Our twist on three traditional Christmas cocktails
Cheers! Can you hear sleigh bells ringing and songbirds singing? That can only mean one thing — it’s time to think about what jingle juice you should stock this winter.
There are pages and pages of Christmas cocktails to choose from, many of them classics, but why not mix things up a little?
As leaders in the field of hospitality, at Dunns we like to spot and set trends. So, we’ve come up with some twists on traditional Christmas drinks. See what you think.
An untraditional Christmas Eggnog with no milk
The unlikely match of alcohol and a huge dose of dairy continues to make an appearance every Christmas season. The age-old recipe is rarely changed, but we think we might just have a way to simplify it while bringing the amount of milk down.
The traditional drink makes use of a whole farmers’ market of produce — egg whites, egg yolks, whole cream AND milk. But while eggs are almost essential for ensuring a thick and frothy consistency – although it can be done without them – in the age of alternatives, we can swap out any of these other ingredients for a dairy-free variation.
And what better than an alternative with a bit of a kick to it? The ‘ferociously smooth’ and award-winning Panther M*lk has taken the drinks industry by storm.
Panther M*lk makes the perfect winter cocktail as it contains oat milk, condensed oat milk and 4 premium spirits including Spiced Rum and brandy and can be served hot or cold with sprinkle of cinnamon. Locally and sustainably made.
Don’t reach for the old cream liqueurs reach for a Panther M*lk this Christmas.
Chicago Hot Toddy (no whisky! Seriously)
The Hot Toddy is often thought of as a home remedy for colds, coughs and flu, but what if this simple drink of four main ingredients was given some more heat? Douglas Phillips, bar manager at The Whistler Chicago, has devised a ‘Not Toddy’ with just that, featuring both gin and absinthe in it. Yes, gin and absinthe.
Appropriately, Phillips calls his cocktail the Never Setting Sun, saying “Gin lends itself to warm cocktails. In the same way that hot water pulls flavor from tea leaves it also accentuates the flavor of the botanicals used to create the gin.”
He also uses chai in his recipe, but never content to copy, that’s where we’ll deviate from Phillips’ incarnation. By using Rutland Square Chai Spiced Scottish Gin instead, we achieve the best of taste
and strength without needing to deal with any stray tea leaves getting caught in our teeth.
For that dash of danger, add a splash of Hendrick’s Absinthe — Chicago meets Girvan. Mix the absinthe and gin with hot water, honey and lemon juice and get ready for a Hot Toddy to knock your Christmas socks off. Don’t forget to garnish with a cinnamon stick for those Instagram stories.
Mulled Wine
Available at almost every Christmas event you and your customers are likely to attend, mulled wine is a certified Christmas classic. But we're noticing the rise of a different Christmas spirit, rum. And not just any rum, Black Roast Coffee Rum from the ever-daring Kraken.
No longer will the warming sensation of mulled wine lull you into a slumber. By swapping out the usual brandy for the Kraken’s “unexpectedly rich, dark and smooth” drink from the depths, this year’s mulled wine will keep even the bravest sailors awake all night.
Choose a velvety red – usually a merlot or a zinfandel works well – to pour (the whole bottle) into a fat-bottomed pot and drop all your spices and slices of fruit in. For spice, use cloves, cinnamon sticks and star anise. For fruit, use strips of lemon zest and slices of orange.
Add some sugar, honey and a good splash or two of Kraken then heat low and long, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is to your liking. This can take anything for 20 minutes to 3 hours — just be careful not to boil it at too high a temperature or for too long, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. Which certainly wouldn’t be Christmassy!
Choose Dunns for your Christmas cocktail ingredients
If any of our twists on tradition spark your interest, please get in touch. Along with all the alcohols mentioned, we supply spices, sugar, dairy and fruit. So, you can do it all in one order with Dunns.
