Spice up New Year’s with these fabulous festive cocktails

Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Pudding Vodka 

Ingredients

1 piece of mace blade

2 sticks of cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground mixed spice

1 lemon

1 orange

300g currants

200g chopped mixed peel

450g light muscovado sugar

1 litre quality vodka.

Method

1. Warm the spices in a dry pan over low heat for 10 minutes or until the aromas are released.
2. Grate the lemon and orange rind into in a bowl, then squeeze in two tablespoons of each juice.
3. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, including the warmed spices. Mix well, cover and chill for three to four days, stirring a few times daily, if you can.
4. To bottle the vodka, line a sieve with muslin and strain. Discard the cinnamon sticks, but reserve the soaked fruits for other uses.
5. Decant the vodka into clean bottles and seal – this will store for up to one year, and can be served from the freezer or at room temperature.

Distell’s Black Bottle Bitters and Cola: 

Ingredients

1 part Black Bottle Whisky

2 to 3 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 parts cola

Orange wedge

Ice.

Method

Fill the glass to the rim with ice cubes. Add the bitters, Black Bottle Whisky and cola. Stir and add orange wedge.

Amarula Dom Pedro 

Ingredients

60ml Amarula

30ml espresso

120ml vanilla ice cream

25ml thick cream

Chocolate powder or pieces for garnishing

Method

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker or blender. Seal the container, shake or blend thoroughly and pour into a glass. Garnish with chocolate powder or pieces.

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