We are all still very excited about the arrival of Autumn here in the Les Enfants office.  The leaves are getting crispier, the trees are turning red, and there is a distinct increase in turtle neck and wooly sock wear.  In the chilly (and very festive) months to come there will be plenty of reason to keep toasty, and what better way to do so than with a winter cocktail.


As any good host knows, it is just as important to look after the adults at your parties as well as the star guests – your children.  These events are wonderful opportunities to meet fellow parents, and can even present fantastic networking opportunities for both business and friendship alike.  We have hunted down a range of wonderful winter cocktails to warm you (and your social skills) up!

CANDY CANE COCKTAIL

For those with a sweeter tooth, this candy cane cocktail is sure to please.  With it’s distinctive mintyness it will leave you feeling fresh too!  

Candy Cane Cocktail

To create this drink you will need –

  • 1 Candy Cane (Crushed for Garnish)
  • 2 Ounces Strawberry Vodka
  • 4 Dashes of White Creme de Menthe
  • 2 1/2 Ounces of Cranberry Juice
  • Ice Cubes

Directions –

First, if you haven’t done so already, smash up your candy cane with a rolling pin.  Make sure to pop it in a bag first or there will be minty shards all over your kitchen way into the new year. Pop the dust onto a saucer and wet the rim of a martini glass.  Holding the glass by the stem, rotate it into the candy.  In a cocktail shaker, combine the liquid ingredients and the ice. Shake well, strain into the prepared glass and enjoy immediately!

EARL GREY HOT TODDY

Another lovely simple recipe is this delicious earl grey hot toddy.  Perfect for winter parties in the outdoors where adults want warming up quickly!  Serve this beauty in mason jars wrapped with hessian to see their faces light up.

Earl Grey Hot Toddy

To create this drink (for 2) you will need –

  • 2 Earl Grey Tea Bags
  • 1 1/2 cups of boiling water
  • 1-2 Ounces of Bourbon
  • 4 Tbsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tbsp of Honey (if you like it sweet!)

Directions –

Pop the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Once it has hit boiling point, remove it from the heat, add the tea bags and cover, letting the tea steep for 3 – 5 minutes.  Pop in the lemon juice and stir in the honey.  Add 1 ounce of bourbon to each mason jar and pour in the tea mixture.  Garnish with a slice of lemon, and relax!

CRANBERRY AND ROSEMARY WHITE CHRISTMAS SANGRIA

This recipe is a little fruitier, so incredibly easy to make, and just a little bit addictive.  The great thing about sangria, is that pretty much all that it involves is chopping up your fruit and adding your liquid ingredients together.  It tastes like you put in far more effort in though – trust us!

rosemary-cranberry-white-sangria

To create this drink you will need –

  • 1 Granny Smith Apple
  • 1 Braeburn Apple
  • 1 Cup of Fresh Cranberries
  • 2 Large Sprigs of Rosemary (1 for garnish)
  • 1 Bottle of Pinot Grigio (the better the wine, the better the sangria!)
  • 1/2 Cup of White Grape Juice
  • 1/4 Cup of Sugar
  • 1 Can of Club Soda

Firstly, chop up your apples into cubes.  In a large pitcher, add all of the ingredients and mix well, so the sugar fully dissolves.  Place the pitcher in your fridge and allow to chill, in which time the rosemary will also infuse your sangria.  To make your garnish, take your second sprig of rosemary and lightly spritz with water. Roll the rosemary in granulated sugar to make it look like it has been dusted in snow.  Once the jug has chilled for about an hour, take it out, pop the spring on the side and voila!

PUMPKIN, PINEAPPLE AND RUM COCKTAIL

Now for something for the October lovers, the people who adore winter and cannot get enough pumpkin pie/spiced latte to satisfy their cravings – the Pumpkin, Pineapple and Rum Cocktail.

pumpkin-pineapple-rum-cocktail

To create this drink (for 2) you will need –

  • 7 Ounces of Pineapple Juice
  • 3 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 Tsp of Maple Syrup
  • 1 Lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Pinch of Ginger
  • 1 Pinch of Nutmeg
  • 1 Pinch of Allspice
  • 3 Ounces of Dark Rum

There may be a lot of ingredients in this tasty tipple, but that is pretty much where the effort ends.  Pour all of the ingredients into a blender, and blitz well!  Fill two old fashioned glasses with ice, and pour the mixture over.  Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.  Done!


And for the expectant parents, or for adults who would rather go alcohol free, we have some fantastic suggestions too –

HOT APPLE PIE PUNCH

There’s no need for mittens with a mug of this warm, delicious apple drink, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, AND a rather delicious sneaky ingredient – ICE CREAM.

hot-apple-pie-punch

To create this drink (for 8) you will need –

  • 1 1/2 Tsps of Ground Cinnamon
  • Generous Pinch of Ground Cloves
  • 1/2 Whole Grated Nutmeg
  • 2 Litres of Apple Juice
  • 2 Tsps of Vanilla Extract
  • 6 Scoops of Vanilla Ice-cream (YES, you read that correctly…mmmmmm)
  • Apple Crisps (For garnish)

Pop the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, apple juice and vanilla extract into a large saucepan, and heat until it reaches a gentle simmer.  Once the apple juice is sufficiently warmed, add the vanilla icecream and whisk vigorously until it has melted and mixed with the juice.  As a visual guide, the ice cream should have created a lovely frothy top!  Finally, garnish with apple crisps.

BUTTERBEER

Well, here is one for the Harry Potter fans, and the kids can drink it too!  Butterbeer is a delicious drink that Harry and his friends enjoyed on a crisp winter day in Hogsmeade pub and is described as tasting like butterscotch.  Sounds good by us!

Butter Beer

To create this drink (for 4) you will need –

  • 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
  • 4 Tbsp of Butter
  • 1/2 Tsp of Salt
  • 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 3/4 Cup of Heavy Cream, divided
  • Four 12 Ounce Bottles of Cream Soda, chilled

To begin, mix the brown sugar with two tbsp of water in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil over a medium heat, and continue to cook, whilst stirring occasionally, until the mix turns to a syrup consistency and reaches 240 degrees (you will need a sugar thermometer here – they are well worth buying, and very affordable!). Once the sugar has reached this temperature, turn off the heat and the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 cup of cream.  Stir until smooth.  Leave the mix to cool to room temperature.  In a medium bowl beat the rest of the cream with two tbsp of your brown sugar syrup.  Take four beer glasses and mix 1/4 of a cup of the brown sugar syrup with a 1/4 of a cup of cream soda.  Pour in the rest of the cream soda until is nearly reaches to the top of the glass.  Top with your brown sugar whipped cream!


Well, now you have to throw a party!  Dust off your martini glasses, polish your high balls and crack out your cocktail shaker.  Autumn starts here!

Author:  Hannah Coates