drinks recipes
Here's a collection of drinks recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index!
Mulled Wine
Mulled Apple Juice
Mulled Perry
Genevieve's Egg Nog
Dark Ginger Cocoa
Ali's Mojito Cheat
Spiced Fruit Punch with Gin
Elderflower Spritzer
Andre's Sloe Gin Collins
Ali's Vodka & Pure Orange Juice
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Warm bottle of 1 bottle of red wine with 4 tbsp demerara sugar, 4 tbsp raisins, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 clementines – sliced 1cm thick, 6 cloves, 50ml cognac and 100ml water. Simmer for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours and serve warm.
TIP: We've tried quite a few reds to see which makes the perfect mulled wine and Jean Bousquet's Tupantgato Malbec from Argentina came out trumps! It has deliciously voluptuous, sweet, juicy cherry flavours. It's just gorgeous, and when mingled with spices it won heaps of praise! Serves 6.
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Add a whole cinnamon stick, four cloves, a 2cm sliver of peeled, fresh ginger root and 2-3 tsp of demerara sugar to 750ml to 1 litre of apple juice (the hand-pressed version from Kent's Mole End Farm is the best in this drink!). Simmer over a very low heat for 15-30 minutes. This version is perfect to serve to children when the adults are having mulled wine. Or, you can make a grown-up version by adding a splash (say 1-2 shots or 4-5 tbsp) of cognac. Delicious! Oh… it serves 4-6.
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Sinéad is the resident cook in our Wimbledon office. She's Irish and has a lovely, warm, giving spirit and she whips up the most delicious risottos, curries and pastas for our office Lunch Club. When we put this drinks section together, an email was sent around the office to see what sort of Christmas tipples everyone liked and Sinéad said she'd tried mulled cider in a pub and loved it! "It's much lighter than a mulled wine,” she said. Here's her recipe: (serves 4).
- 1 fresh apple, unpeeled but cored and thinly sliced
- 1 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
- 6 whole cloves
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 x 500ml bottles Luscombe Devon Cider (or you can try it with Dunkerton's Perry!)
Pour the cider (or perry) into a large pan and stir in the honey, cloves, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Heat gently and simmer, without boiling, for 10 minutes. Add the apple slices and gently heat for a few minutes until the apple is tender. Ladle into mugs or heatproof glasses and drink warm.
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Genevieve is one of our friendly voices in customer services and this is her favourite Christmastime tipple! Serves 6
- 2 large organic eggs, separated
- 50g caster sugar
- 100ml spiced rum
- 200ml full-cream milk
- 150ml double cream, or Berkeley Luxury Pouring Cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to serve
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar for a few minutes with an electric whisk until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the rum or bourbon a little at a time, then whisk in the milk. The mixture will separate over time, so it may need to be whisked again. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the boozy egg mixture into the whites. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and fold that into the mixture as well. Ladle into glasses and serve with a dusting of nutmeg.
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Add extra warmth to your cocoa by swirling a 1cm piece of freshly grated ginger root through a melting 90g bar of dark chocolate (melt over a bain marie – i.e. a metal or glass bowl placed over a pot a thin layer of gently boiling water). Once the chocolate is melted, whisking in 200ml full-cream, Berkeley Farm organic milk until hot and frothy. Add a splash of spiced rum for extra warmth and deliciousness!
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Ali is the woman who determines which organic wines and drinks we sell. She knows her cocktails and was the inspiration behind this Christmas drinks section. This is not a scientific recipe with measurements but she says a splash of vodka added to a chilled bottle of Luscombe's lime crush is heavenly – "it reminds me of a mojito”. Serve in a short glass, add sugar around the rim (to do this, rub a slice of lime around the rim, pour some sugar in a little dish and press rim into this – that's it!), finish with fresh mint and lots of crushed ice. Voila!
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This is another one of Ali's creations. Simply prepare Rock's spiced fruit punch by adding water to the cordial and finish with a splash of gin. Serve in a large punchbowl with slices of fresh orange or clementine, lemon and lime.
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Serves 1
- 75ml white wine
- 25ml Luscombe wild elderflower bubbly
Pour white wine in a glass over ice and top with the elderflower bubbly. Serve with a thin slice of lemon.
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Serves 1
- 2 oz sloe gin
- juice of 1/2 lemons
- carbonated water
- 1 slice lemon
- 1 slice orange
- 1 cherry
Shake sloe gin and juice of lemon with ice and strain into a collins glass. Add several ice cubes, fill with carbonated water, and stir. Add slices of lemon and orange, top with the cherry, and serve with a straw.
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You can't beat this classic combo – especially when it's made with delicious organic ingredients. Make a rose-tinted version by using freshly squeezed blood oranges rather than juice from the carton.
- 250ml pure or freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2-3 tbsp organic vodka
Shake with ice or stir and then add the ice. "Lovely,” says Ali. You can also add a Sea Breeze/Sunrise twist by adding a splash of cranberry cordial.
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