Christmas Drinks

CHRISTMAS time is party time and what better way to impress your guests and add a bit of sparkle than with some delicious Christmas cocktails?

Forget the boring mulled wine or egg nog that every other host will be serving, instead spice up the night with some original festive flavours.

Knocking up some fizzy fun isn't as hard as it sounds - and as impressive as Tom Cruise is in 'Cocktail', you really don't need years of practice behind a bar to do it.

Maxine Clark, the kitchen whizz behind book Christmas Drinks [Ryland Peter & Small priced £6.99], says: "Creating delicious drinks at home doesn't have to be complicated or stressful and with a good selection of spirits, liqueurs and mixers, you'll have the basic ingredients for most recipes."

If you pre-plan your cocktail menu then you can buy one set of versatile ingredients without having to fork out for lots of different spirits and mixers.

To make sure you get to enjoy the party too, she advises: "If you're catering for a large crowd, make sure that you have plenty of ice in the freezer and offer just a few different drinks so you don't spend all your time mixing and serving."

So, get the party started, drink and be merry with some unusual Christmas cocktails. As Maxine says: "Drinks are an essential part of the festive season!"

All recipes serve one - to make more just multiply the ingredients by the number of drinks you want to make.

COCKTAIL BAR ESSENTIALS

Lots of ice - It sounds obvious but the more guests you have, the more ice you will need.

A range of different glasses- www.cocktail.uk.com has a great selection.

A cocktail shaker - A definite must to prevent your cocktails ending up all over the kitchen walls.

A barspoon - No, a sieve will not do.

Straws - If you want to go all out then an array of fancy stirrers, glitter sticks and sparklers will impress your guests no end.

A selection of spirits, mixers and liqueurs - unarguably the most important item on the list.