Klaus: A true selfless act always sparks another.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is soon approaching and Glass of Bubbly is crafting a whole new exciting range of Christmas Cocktails, we’ve chosen some of the best Christmas films and created a perfect Cocktail to accompany them, working alongside different wineries and distilleries, I’ll give you a little history into each film and the know-how to create a delicious themed Cocktail.

Klaus – Netflix

This 2019 animated Christmas Netflix movie is one of the most well received and highest reviewed Christmas films in recent years by critics and fans alike.

It was co-written and co-directed by Sergio Pablos in his directorial debut, the film was produced by his company The SPA Studios and distributed by Netflix.

The film takes on an alternate origin story of Santa Claus, released on the 8th of November 2019, it took home seven awards at the 47th Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and also won Best Animated Film at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.

Klaus: Ho ho ho!
Jesper: Wait, wait, wait. Time out. Really? THAT’S how you laugh?

Klaus was also nominated at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, which made it the very 1st animated film by Netflix to be nominated for an Academy Award.

The Sparkling Wine – No.1 Family Estate

No.1 Family Estate was created in 1977 by Adele & Daniel, they chose the name No.1 Family Estate in recognition of the many ‘firsts’ in New Zealand wine they had achieved over the years while working on their first venture, Cellier Le Brun.

They released their very first Cuvée No.1 on Bastille Day in 1999 and in 2012 their No.1 Assemblé was the first wine in New Zealand to be labeled ‘Méthode Marlborough’ in place of Méthode Traditionelle.

Check out the time when I had to deliver one of their Sparkling Wines to Middle Earth: Lord of the Rings – One Sparkling Wine To Rule Them All

No.1 Family Estate – No.1 Assemblé – Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Lovely dark, well-baked pastry, surrounded by rich green apples and yellow fruits, sweet lime and a touch of savory notes, with cured meats and gammon.”

Flavour – “Initial zesty characters, from green, white and yellow fruits, a lovely display of the terroir, with chalk, minerals and wet stones, now we’re getting the toasty notes, powerful, but calm enough to allow the other flavours to continue shining alongside.”

Silver Medal in the Pastries Delight Category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2023

The Rum – Cut Away

Lost Loch Spirits was founded and is owned and operated by Pete Dignan & Rich Pierce, with three aspects being crucial to their mission, the place, the process, and the spirits.

The Place – The Lost Loch Spirits distillery is in the heart of Royal Deeside, 30 miles west of Aberdeen. The distillery is built on the banks of the now drained Loch Auchlossan, or the ‘Lost Loch’. The landscape and the history surrounding them seeps into the storytelling, flavours, and branding.

The Process – To maintain the highest standards, Lost Loch Spirits produces in a small batch mentality in an honest and transparent way. Using only natural ingredients and respecting the environment.

The Spirits – Each spirit draws inspiration from local provenance and the histories of the land around them. The final products are quirky, invigorating, inventive and imaginative, distinctly separate but part of the Lost Loch Spirits family.

We’re tasting their Cut Away Spiced Rum, inspired by a no-nonsense inn by the same name, where loggers would order tots of rum and shelter for the night. These tough characters steered timber down the length of the river Dee from forests on the slopes of the Cairngorm mountains to the stormy North Sea. The inn was renamed after a corner of the building was literally cut away to build a railway line right next door.

Cut Away Spiced Rum – Tasting Experience – “Rich tropical pineapples, sweet vanilla, creamy chocolate and woody spices to explore.”

The Klaus Cocktail

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Rum
• Pineapple Juice
• Agave Nectar
• Ground Almond

How To Make The Klaus Cocktail

1. Start with 15mls of Rum
2. A Sqeesh of Agave Nectar
3. Top up with 75mls of Sparkling Wine
4. 50mls of Pineapple Juice
5. Then Sprinkle With Ground Almonds

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “A refreshing youthful warmth, of pineapples, sweet almonds, yeasty yellow fruits, and yellow floral with some melted butter.”

Flavours – “Relaxing yet vibrant with bubbly yeasty, pastry and brioche notes, along with charred oak, rich almonds and tropical pineapple.”

Merry Christmas from Glass of Bubbly