12 Cocktails of Christmas

Get ready for Christmas! countdown the final 12 days to Christmas by enjoying some very flavourful and festive cocktails.

Utilising the wonderful Gin in a Tin, 12 Gins of Christmas, from Sous Chef, we’ve flown in two Sparking Wines, one Prosecco and a Slovenian Sparkling Wine to aid us in the creation of our Festive Fizz Cocktails.

The food and drinks, the flavours and aromas of Christmas are exciting aspects of the season, which bring back fond memories of youthful Christmas and past times, let’s all sing the final line from the famous Christmas Carol…

“On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.”

I do hope you sang that with me, otherwise, I would feel a bit silly singing it alone, (not that you actually heard me), this wonderous Christmas Carol was first published in England in the late eighteenth century and has continued to thrive, being one of the most recognisable Christmas Carols of our time.

Metlika – Slovenian Fizz

The cooperative of Vinska klet Metlika was first founded over one hundred years ago in Slovenia, on November 14th, 1909, the first time a cooperative cellar was built to store their wines was in 1929, but during the Second World War it was destroyed, after the war had ended in 1954, the construction of a 108-meter underground wine cellar began, it wasn’t until 2000 that they produced their first bottle of Sparkling Wine.

Vinska Klet Metlika – Metliška Penina Zelo Suha – Slovenia

Aroma – “A cream base or the likes of a lemon meringue pie, with a sprinkling of edible flowers,  floral notes, hay and ripe white pears, peaches and apricots on the aroma.”

Flavour – “A touch dryer with sweet textures of white chalk, minerals, white pears, green apples, and floral notes on the aroma.”

Silver Medal in the Creamy Category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2022

Ruggeri – Prosecco

Deeply rooted in the tradition of winemaking, the history of Ruggeri Winery began in 1950, founded by Giustino Bisol and his cousin, whose surname, Ruggeri, they adopted the name as part of the brand for their company.

In the early days, Ruggeri was one of only a handful of producers around Valdobbiadene focused on sparkling wine. Giustino’s son Paolo and granddaughter Isabella have since taken the company forward with the same pioneering spirit.

Ruggeri – Quartese Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut – Tasting Notes

Aroma – “White floral, green pears, white pears, honeysuckle, with delicate hints of freshly cut grass.”

Flavour – “Smooth white floral notes, green pears, white pears, honeysuckle, 

Silver Medal in the Light & Fruity Category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2022

The 12 Days of Gin in a Tin Advent Calendar

Gin in a Tin started life in Martin Agius’ Cotswold ‘Gin Pantry’. With vast knowledge and a passion for the spirit, he set out to create his own perfect blend – Gin in a Tin was born. Today the brand showcases it’s United Colours of Juniper’ with a wonderful display of Gins, that perfectly showcase some of the most loved flavours of the festive season.

The Gin in a Tin Advent Calendar from Sous Chef consists of 12 unique Gins in a 35ml Tin:

• Orange Peel, Nutmeg & Allspice
• Coriander, Cardamom & Lemon Peel
• Black Pepper, Cassia Bark & Cloves
• Beetroot, Apple & Dill
• Elderflower, Chamomile & Marigold
• Angelica, Samphire & Coriander
• Pumpkin, Orange Peel & Nutmeg
• Ginger, Angelica Root & Lemon Peel
• Packham Pear, Cinnamon & Orange Peel
• Pink Pepper, Cardamom & Coffee
• Fig, Sage & Thyme
• Blue Spruce, Lemon Peel & Cardamom

When crafting these artisan festive Cocktails for Christmas, look at the flavours on the Gin Tin and use those flavours as an indicator of what ingredients to include in your Christmas cocktails this year, that way it will help enhance the flavours already inside the Gin.

We’ve got to work on the exciting flavours, and rather than bringing in something from left field, enhance the characters that are already present.

Allspice Cocktail

• Orange Peel, Allspice, Nutmeg Gin
• Metliška Penina Zelo Suha
• Orange Peel
• Nutmeg Powder

Aroma – “Sweet spices of nutmeg sprinkled on a festive zesty orange.”

Flavour – “A festive zesty orange skin, with a delicate nutmeg, both infused in the gin and in powdered form, which helps to further its expression.”

Festive Cloves

• Black Pepper, Cassia Bark, Cloves Gin
• Ruggeri Prosecco
• Cloves

Aroma – “Cloves galore, very festive, with subtle hints of black pepper on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Smooth woody spicy flavours, with cloves and cardamom, bark and hints of black pepper balls on the palate.”

A Pumpkin Christmas

• Orange Peel, Pumpkin, Nutmeg Gin
• Metliška Penina Zelo Suha
• Orange Peel
• Nutmeg

Aroma – “Soft nutmeg, pumpkin spiced display with gentle orange zest on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Prominant orange zest, with nutmeg and hints of pumpkin with chalk and floral characters on the palate.”

I’ve started you off with these three festive Cocktails, the remaining 9 Gins in a Tin Cocktails are up to you, use their flavours to your advantage and most importantly, enjoy every sip.

We Hope You Have Merry Christmas From Glass of Bubbly and Sous Chef!