Christmas is the best excuse to enjoy our favourite foods and drinks, and the tastier the better. Whether we are snuggling on the couch with our favourite Christmas film, enjoying drinks at a work party, or are sharing a special bottle with our nearest and dearest, the right drinks at the right occasion can make whatever you’re doing feel extra special.
From quality wines to delicious cocktails and foamy beers, you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing your festive booze this year. The best way to tackle this is to think about the kind of beverages you enjoy, whether the drinks are to be shared with others, and what kind of events the drinks will be for.
For example, if you are buying wine to take to a dinner party you’ll want to choose something crowd-pleasing and easy-drinking. If you are throwing a cocktail party then cocktails need to be the order of the day. If you are gathering with friends to watch a film and have some nibbles then beer might be the best choice.
Whatever you are getting up to this Christmas, it is worth spending a little time thinking about what you will drink so you can make sure your selection is a winner. The great thing is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to put on a decent drinks menu, but if you want something extra special then the choice is always there for you to make.
Mulled wine
Spicy, warming and always delicious, mulled wine is a seasonal favourite that is perfect for warming up chilly hands and putting colour into your cheeks. Aromatic herbs, spices and flavourings such as vanilla, orange and cloves are steeped in a full bodied or slightly sweet red wine and heated to infuse the flavours. It is the perfect accompaniment for roasted meat, or for cradling as you gather around a bonfire or browse the Christmas markets. Similarly, mulled cider is a delicious hot alcoholic drink that is bursting with festive flavours and is often a little lighter in alcohol content making it a tempting alternative to hot, spiced Xmas wine.
Christmas cocktails
Cocktails are a wonderful addition to any festive occasion. There are loads of old favourites you can try recreating such as the retro classic snowball, a juicy buck’s fizz, or a classic champagne cocktail with a sugar cube, cognac, bitters and orange peel. For something with a little more zest, choose a gin cocktail with lemon and ginger, or indulge yourselves with boozy, velvety hot chocolate or a hot buttered rum. From the simple to the complex, there are thousands of cocktails to choose from that would make excellent choices this Christmas.
Beer
Some people just can’t get their head around the complexity of wine or the sheer variety of cocktails on offer, and will always reach for a trusty bottle of beer. With that being said, there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a really special beer this Christmas. Locally made, small batch beers and lagers are always a good idea, especially if they make seasonal special editions.
Something a little richer like a stout or even a good ale are also lovely and can be extremely flavourful. Beer, lagers, ales and even ciders can all be paired with any course in a Christmas dinner, just like wines can, and it can be a fun challenge for the host to give this a try.
Wine
No discussion of the best alcoholic drinks for Christmas would be complete without talking about wine. Wine is a real go-to alcoholic drink, and because it is so diverse there really is something for everyone. From crisp dry whites to jammy, sweet reds to amber and yellow dessert wines you will have a lot to choose from and can come up with some amazing pairings for food.
In general, red wines tend to be better with rich, meaty dishes and vegetarian dishes that are heavy in savoury ingredients such as mushrooms and rosemary. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz and pinot noir are great choices to enjoy with your roast dinner. Lighter meals like seafood, salads, appetisers and cheese dishes are great with whites such as chardonnays, sauvignon blanc, fiano and asti.