Yorkshire’s Cooper King Distillery has made it super easy to get into the Christmas spirit this year! Impress friends and family with these quirky twists on classic cocktail recipes and much to the delight of your eco-conscious guests, they all use sustainable, hand-crafted spirits as a base.
Cooper King Distillery Co-Founder, Chris Jaume says: “It’s possible to impress friends and family – or simply treat yourself – with delicious cocktails without a great deal of time and effort. We’ve designed these tipples to be easy to make so all you need to think about is your playlist and whether to serve cream or ice cream with your mince pies.”
Kir Royale – serves 1
A berry-licious update on a Christmas classic, this long, luxurious and celebratory tipple is lightning quick to create and uses Cooper King’s brand new fruity ruby red liqueur – what’s more Christmassy than that?!
Ingredients:
25ml Cooper King Berry + Basil Liqueur
125ml Champagne (or good quality dry/brut sparkling white wine)
Fresh raspberry, to garnish
Method:
Pour the liqueur into a Champagne flute, gently top it with Champagne and garnish with fresh raspberry
Spiced Apple Martini (serve hot or cold) – serves 1
An elegant alternative to mulled wine and super easy to make, this warming fruity and spiced martini can be served hot, ideal after a bracing winter walk – or ice cold as an aperitif or digestif. The chocolate bitters are optional but highly recommended to add a distinctive spicy cocoa hit.
Ingredients:
50ml Cooper King Dry Gin
50ml cloudy apple juice
12.5ml vanilla syrup (Monin Vanilla Syrup is widely available in Tesco and Sainsburys)
4 drops Ms. Better’s Chocolate Bitters (optional, but easily available from Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange)
½ cinnamon stick
Whole star anise, to garnish
Method:
To serve hot: Simply treat as you would mulled wine. Add all ingredients, aside from the star anise, to a pan with 20ml of water per serve. Gently heat on the hob until warm. Strain, garnish with star anise and enjoy.
To serve cold: Add all ingredients, aside from the star anise, to a cocktail shaker and add plenty of ice. Shake vigorously until chilled and double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the star anise.
Bloody Mary – serves 1
This festive and savoury staple uses Cooper King’s brand-new Black Cardamom Vodka – the only vodka in the world to be crafted using this luxurious spice. The Bloody Mary is all about personalisation, add more Tabasco for spice fiends or more lemon for increased zing. A drink as refreshing as a Bloody Mary deserves some decadence – enjoy!
Ingredients:
50ml Cooper King Black Cardamom Vodka
150ml Big Tom spiced tomato juice (this will save time as it comes ready mixed with Worcestershire sauce and spices and is available at all major supermarkets)
12.5ml fresh lemon juice
Dash Tabasco sauce
Pinch of salt
Lemon wedge, celery stick and black pepper, to garnish
Method:
Add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and salt to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir vigorously until chilled. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with the lemon wedge, celery stick and a few grinds of black pepper.
To discover more about Cooper King Distillery, visit: www.cooperkingdistillery.co.uk / Instagram: @cooperkingdistillery/ Twitter: @CKdistillery / Facebook: @CooperKingDistillery
