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. _________________________________________________________________________ 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. _________________________________________________________________________ 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. _________________________________________________________________________ 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! READ ON: 10 Christmas flicks to fight with your family during - Irish edition