The importance of your Christmas comestibles goes without saying, but of course you and your guests will be needing something to swish back the turkey with. Knowing this, CDCLifestyle has compiled a definitive guide to holiday drinking, as recommended by the experts themselves.
Below, you’ll find tips, tricks and flavoursome recommendations from the wine aficionados at Vinopolis as well as the connoisseurs and innovators behind a selection of truly magical spirits.
So, whether you’re playing host this season or simply desperate to widen your palate’s taste horizons, put down that shop-bought Buck’s Fizz and read on…
George Rowley, La Fée
La Fée conquers the complex and once-dubious history of absinthe. Triumphing over archaic preconceptions, La Fée delivers a revised and modernised take on the infamous liquor. Founded by George Rowley with assistance from absinthe historian, Marie-Claude Delahaye; La Fée is the first absinthe to be distilled in France since it was famously prohibited in 1915.
1. What is your quintessential Christmas tipple / wine?
It would have to be champagne, which, depending on Christmas stress levels, could be elevated to a “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail invented by Hemingway. Hemingway’s original instructions were: “pour one jigger of absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”
2. Which recipe constitutes your ultimate Christmas cocktail?
An Expresso Martini.
Ingredients:
• 25ml La Fée Absinthe Parisienne
• 25ml Coffee liqueur
• 25ml Espresso
• 15ml Sugar syrup 1:1
Method:
• Shake hard
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
• Garnish with a star anise.
3. When is it best to drink this? (I.e. Night cap, party drink, after dinner)
After dinner, to pep me up!
4. If you could receive absolutely any bottle for Christmas this year, what would it be and why?
I shared a lovely bottle of Sancerre 2011, Clos des Bouffants, Roger Neveu with my wife in Paris recently. Would love a case of this for Christmas!
Melanie Reeve, Vinopolis
Melanie’s fantastic knowledge of wine stems from her WSET Level 4 Diploma in wine and spirits. Her wonderful effervescence and sparkle is perhaps only matched by some of the world’s finest champagnes and, as such, she makes a fabulous Masterclass and group tasting host.
1. What is your quintessential Christmas tipple / wine?
Do I have to pick just one?!…a Mosel Riesling from Germany, then!
2. Which recipe constitutes your ultimate Christmas mulled wine?
Our Senior Wine Expert, Tom Forrest, has a delicious recipe.
Ingredients
• 2 bottles of red wine
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 2 oranges with 10 cloves stuck in each
• Big squeeze of honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Generous pinch of ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• Big splash of brandy
Method:
• Pour the wine into a hot pan
• Add the sliced lemon, herbs and spices
• Halve the oranges and add to the pan
• Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes, then place in a slow cooker on low and add brandy
3. When is best to drink this? (I.e. Night cap, party drink, after dinner)
Greet your friends as they arrive in from the cold with a warming glass of mulled wine (mince pie optional!)
4. If you could receive absolutely any bottle for Christmas this year, what would it be and why?
Ah…1969 W & J Graham’s Tawny Port (please!). You can probably guess the reason for my choice from the bottle’s year! Apparently it is simply stunning – a massive concentration of flavours like honeycomb, nuts, vanilla, caramel and orange peel – and a never-ending finish…only 712 bottles were produced!
Chris Penwarden, Vinopolis
Following the grape-soaked footsteps of fellow Vinopolis expert Melanie, Chris is currently studying for his Level 4 WSET Diploma. His passion for good food and even better drink is inextricably present in his contagious enthusiasm, while his accurate recommendations will knock your socks off – particularly if you’re already a few glasses of Canard Duchêne deep.
1. What is your quintessential Christmas tipple / wine?
My quintessential wine would be Oloroso sherry as it is a fabulous food wine paired with air-dried Spanish ham and fantastic as an aperitif on its own.
2. Which recipe constitutes your ultimate Christmas mulled wine?
Same as Mel, Tom Forrest’s famous recipe which we all love.
3. When is best to drink this? (I.e. Night cap, party drink, after dinner)
I like to drink it as soon as I get in from a cold wintery night; feet up, snuggled under a blanket, with a Christmas film and a couple of mince pies.
4. If you could receive absolutely any bottle for Christmas this year, what would it be and why?
My ultimate wine prezzie would be a bottle of Claret to go with a roast rib of beef on boxing day.
Johnny Neill, Whitley Neill Gin
Whitley Neill gin is the handcrafted product founded by Johnny Neill. Boasting exceptional quality and taste inspired by his wife’s African roots, Whitley Neill is a multi-award-winning mix of innovative flavours. With his no-doubt incredulous levels of gin consumption and the 8 generations of gin distillers that preceded him, it’s quite possible that gin is literally in his blood.
1. What is your quintessential Christmas tipple / wine?
I’d have to go a Whitley Neill G&T served with an orange wedge and a dash of Peychaud’s bitters. Fresh, livekly and a great start to the evening.
2. Which recipe constitutes your ultimate Christmas cocktail?
My ultimate Christmas cocktail would have to be a Negroni.
Ingredients:
• Whitley Neill Gin
• Sweet vermouth
• Campari
3. When is best to drink this? (I.e. Night cap, party drink, after dinner)
After dinner as the night is beginning to wind down – delicious.
4. If you could receive absolutely any bottle for Christmas this year, what would it be and why?
This year I’d really love to receive a bottle of Bootlegger White Grain Spirit. I love the idea of a prohibition style moonshine that I could use in some classic cocktails.
Tim Hope–Cobbold, Greenbox Drinks Ltd
Greenbox Drinks produce a selection of high quality British spirits, including Bloodshot Spiced Vodka. Proudly sustainable and environmentally responsible, the brand advocates recycling through their ‘bag-in-box’ concept. All Greenbox products are made by hand using artisan, ethical processes and never feature artificial additives.
1. What is your quintessential Christmas tipple / wine?
A Bloody Mary.
2. Which recipe constitutes your ultimate Christmas cocktail?
A Bloodshot Bloody Mary.
Ingredients:
• 50ml Bloodshot Spiced Vodka
• 200ml Tomato Juice
• Slice of Lemon
• Ice
Garnish:
• Celery stick
• Green olive
• Cherry tomato
• Cornichon, all on a cocktail stick
3. When is best to drink this? (I.e. Night cap, party drink, after dinner)
Boxing Day Morning! Post-Christmas Day excess to get the mind and body back on track.
4. If you could receive absolutely any bottle for Christmas this year, what would it be and why?
Bloodshot Spiced Vodka. A fantastic fiery fusion of vodka & spices to make the ultimate Bloody Mary, also great for making a bull shot to take out on any long cold walks with friends and family, ‘to warm the cockles’.
