8 Festive drink recipes, 1 is Charles Dickens favorite with gin

Mulled pear & cranberry punch

Hot pear cider, apple and cranberry juice plus sloe gin with cinnamon - you can't get a better winter drink.

Ingredients

1 ltr pear cider

1 ltr pear (or cloudy apple) juice

1 ltr cranberry juice

good handful fresh or dried cranberries

150ml sloe gin

2 cinnamon sticks

2 vanilla pod, scored lengthways

Method

Put all the ingredients into your biggest saucepan or casserole dish. When you’re ready to serve, heat to just below simmering point, then ladle into glasses.

White mulled wine

Lighten up your winter warmer by switching red wine and heavy spices for light cider, vanilla and elderflower cordial

Ingredients

2 bottles cheap-ish white wine, medium-dry is good

500ml bottle light cider

150ml elderflower cordial

zest 2 lemons (pared into strips using a vegetable peeler)

2 cinnamon sticks

1 vanilla pod, split

4-5 tbsp caster sugar

Method

Put all the ingredients into a pan and heat until steaming but not boiling. Ladle into mugs or glasses to serve, while you keep the rest warm on a low heat.

Mimosas

Toast Christmas morning with this simple classic cocktail

1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

1 litre freshly squeezed orange juice, chilled

Half-fill each of 6 glasses with Champagne, then carefully pour in the orange juice until the glass is full.

Spiced Bloody Marys - James Martin

PREP: 5 MINS EASY SERVES 4

8 tbsp vodka

2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp horseradish sauce

few shakes Tabasco sauce

ice, to serve

Put all the ingredients, apart from the ice, into a blender. Blend until they’re all well mixed and the tomatoes are pulpy. Divide the ice between 4 glasses, pour the mix over the top and serve.

Piña colada serves 1

120ml pineapple juice

60ml white rum

60ml coconut cream

wedge of pineapple, to garnish (optional)

Pulse all the ingredients along with a handful of ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish as you like.

Mulled Port & lemon

PREP: 5 MINS COOK: 20 MINS EASY MAKES 8 GLASSES

If you find mulled wine too heavy, try this refreshing alternative Christmas drink, served in 'frosted' glasses

1 orange

1 lemon

750ml bottle ruby port

2 star anise(optional)

4 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks, plus more to serve (optional) plenty of ice, to serve

orange and lemon slices, to serve

lemonade, for topping up

Using a peeler, pare thin strips of zest from the orange and lemon. Squeeze the juice. Put the zests and juice into a large saucepan, then add the Port and remaining ingredients. Simmer very gently for 20 mins, then leave to cool completely. Can be made up to 1 week ahead and chilled. To serve, 'frost' the glasses if desired, put ice and slices of orange and lemon in each glass, then carefully pour in equal quantities of the Port and lemonade.

Gin Punch

If you prefer your drinks slightly more old-fashioned, you could always simmer up Charles Dickens' favorite tipple, a gin punch. Heat Gin with Madeira wine, cloves, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon and orange twists, a fresh pineapple and honey. Yield: 6 servingsTime: About 30 minutes

2 cups gin 2 cups sweet Madeira wine 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, or more to taste Peel and juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste Peel and juice of 1 orange 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced 3 whole cloves 3 cinnamon sticks Pinch of ground nutmeg

honey to sweetie if required

Put all the ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes; taste and adjust the balance of flavors with more brown sugar or more lemon juice if desired. Pour the mixture into a jug or teapot and serve warm.

Mulled wine

An easy mulled wine recipe for the festive season, brimming with Christmassy spice and a kick of sloe gin.

Preparation time less than 30 mins Cooking time less than 10 mins Serves 6

1 bottle red wine

60g/2oz demerara sugar

1 cinnamon stick

grated nutmeg

1 orange, halved

1 dried bay leaf

60ml/2fl oz sloe or damson gin (optional)

Method

Put the wine in a saucepan with the orange, sugar, bayleaf and the spices.

Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.

Off the heat, stir in the sloe or damson gin if you are using it.

Strain into heatproof glasses and serve at once.