Five Christmas cocktail recipes from a winter spritz to cranberry gin fizz

As with everything Christmas related, the drinks are indulgent. It's all about the bubbles, mulled wine and festive themed drinks, whether they're warmed or just a litte over the top

Cranberry gin fizz

The perfect centrepiece for your Christmas celebration

Serves 10-12

250ml Martin Miller’s Gin
2 sprigs fresh thyme
500ml cranberry juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1L tonic water
Fresh cranberries, to garnish

Pour the gin into a bowl. Add the thyme and muddle to bruise the leaves and release their flavour. Remove the thyme leaves with a slotted spoon and discard.

Add the cranberry and orange juices to the gin, then stir in the tonic water. Pour into a punch bowl or a jug filled with ice. Garnish with lots of fresh cranberries.

A variation on the Martini, the Espresso, is also an excellent variation for a brunch drink

The classic espresso martini

Serves 1

40ml Grey Goose Vodka
30ml espresso coffee
20ml Kahlua
Coffee beans, to garnish

Put all the ingredients apart from the coffee beans into a cocktail shaker. Shake hard, strain once, then strain again into a martini glass.

Garnish with three coffee beans.

The classic winter spritz

Serves 1

50ml Aperol
75ml Champagne or Prosecco
Ginger beer, to taste
Orange slices and basil leaves, to garnish

Pour the Aperol and fizz into a glass full of ice. Top up with ginger beer.

Garnish with slices of orange and basil leaves.

Coffee and chocolate bourbon

This richly flavoured infusion makes a charming homemade gift for bourbon lovers and is also great with chocolate desserts or as a digestif.

Makes: about 850ml

1 tbsp chocolate extract 
100ml freshly brewed espresso
700ml bourbon 
150g caster sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a large (minimum 1.5 litre) Kilner jar or wide-necked bottle. The drink is then ready to serve – simply decant into a pretty bottle or smaller presentation bottles.

The classic gin and ginger

Serves 1

50ml Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin
0.5cm thick slice of fresh ginger
Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water
Orange Peel, to garnish

Muddle the fresh ginger in the bottom of a highball glass and fill with ice. Add the gin and top up with the tonic water.

Garnish with a strip of orange peel.

Recipes from Waitrose.com. Find more recipes at waitrosecellar.com/mulled-wine-christmas-drinks