If Christmas calls for Christmas movies, then we think that a Christmas movie calls for a signature cocktail! Below are some of our favourite family films for the holiday season, with some appropriately chosen serves based on Hidden Curiosities gin. We’ve tried our best to stick to the themes of the movies, but forgive us if we’ve had some fun with it; the holiday season brings out the carefree in us.
Expect wintry spices, sweet combos and playful colours as we give you some of our very best festive recipes.
1.) Elf (2003)
This beautifully ridiculous Christmas classic certainly deserves a tipple to call its own. We’ve used Buddy’s favourite food as our core ingredient - pure, 100% maple syrup! The ingredient’s unique sweet, smoky, deep and herbaceous profile makes it both indulgent in its own right, and a perfect marriage with gin’s inherent botanicals. While sweet, the palate is balanced by fresh lemon and Angostura bitters, for a truly satisfying festive sipper.
Credit goes to the wonderful United States of Cocktails book by Brian Bartels, with this entry representing the Green Mountain State and its forests of maple trees perfectly. Just like the film, this serving is enjoyable on many different levels.
Old Vermont Cocktail
Ingredients
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1 tsp maple syrup
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10ml lemon juice
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2 dashes Angostura bitters
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orange peel, for garnish
Method
Add the gin and the maple syrup into a cocktail glass and stir to combine. Once the gin and syrup are amalgamated, add the lemon juice and stir. Pour into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass, then add the bitters and express your orange peel into the drink. Garnish with the orange, then serve.
2.) Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington Bear’s omnipresent marmalade sandwich is not only his favourite food, but a key plot device in this top-tier family film. In honour of the character, the flawless bitter Seville orange and Hugh Grant's scene-stealing performance as Phoenix Buchanan, this combo works wonders.
A word of warning - you may want to ensure your Christmas responsibilities are all done if you’re planning to have this one for breakfast…
Breakfast Martini
Ingredients
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10ml fresh lemon juice
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10ml Cointreau
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1 tsp orange marmalade
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Strip of orange zest, to garnish
Method
Combine gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, and marmalade in a cocktail shaker, then stir to help break up the marmalade and mix with the liquid ingredients. Fill the shaker with ice, shake well for 10 seconds or so, then strain into a chilled Martini glass. Express the orange zest over the drink and drop in to serve as a garnish.
3.) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington and his cronies may kidnap the legendary “Sandy Claws” and terrorise the folk of Christmas Town, but really they were just trying to capture the spirit of the holiday, however ineptly. This recipe, inspired by everyone’s favourite Christmas confection, recalls the king of Christmas Town’s famous outfit, while giving you a flavour profile as fresh as new snow. Serve well chilled.
Candy Cane Negroni
Ingredients
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25ml Campari
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20ml Cocchi Torino Vermouth
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10ml Fernet Branca
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5ml Creme De Menthe
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Bitter dark chocolate, to garnish
Method
Mix the ingredients together in a cocktail glass, and stir to combine. Pour over plenty of ice to achieve a very cold drink and a little dilution. Garnish with a little grated dark chocolate to offset the minty flavours perfectly.
4.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Dr. Seuss’ lean, mean, green Grinch character was brought to rubber-faced life by none other than Jim Carrey in this spectacular Christmas classic. Quite simply, it wouldn’t be worthy of the Grinch were it not green, and we’ve used the Japanese liquor Midori to attain that luscious colour - fun fact, “midori” is Japanese for “green”. For a garnish, a bright red maraschino cherry represents the Grinch’s beating heart, a key plot point and a delicious, fragrant touch to the drink.
Green Martini
Ingredients
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35 ml Hidden Curiosities Gin
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10ml Vermouth
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10 ml Midori
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Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
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Maraschino cherry, to garnish
Method
Put your Martini glass into the freezer about 15 minutes before you want to serve the drink - a successful Martini is all about temperature. Once it’s good and cold, add your liquor into this glass and stir gently to combine. Add the lemon juice to taste; Midori is sweet and will need a little sharpness to balance. Garnish with the maraschino cherry floated in the centre, and enjoy in front of a roaring fire.
5.) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
For this Muppets classic, we’ve of course gone with a Dickensian twist. Gin was the drink of choice back in the Victorian era, with a ubiquitous presence and an infamous reputation. As it’s Christmas, we’re serving this warm, with an array of appropriate festive spices. About the furthest thing from “Bah, humbug” you could possibly imagine…
Hot Gin Punch
Ingredients (makes four servings)
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200ml Hidden Curiosities gin
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200ml sweet Madeira wine
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2 tsp dark brown sugar
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Zest and juice of 1 lemon
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Zest and juice of 2 oranges
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300ml pineapple juice
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1 apple, sliced
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3 whole cloves
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2 cinnamon sticks
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Pinch of ground nutmeg
Method
Put all the ingredients into a medium-sized pan over a low heat.
Bring to a low simmer and cook gently for around 10-15 minutes. It is crucial that the heat is kept LOW, as boiling will both ruin the flavour and boil off the alcohol - think mulled wine, with just a little steam rising.
Taste and adjust the balance of flavours with more brown sugar or lemon juice, depending whether it’s too sweet, or not sweet enough.
Once warmed through, with all the flavours combined, we recommend you pour into a teapot for serving, pouring each drink into a china cup. The pot will filter out the spices and apple, keep your drink warm, and provide the perfect visual cue for enjoying the film.
These are of course only suggestions, and we welcome any diversions from our formula. So what do you like to have in your glass at Christmastime?
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