Here are three Christmas cocktails, one alcohol-free, to encourage creativity over the coming weeks. The Virgin Mary bar in Dublin is behind the mocktail, while Dave Mulligan of Bar 1661 produced the Christmas Old Fashioned. If you aren't in the mood to make your own cocktails, Mulligan will deliver a personalised cocktail to your door, including his signature Belfast Coffee. See craftcocktails.ie for more details.
For the Bar 1661 Christmas Old Fashioned, first make a mulled wine syrup by heating a 1.1 ratio of red wine and sugar and infuse with a selection of your favourite Christmas spices (orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, star anise)for at least 20 minutes. Mix 10ml mulled wine syrup with 60ml Redbreast 12-year-old whiskey, three dashes of cocktail bitters (for example, Off the Cuffe chocolate factory bitters). Serve with ice and garnish with orange peel.
Alternatively, their standard Old Fashioned is available online. You could also try your hand at making a Belfast Coffee. Mix together 60ml cold brew coffee, 30ml Bán Poitín with 15ml demerara sugar. When dissolved, stir over ice and strain into an Irish coffee glass. Float thickened double cream over the top and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Alcohol-free
Vaughan Yates and his son Charlie are behind the Virgin Mary, Ireland's first alcohol-free bar and online store (thevirginmarybar.com). They came up with this light, refreshing cocktail that would make a great start to Christmas Day.
It includes Lyre’s non-alcoholic orange bitters, made to taste like Campari, and Everleaf Mountain, an alcohol-free juniper-flavoured “spirit” that is aimed at pink-gin drinkers. All of the ingredients are available on the Virgin Mary’s online store, along with various non-alcoholic Christmas drink kits. They would make a great gift for the non-drinker in your life.
To make the Everlasting Christmas cocktail, fill a wine glass with ice. Add 35ml Lyre’s Italian Orange, 35ml Everleaf Mountain, two drops of violet non-alcoholic bitters, 35ml pink grapefruit juice, top up with Freixenet alcohol-free sparkling wine. Garnish with two blackberries and a sprig of rosemary.
