10 Ways To Get Christmas Spirits!

10 Ways To Get Christmas Spirits!

Christmas is a time to be merry and of celebrating and having food and drinks with your loved ones. There are many traditional food and drinks which add to the Christmas cheer. After all, the Christmas spirit should be free-flowing. (Pun intended)

Here is a cocktail of traditional and modern concoctions which add up to the Christmas celebration.

The proportions of the ingredients are used to make drinks for two people.

Also, these drinks are alcoholic and are not meant for kids. Please keep the kids away from them.

Traditional Eggnog

• Traditional Eggnog:
Christmas and Eggnog go hand in hand. Some of the early accounts come from the time of Charles Dickens! Given below, is the recipe, for preparing the traditional Eggnog.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
one cup milk
one cup whipped cream
Half cups of sugar
A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Rum (For the alcoholic version)

Process:
Separate the egg yolks from the egg white.
Beat the egg white till they turn white and frothy.
Add half of the half cup sugar and beat them till soft white peaks start to form.
Mix the other half of the sugar with the egg yolks till they are blended.
Heat the milk gently and take it off the heat after 5 minutes and let them cool for a minute.
Add egg yolk mixture to it, while stirring the mixture.
Add Rum and cream to it.
Add nutmeg.
Serve.

Appleberry Mulled wine

• Apple-berry Sloe Mulled wine
Mulled wine, after eggnog, is considered to be one of the typical Christmas drinks. It is rich and full in both texture and aroma, and smells like freedom!

Ingredients:
Red wine
Apple juice
Cranberry juice
Sugar
Sloe Gin
Cinnamon
Star Anise
Cloves
6-7 frozen berries (cranberry, blueberry or raspberry).

Process:
Pour the wine, Cranberry juice and apple juice in a large saucepan and add cinnamon, star anise and cloves to it.
Cover the saucepan with a lid.
Heat gently till the sugar dissolves. (Stir every 10 seconds in between)
Continue to heat gently for 7-8 minutes more.
Take it off the heat and add the berries.
Serve with a slice of apple.

Pepermint Hot Cocoa

• Peppermint Hot Cocoa
Who wouldn’t like to sit by a fireplace, in a cozy couch, while reading a book and sipping Hot Cocoa. Let’s just add some freshness to it:

Ingredients:
250 gms of Dark Chocolate
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 tsps Cocoa Pwder
50 gms cream
3 tsps Sugar
Peppermint Candy Canes

Process:
Put some dark chocolate in a pan with the milk and heat in gently.
Add cocoa powder to it while stirring the mixture.
When the milk starts boiling, remove it add the cream.
Add sugar to it and stir till it dissolves.
Serve in mugs, with peppermint candy canes (Or any peppermint)
One can dissolve as much peppermint they want to, by stirring the hot cocoa with the canes.

Butterbeer

Butter Beer (Yes, the Harry Potter one)
There has been many versions created for this particular drink mentioned in the Harry Potter Series. This is my version of the drink.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of beer
Butterscotch mixture
Butterscotch syrup
Strong whipped cream.

Process:
Mix whipped cream with butterscotch syrup and butterscotch mixture.
Add a teaspoon of butterscotch syrup to the beer and stir.
Top the beer with the cream mixture.
Serve in a frosted mug dusted with snow, just like Madam Rosmerta would.

Rummie

Coffee Dropped Rummie
It is a variation of the traditional rummie, where instead of coffee, coconut milk was used and Pine cones were dipped in it to give it, the Christmasy touch. But since pine cones would be hard to find, this is my take on it.

Ingredients:
1 cup of Rum (preferably Old Monk)
1 cup of milk
2 tsps coffee powder
3 tsps sugar

Process:
Mix coffee with sugar and a teaspoon of water.
Make it a concentrated paste.
Add the rum in the milk.
Add the coffee mix.
Serve hot.

apple cider

• Mulled Apple Cider
It is a good alternative to mulled wine and it is relished my many apple lovers. If properly Vatted, it has the sweet woody smell of the barrels with that of the apples.

Ingredients:
2 cups of Apple Cider
2-3 Cinnamon sticks
5-6 cloves
orange peel
lemon peel

Process:
Pour honey and apple cidar in a saucepan.
Add Cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel and lemon peel to the mixture.
Put the saucepan to light heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Do not bring it to a boil.
Serve with a lemon or an orange slice.

Poinsettias

Poinsettias
One of the easiest drinks to make, but it is as uplifting as any other drink.
2 cups of Champagne
3 tablespoons cranberry juice
4-5 cherries

Process:
Crush the cherries with flat side of the knife, it releases juice better than cutting.
Put the cherries, along with the cranberry juice, into the champagne flute.
Finally, pour the champagne from the champagne flute.

Firewhiskey

Fire whiskey (Yes, again from the pages of Harry Potter)
Fire whiskey is another drink that has been mentioned in the Harry Potter series. Well, I couldn’t help it, Harry Potter Series are too Christmasy! Here is my version of the Fire whiskey. (Caution: Don’t serve it to the kids, Dragons and Blast Ended-Skrewts.)

Ingredients
A good brand of Bourbon, preferably Old Dan Tucker Kentuky or Jack Daniels.
Tabasco sauce
Jalapenos
shot glass or a cup
something to stir with
Instructions
Crush the jalapenos and mix with water.
Add a dash of Tabasco Sauce to it.
Strain the mixture.
Pour the desired amount of bourbon in the glasses.
Add a teaspoon of the mixture.
Add honey to subdue the heat.
Stir well.
Serve on-the-rocks.

candycane-cocktail

Candy Cane Cocktail
This drink would somehow take you back to the memories of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. It has got all the things you loved when you were a child, and some (Hint: Rum and liqueur) which you love as adults.

Ingredients
30ml vanilla rum
30ml chocolate liqueur
30 ml peppermint schnapps
Peppermint/ Cherry Candy cane
Add the Vanilla rum, Chocolate Liqueur and peppermint schnapps to crushed ice.
Shake well, in a cocktail shaker
Strain the mix in a martini glass.
Garnish the drink by putting in a candy cane.

Sangria

Sangria
Sangria, was named after the Portuguese and the word for “Bloodletting”, due to its dark red color.

Ingredients:
Red Wine (Preferably Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon)
One orange cut into wedges
One Lemon Cut into wedges
3 Tablespoon sugar
1 Shot Brandy
2 Cups of schnapps, ginger ale or Tonic water.

Process:
Pour the wine in a pitcher and squeeze the lemon and the orange into it.
Toss the squeezed wedges in the wine.
Put some diced fruits, like apples, pitted cherry, peaches, strawberries, pineapple etc. in the wine.
Add sugar and brandy and mix them well.
Cover the pitcher and chill overnight.
Add the Ginger Ale/ Schnapps or tonic water before serving.