14 iconic festive cocktail recipes from The Shelbourne to Carton House

From Brandy Alexander to a Winter Nightcap

This time of year, we can revert back to our old reliable tastes and methods. In the period of festive cheer, nostalgia reigns supreme, from the top of the tree to the tinkle of your bar cart. With all that time on your hands and with your family, it’s always a good idea to have some diversions, a lightly-involved task to while away an afternoon. Cue some festive cocktail recipes from some of the country’s best hospitality establishments:

14. The Shelbourne’s Soleir

Ingredients

20 ml Gin Bertha’s Revenge

20 ml Montenegro Amaro

40ml Homemade cherry liqueur

25 ml Milk

Pineapple

Citric acid

Dehydrated pineapple for garnish

Method

Mash two pineapple slices inside a pot with a muddler. Add a pinch of citric acid. 5 minutes later, add Gin, Amaro and Liquor into the mixture. Stir gently a couple times and let it sit. Pour the warm whole milk in a second pot. Fine strain the first mixture into the pot with the warm milk and stir gently.

After 10 minutes strain it through a sifter and a coffee filter. Leave it filtrating in the fridge. The mixture is then ready to be served into a Nick and Nora glass. Serve with a spiced dehydrated pineapple slice and enjoy.

13. The Ice House’s Brandy Alexander

Ingredients

50 ml of Hennessy VS Brandy

25 ml of Crème de Cacao

25 ml of Fresh Cream

Method

Shaken and strain into a chilled Martini glass

12. Slane Distillery’s The Amplifier

Ingredients

50mls Slane Irish Whiskey Batch Strength

25mls Campari

10mls Dry Vermouth

10mls Sweet Vermouth

1 x dash Orange Bitters

Ice cubes

One large ice cube to serve

1 x fresh orange

Method

Collect your equipment. You’ll need a mixing jug, copper spoon strainer, jigger and mixing spoon. Add Slane Irish Whiskey Batch Strength and the rest of the ingredients to the mixing jug. Add ice to the jug, making it ¾ full, and stir for 30 seconds to cool the temperature of the liquid. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel, rimmed on the glass before placing into the drink.

11. Slane Distillery’s Slane Rose

Ingredients

50mls Slane Irish Whiskey

25mls Chambord

15mls Honey Syrup (2:1)

15mls Fresh Lemon Juice

150mls Pineapple Juice

I x Dash Barnbrack Off the Cuffe Bitters

2 x Blackberries

Ice Cubes

Dehydrated lemon wheel to garnish

Method

Collect your equipment. You’ll need a cocktail shaker, hawthorn strainer, fine mesh strainer, jigger and bar mixing spoon and muddler. Add Slane Irish Whiskey and the fresh blackberries to the cocktail shaker and muddle. Once the flavour has been released from the fruit, add the rest of the ingredients as listed. Dry shake together for 10 seconds with no ice before adding ice cubes to half-fill the cocktail shaker. Shake for another 20 seconds and double-strain into a large martini glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel on top.

10. The Dyflin Bar’s Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh

Ingredients

40ml of Roe & Co. Blended Irish Whiskey

10ml of Mead

30ml of Coconut Water

5ml of Honey

1 dash of Salt

Honeycomb for garnish

Method

Put 40ml Roe & Co. in a mixing glass, add coconut water, meade, honey and a dash of salt. Stir until mixed, pour into glass (coupe preferable), add honeycomb for garnish.

9. The Dyflin Bar’s The Winter Nightcap

Ingredients

60ml of Bulleit Rye Bourbon

10ml of sugar syrup

2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

2 dash of orange bitters

Method

Add 60ml of Bullet Rye Bourbon to a mixing glass, add 10ml of sugar syrup, Angostura Bitters & Orange Butters. Add all ingredients to mixing glass and stir until mixed. Pour into a glass (rock tumbler preferable). Best served with dark chocolate

8. Fota Island Resort’s Christmas Cocktail

Ingredients

35ml vodka,

30 ml baileys,

25ml espresso coffee

50 ml salted caramel sauce.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together with caramel sauce with ice in shaker. No particular order. For the garnish, use edible glitter, and cocoa powder, and sieve through a star stencil. Serve in a martini glass.

8. The Kingsley’s Snow Martini

Ingredients

35ml Vodka

2 shots Cream

Half shot White cacao

Half shot Vanilla syrup

Fresh squeeze of orange juice

Method

Mix all together in shaker with ice and strain. Grate chocolate on top to garnish. Serve in a martini glass.

7. The Kingsley’s Christmas Cracker

Ingredients

1 shot Whiskey

1 shot Disaronno

1/2 shot of sugar syrup

Lemon syrup

Egg white

A dash of angostura bitters

Method

Mix all together in a shaker with ice and strain. Serve in a tumbler glass.

6. The River Lee’s Christmas Alexander

Ingredients;

4cl Dark Rum

2cl Brown Cacao Liquor

1cl Prune Syrup

4cl Cream

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg and serve in a Martini glass.

5. The River Lee’s Winter Cobbler

Ingredients:

6cl Winter Tale Sherry

2cl Orange Juice

2cl Lemon Juice

2cl Date Syrup

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain and serve into a hi ball glass filled with cubed ice. Garnish with some dried orange and serve.

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4. The Heritage’s Sugar Cookie Martini

It’s sweet, creamy, rich, and has the delicate vanilla flavour of your favourite frosted sugar cookie (with sprinkles!). And while it tastes like an innocent sugar cookie, it definitely has a boozy kick that will add a little holly jolly to your holidays!

Ingredients: 

1.5oz Vanilla Vodka

1.5oz Irish cream

2oz whole milk

1oz Amaretto

Method

Shaken with ice and poured into a Martini glass. Vanilla syrup and choc sprinkles to rim the glass.

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3. Faithlegg’s Boltons Blizzard

Ingredients: 

25ml Muldoons Whiskey

35ml Baileys

Splash of orgeat

50ml almond milk.

Method: 

Pour into a shaker, add ice and shake. Strain into a chocolate-rimmed glass.

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2. Carton House’s The Library

Ingredients: 

20ml Carton House whiskey

40ml Porto LBV

15ml lime juice

15ml fig syrup

15ml egg white

Berries to garnish

Method:

Add all ingredients to the shaker. Dry shake for roughly 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake thoroughly for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass. Add berries to garnish.

1. Carton House’s The Earl

Ingredients: 

50ml Bulleit bourbon

35ml Guinness

20ml sugar syrup

2 dash angostura bitters

1 egg

Chocolate powder to garnish

Method:

Add all the ingredients to the shaker and dry shake for roughly 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake again for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass and add chocolate powder to garnish.

Will you be trying any of these this Christmas? Let us know how you get on!

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