A Matter of Taste | Joyful homemade Xmas elixirs

Explore festive drinks to make at home this Christmas season, from Mulled Wine to Winter Punch, with tips & tricks to make an elevated one.

Traditions around Christmas seem like millennia old, but in fact, many of them are no older than a century. The only period during which even the most stoic of dieticians will give you some respite on your intake is the festive season. (I don’t have any data on this – nor, quite frankly, have I bothered researching it – but, in an ideal world, I’d like this to be the case.) With Christmas around the corner, and New Year’s Eve just one unfinished leftover cake away, I think it’s time we went through a list of drinks that we can make at home without bringing down the kitchen and yet look merrier than pickled Kris Kringle.

A note, recipes for all these drinks below vary from one mixologist to the next, and all of them are fairly easy to find online. So, instead of listing ingredients or the method, I am instead sharing tips and tricks to help you make an elevated one.

Mulled Wine: Is it even winter if you aren’t drinking wine warmed with spices, sugar, and some form of alcohol? Mulled wine is one of the most popular wine cocktails, a warm one too at that, which makes it a rare mix to have found such massive widespread appeal. Don’t use expensive wines for this, but also avoid the absolute bottom-of-the-shelf bargain stuff. When you heat the wine, you will concentrate it, and a bad wine will taste much worse in the final mix. This drink also goes by Glühwein in Germanic and Glögg in the Nordic countries.

Eggnog: If beer is liquid bread, Eggnog is, well, liquid (boozy) custard. Ideally use a dark spirit for it; rum works but Bourbon is better. Take your time whisking the cream, milk, and sugar before you fold it gently and slowly into the egg yolks. Don’t heat the final mix too much or too harshly and definitely sprinkle some cinnamon dust as a garnish just before serving as it helps mask eggy smells, if any. Nutmeg can also be used, but sparingly as it can be overpowering even in tiny amounts.

Coquito: This is also known as the Puerto Rican Eggnog and it replaces egg yolk in the original recipe with coconut. The word Coquito means ‘little coconut’ in Spanish. Since coconuts don’t have the same emulsifying properties as egg yolks, many also add condensed milk along with the coconut milk and cream. Cinnamon dust can be mixed into the drink, and for garnish, using desiccated coconut instead to rim the glass can be a nice touch. It works with rum, Bourbon, and also brandy, and sometimes, people will macerate some cinnamon sticks in the spirit for a while so that the flavor stands enhanced.

Rum Toddy: Another usual suspect for a hot drink list. This involves heating up rum with honey and lemon juice. It sounds more like a recipe for a homemade remedy for a cold and cough, but hey, it’s got festive value. Add a cinnamon stick to enhance the aromas. Work with a dark rum preferably, as white rums just feel too thin and weak in this winter drink.

Winter Punch: A punch is mostly a summer drink, but one can adapt it for the festive wintery season too. Start with cranberry juice, spike it suitably with rum or brandy, top up with sparkling wine and apple cider or ginger ale, then garnish generously with fresh orange wedges and cherries (or cranberries). Dole it out of a big bowl into smaller cups and enjoy the perfect fireside sip.