Christmas is a sumptuous time of year for taste buds, but it’s usually the food that’s so tempting and Christmas drinks are resigned to a choice of wine, beer or spirits. Cocktails are often considered too complicated, especially when there’s the turkey and trimmings to worry about, but with a few simple ingredients it’s amazing what can be created in a matter of minutes.
Finnish vodka brand Finlandia has selected a range of its most easy-to-make Christmas cocktails that are bound to impress. Using basic, fresh ingredients, Finlandia makes the most complicated-looking cocktails achievable.
With a little festive fresh fruit, sugar syrup and a bottle of Finlandia Classic vodka (with its crisp, clean finish) or Finlandia Cranberry vodka (for that extra special Christmassy taste), the following cocktails are so simple to make, whilst looking and tasting as though they have spent hours in preparation.
Big Appleberry Finn
A refreshing fruity drink made with Finlandia Cranberry and berries, to give that extra Christmassy taste.
Ingredients:
50ml Finlandia Cranberry Fusion
150ml apple juice
25ml sugar syrup (available from most supermarkets)
3 raspberries, 2 blackberries & 2 red grapes
Garnish: 2 raspberries, 1 blackberry
Glass: 14oz
Method
Muddle the berries by crushing them in with muddler (or similar) in a glass. Pour the mixture into a cocktail shaker with cubed ice and shake. Strain the mix into a glass over ice cubes. Add the apple juice and stir with a long metal spoon (or bar spoon). Garnish by placing a couple of berries on top.
Arctic Summer
This cocktail is the picture of Christmas itself. A fabulously attractive drink that mixes mint and cranberry in an icy taste explosion. It’s incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients
25ml Finlandia Cranberry Fusion
25ml Finlandia Classic
15ml elderflower cordial
20ml lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup (available from most supermarket)
20ml apple juice
5 red grapes
6 mint leaves
Glass: 12oz
Garnish: Mint sprig and 2 red grapes
Method
Muddle the mint and grapes in a 12oz glass by crushing them together with a muddler or pestle (or similar). Add some crushed ice and then add then build the drink by adding the remaining ingredients one by one, stirring the drink and adding a little more crushed ice after each addition. Give it one last stir after the last ingredient is added and add some crushed ice on top. Finish the drink by placing a mint sprig and grape garnish on the top of the drink.
The Twinkle
With its champagne top and apt name, this light, delicately flavoured drink would add a sparkle to any Christmas Day menu.
Ingredients
30ml Finlandia Classic
15ml elderflower cordial
Champagne
Garnish: Lemon twist (made from lemon peel)
Glass: Large rocks (short tumbler style)
Method
Pour the Finlandia Classic and elderflower cordial into a cocktail shaker and add some ice cubes. Shake the ingredients and then strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice. Top the drink with champagne and then add a twist of lemon to garnish.
Finlandia Berry Caipiroska
A deliciously fruity, classic drink that tastes so refreshing after a heavy Christmas dinner. Can be made to taste from a choice of strawberries, raspberries or mixed berries.
Ingredients
50ml Finlandia Classic
20ml fresh lime juice
25ml sugar syrup (available from most supermarkets)
Berries (5-7 of chosen flavour)
Garnish: Berries (a couple of the chosen flavour)
Glass: Large rocks (short tumbler style)
Method
Put the berries, sugar syrup and lime juice into a glass and muddle the ingredients by crushing them in the glass with a muddler or pestle (or similar). Pour the mixture into a cocktail shaker with some cubed ice and shake. Strain over crushed ice in a large rocks glass. Top with a little more crushed ice and add your choice of berry garnish.