasty!

I was also given Pogues Whiskey to try , which is matured for three years and a day in an oak barrel. This whiskey captures the wild spirit of the Pogues band and it works so well in an Irish coffee or simply served with ice or straight up. 

Irish Coffee

4 parts Hot coffee,
2 parts Irish whiskey
1 tsp. Brown sugar
1½ parts Fresh cream

Gently stir together and heat the coffee, whiskey and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat; do not boil. Pour in to a glass and top with cream. 

I thought that Pogues Whiskey and Red Square Toffee Vodka both work well as an after dessert treat too. Just serve them both over ice, or serve the vodka as a shot. I got these cute little puddings to pair with them, Christmas Pudding and Belgian Chocolate with Salted Caramel. Wow!

My next thought was to combine the Red Square Toffee Vodka in to one of my all time favourite drinks, the espresso martini. In a martini glass, combine 1 part toffee vodka with 1 part amaretto or kahlua as well as freshly brewed coffee. Top with cream and garnish with coffee beans. I will be making those on Boxing Day as these are a great cocktail to relax with!

So there you have it, a few ideas for some festive drinks to get the party started! I loved trying these drinks and I will be enjoying them mixed in to cocktails or served straight up over the holidays!

What do you all think, would you like to try any of these drinks and do you have any cocktails which you love to make at Christmas? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*Disclaimer 

I was asked to try some drinks for this post, these were complimentary for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.