Christmas is a time for parties, cosy nights at home and relaxing with the family. It’ll be a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some exciting festive classics that we think you’ll love!
Mulled Wine
One experience we missed from Manchester’s Christmas Markets this year is the Mulled Wine! Lucky for you, it’s really easy to make!
What you’ll need
- 1 bottle of red wine (a standard 750ml will do the trick!)
- 1 large cinnamon stick, or 2 small ones
- 2 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 2 strips lemon zest, (use a vegetable peeler)
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- Large pan
- A good mixing spoon
5 mins preparation, 15 mins cooking, 30 mins infusing
Step 1
Add your red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar to a large pan.
Let it simmer on a low heat for 10 mins, giving it a bit of a stir along the way.
Step 2
Next, remove from the heat and leave to cool and infuse for about 30 mins.
Step 3
It’s time to enjoy your wine! When serving, heat it up without letting it boil
Fancy making non-alcoholic “mulled wine” for the kids or yourself?
Put 1 litre cranberry juice, 1 litre apple juice and 1 litre sparkling water in the fridge to chill.
Mix the juices together with a few fresh cranberries, some apple slices or any of their favourite fruits in a large jug or serving bowl, then top up with the sparkling water.
Snowball
The classic cocktail to give Christmas that 70s feel. It’s a good one to enjoy with your feet up, in front of the fire, watching your favourite festive film.
What you’ll need
- 50ml advocaat
- 50ml sparkling lemonade
- Ice
- 10-15ml lime juice or lime cordial (optional)
5 minutes preparation
Step 1
Fill a glass with ice and add 15ml lime juice.
Step 2
Pour the advocaat and lemonade over the ice and stir gently for 10 seconds.
Step 3
Feel free to add a splash of your preferred spirit if you fancy something a bit stronger or garnish with a maraschino cherry to impress with your presentation.
Christmas Punch
This Punch is perfect for a Christmas get together. It looks as good as it tastes and will go fast, so no half measures!
What you’ll need
- Handful of red grapes
- 750ml prosecco
- 1l cloudy apple juice
- Ice
- 250ml gin
- 50ml Jägermeister (other herbal liqueurs work too)
- 1 ball stem ginger, finely sliced and 2 tbsp of the syrup
- 3-4 sprigs rosemary
- 1 clementine, finely sliced
- Large punch bowl (a mixing bowl would work too)
- A good mixing spoon
10 minutes preparation, 8 hours freezing beforehand
Step 1
The night before making your punch, put the grapes in the freezer. Chill the apple juice and prosecco in the fridge.
Step 2
Add the frozen grapes with a generous handful of ice in a large punch bowl.
Then, pour each of the remaining ingredients on top and stir.
Finally, you can add the rosemary sprigs and clementine slices on top so it looks nice and fancy.
It’s good to have a taste test before serving, then you know if you want more booze. We know Christmas can be a testing period….
Step 3
You can now serve! It can sit well for up to 3 hours, but chances are, it’ll be long gone by then.
If you’re not too keen on Jäger then other spirits can work well. The best thing about punch is you can change it to suit your taste, over time you’ll decide what works well for you.
We might not be able to all share a drink together this Christmas, but we think these recipes will help keep spirits high. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do, Merry Christmas!
Check out where in the Printworks you can visit in 2021 for a drink and more.
https://printworks-manchester.com/
