Christmas time, mistletoe and mulled wine...

Depending on your Christmas Day routine, by now your dinner is either cooking or eaten – and it's time for a pre/post dinner drink. Below, Bhim Santoo from Urchin shares some of his favourite festive drinks recipes. Try classics like mulled wine and hot port, or something new in the form of a creamy, boozy, chocolatey White Christmas cocktail. We're drooling. When the Christmas cabin fever sets in (usually around the time the Monopoly board appears for us) Dubliners can pop into Urchin, which is the bar downstairs at Cliff Townhouse on St Stephen's Green, and let Bhim's team do the pouring for them...

White Christmas

40ml vodka (we infuse Absolut vodka with our own marzipan) 20ml Mozart White Chocolate Liqueur 20ml Crème de Cacaco 30ml pouring cream 10ml sugar syrup Garnish: Handful of coconut flakes, 1 tablespoon of vanilla custard, couple of cranberries

Method:

Begin by preparing your glass; dip the rim of a 'Nick and Nora' glass into the custard and then the coconut flakes. Place the vodka, chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao, cream and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker. Shake hard, strain into the glass and garnish with cranberries on top.  

Hot Port

85ml of late bottled Vintage Port 1 orange wedge or moon 4 cloves Boiling water Garnish: lemon slice, cloves and cinnamon stick

Method:

Use a glass with thick glass. Start by warming up your glass, by pouring hot water inside it. Prepare the garnish: an orange wedge or moon, thick enough so you can spike the cloves in it. Place the cinnamon stick in the glass, pour the Port into the glass and top up with boiling water. Place orange wedge on the top. You can make a sweeter Hot Port by dissolving a little brown sugar or a little honey in the hot water first.  

Hot Buttered Whiskey

40ml Teelings Whiskey Small Batch 20ml salted caramel syrup (you can buy this pre-made in stores) Spices: ¼ of teaspoon cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 vanilla pod 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Hot water for top up 100ml star anise cream  (1 x ground star anise) Garnish: one cinnamon stick and some grated orange

Method:

Warm the glass by pouring hot water inside it. Grind one star anise, and whip with fresh cream to make the star anise cream. Mix all of the spices and salted caramel syrup with the butter and refrigerate for one hour. Place 1 tablespoon of butter mix with 40ml of whiskey in the warmed glass, add boiling water and stir. Layer the star anise cream on top. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and grated orange.  

Mulled Wine by Bhim

1 bottle of red wine 2 cinnamon sticks 8 cloves 2 star anise 1 orange Sugar (to your taste) Garnish: orange wedges, cinnamon sticks and star anise

Method:

Start by squeezing the orange through a sieve, so the juice runs into a glass. Prepare a pot, large enough to accommodate one bottle of wine. Pour the red wine into the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Add sugar to your taste. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour and garnish with a orange wedge, cinnamon stick and star anise.