Festive cocktails to share with friends!
Tick-tock, tick-tock, end-of-year festivities are almost upon us, it’s time to think about what’s on the menu to impress your guests. Don’t forget about your choice of drinks, have you thought about what you are going to offer them to drink?
Our drink experts have thought about it for you! To minimise cost and save time on the big day, opt for cocktails that you can make in big batches, for a large group.
Be inspired by the following recipes which cater for around twenty guests:
Christmas Cocktail (Stéphane Moesle’s recipe) :
- 350ml MONIN Winter Spice syrup
- 700ml dark rum
- 3L orange juice or mandarin juice
Makes around 4L of cocktail or 20 x 20cl glasses.
Pour all of the ingredients into a large container (punch bowl or drinks fountain). Add two sliced oranges and some cinnamon sticks to garnish. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Before serving, give the cocktail a stir and add some ice cubes.
Dressed to the nines Punch (Raphael Duron’s recipe) :
- 350ml MONIN Falernum syrup
- 350ml MONIN Lime Rantcho
- 700ml spiced dark rum
- 3L of Ginger Ale
Makes about 4.4L of cocktail, or 22 x 20cl glasses
Pour all of the ingredients except the fizzy drink into a big container (punch bowl or drinks fountain). Add two sliced limes, a split vanilla pod, several slices of ginger. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Before serving, add the ginger ale. Stir gently and finish with some ice cubes.
Saint Nicholas’ Punch (non-alcoholic, Raphael Duron’s recipe) :
- 450ml MONIN Gingerbread syrup
- 350ml MONIN Lemon Rantcho
- 2L clementine Juice
- 1.2L apple Juice
Makes around 4L of cocktail or 20 x 20cl glasses.
Pour all of the ingredients into a large container (punch bowl or drinks fountain). Add two sliced clementines, one sliced apple and some cinnamon sticks to garnish. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Before serving, stir the cocktail and add some ice cubes.
Several tips for preparing your festive cocktails:
- You can replace rum with vodka, if you prefer.
- Add lots of ice cubes to your punch when you are about to serve it so that it is extra cold. The more ice you put in, the less quickly it will melt and the less the cocktail will be diluted.
- If you are using a cocktail fountain with a tap, be sure to remove pips from the fruit that you use for the garnish.
Some ideas for garnish: fresh fruit kebabs (opt for citrus fruits or red fruits and avoid fruits which oxidise on contact with the air such as apple or pear), or some slices of citrus fruits or dried apple, which have a stunning visual impact.
You can also prepare some little labels in advance with the names of your guests attached to a clip so that everyone can identify their glass throughout the evening.