If there’s any time of year ripe for indulgence, it’s Christmas. The flavours of the festive period are synonymous with luxury: chocolate, toasted nuts and rich spices. Now, for one month only, top bartenders are distilling these flavours (and a generous helping of Christmas spirit) into their cocktails.
Some are taking the classic approach, as with Hawksmoor and its menu of nostalgic Christmas libations, while others are going for full-on indulgence, like at popular cocktail haunt Swift with its sherry trifle-inspired drink. Even classy London members’ club Annabel’s is embracing a bit of the Christmas kitsch, with a glittering drink primed for the season. You’ll also find frozen mulled wine, a Terry’s Chocolate Orange Negroni and plenty of riffs on the Snowball and Eggnog being poured across London this month.
So, if you’re bar hopping in the UK capital this December, catch these inventive Christmas cocktails on the menus of some of the city’s most brilliant bars.
11 terrific Christmas cocktails from top London bars
Terry’s Chocolate Orange Negroni
Discount Suit Company
Twists on the Negroni might be ubiquitous at the bar these days, but this is one you won’t want to miss. Infusing Fords Gin with orange peel and chocolate orange flavours is one way to ensure this Christmas cocktail is as much of a sensation as the classic Christmas sweet treat it’s modelled on. The citrussy concoction is then stirred down with Campari and sweet vermouth, plus a dash of cacao bitters to amp up the chocolate factor.
Mulled Wine Slushie
Pastaio
London restaurant Pastaio provides the comfort factor with its winter menu of pasta plates, but don’t go getting too comfortable… It’s also serving a frozen version of what is, for many, the season’s go-to drink and a classic winter warmer: mulled wine. Don’t worry, though: this undeniably fun drink promises to be just as laden with those familiar Christmas spices.
The Winter Secret
Le Magritte
Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cocchi Rosa vermouth, bitters and ‘winter syrup’ – teeming with ginger, nutmeg, cloves and chilli – combine in this original creation on the menu at the Beaumont Hotel’s bar, Le Magritte. Served in delicate stemware and with such elegant surrounds, this drink is the perfect fodder for a classy Christmas catch-up.
Sherry Trifle
Swift Borough
The Borough outpost of London cocktail bar group Swift is inviting market visitors in from the cold to warm their cockles with a drink inspired by a retro Christmas classic dessert, the sherry trifle. It sounds about as boozy as how your grandma used to make it, with vodka, Champagne and cream sherry in the mix, all balanced beautifully with strawberry, lemon and vanilla bitters. Pure nostalgia.
White chocolate | Oolong
Silverleaf
This year, sleek Pan Pacific hotel bar Silverleaf has created a riff on a kitsch classic, the Snowball, stirring up blended Japanese Nikka Days whisky with salted egg yolk, oolong tea and white chocolate. This clarified cocktail is deceptively creamy: you’ve been warned.
Pannetone
Equal Parts
Don’t let the minimal appearance of this cocktail served at east London’s Equal Parts deceive you, the flavours of the classic Italian festive treat are packed in tight. The bar team have chosen to channel their Italian heritage into this drink on the winter menu, which also features cider brandy from Somerset, Santa Teresa rum, Cognac and citrus peel.
A Wonderful Life
Il Gattopardo
Mayfair’s latest luxurious Italian restaurant, Il Gattopardo, has a dedicated bar from which to swoon over summer holiday favourites, from Negronis to Spritzes. But it’s also serving up wintery numbers like A Wonderful Life, a Christmas cocktail with Johnnie Walker Blue Label at its base. The luxurious whisky notes are amplified by citrussy flavours of persimmon, orange jam and cedro (Italian lemon), plus maple syrup, all shaken with egg white to provide a delightfully frothy texture.
The Great Snow
Tattu
If you’re already sick of the sight of holly and ivy, go for an icy adventure instead. London restaurant Tattu has had a winter glow-up to make it look like the inside of a snowglobe, and its menu features cool, blue-toned drinks to match the frosty aesthetic: The Great Snow is a simple, satisfying mix of Grey Goose vodka, elderflower, lemon and Prosecco.
Christmas Wisdom
Wacky Wombat
New London bar Wacky Wombat, brought to the capital by French bartender Nico de Soto, is making its mark with an eggnog-style drink served tall and dusted in chocolate. The Christmas Wisdom packs a punch with spiced buttered rum, Pedro Ximenez, roasted chestnut orgeat, egg and pumpkin cream.
Glitter 47
Annabel’s
Bring a bit of bling to your Christmas drinking at Annabel’s, the London members’ club that each year gets decked out in enough glitter and gold to make Liberace weep. The drinks here also sparkle: the Glitter 47 is a Champagne cocktail embellished with golden flakes and features Perrier-Jouët Champagne, plus Monkey 47 gin, mulled wine and Savoia Orancio for a bitter fleck on the finish.
After 8 Stinger
The Lowback
All of the bars attached to ever-popular steak restaurant Hawksmoor, including The Lowback, are getting into the festive spirit this year, with a Christmas cocktail menu that features everything from the Snowball to an especially boozy Irish Coffee. There’s also the After 8 Stinger, a refreshing delight modelled on the retro after-dinner mints, featuring Seven Tails XO brandy, cacao nibs and peppermint.
