Festive drinkies!

Drinks at this time of year need to be warming, sparkling and colourful. Not just because we are welcoming the coldest time of year but there are plenty of celebrations to enjoy: parties, family gatherings and feasts! There are endless drinks ingredients and recipes to get you in the mood, but here are a few ideas (and they're all tried and tested!)

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Sparkle: Prosecco, champagne or ginger beer can be the base for a sparkly drink. Or why not try an original retro drink like Babycham with a tad of brandy and 3 cocktail cherries! Cranberry juice with sparkling water, lemonade, apple juice or champagne are all good. Add a berry liqueur to your champagne or prosecco. Gin mixes well with ginger beer and it also goes well with lemon and orange juice if you don't like tonic.

Colour:

For true colour the ingredients of choice are the jewel-coloured liqueurs like watermelon, orange, pomegranate, cherry. These can be mixed with cider or vodka in amounts to your taste. For a non-alcoholic alternative try apple juices, and syrups like grenadine and agave. 

Warmth:

Sparkling ginger beer is delicious on its own but it also mixes well with gin, apple juice and cider. Add lots of sliced apple, orange and lemon to garnish.

Spice: Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla pods to your drinks.

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Hot drinks:

Add caramel or gingerbread syrup to a hot coffee. Other syrups for a comforting effect include hazlenut and pumpkin. Another favourite addition to coffee is an Irish cream liqueur of which there are many flavours like mint and orange, or a good quality brandy might be your favourite; and the quality DOES count! Mulled wine and spiced cider are traditional warming winter drinks. Add sloe gin to them for a little extra kick! There are lots of proprietary brands of hot chocolate these days and they are particularly delicious spiked with rum and spices, or that famous Irish cream liqueur again!

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Herbal teas are becoming very popular again and these can be warming and colourful too! Try rosehip or cranberry, orange spice and lemon and ginger. A good reviver is fresh mint tea, or for sleepy evenings there's lavender and camomile!

​Glasses: It's good to add a special set of vintage drinking glasses for your seasonal revels. It makes all the difference to the taste! Flutes, coupes, saucers, sherberts, Martini: all lovely vintage names for drinking vessels of bygone times! Branded glasses are emblazoned with the drink name and/or logo, and some are delightful with vibrant colours and fonts.

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Cups: don't forget to present your hot drinks in long, clear glasses or jewel-coloured mugs! Vintage teapots are great fun so look out for the novelty ones like Christmas puddings and fir trees!

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In stock now at H & L:

Babycham & champagne glasses

Victorian cranberry glasses

Victorian jade green glasses

Clear flutes

Branded glasses: gin, ales, port & more

Selected drinks trays

Bar-top figures

Cocktail shakers

Retro bar accessories