Christmas Cocktails

Pomegranate and Blood Orange Punch
1 pomegranate, seeds removed+
¼ cup (60ml) pomegranate molasses++
2/3 cup (160ml) vodka
2½ cups (625ml) lemonade
2 cups (500ml) blood orange juice
crushed ice, to serve
Place the pomegranate seeds, pomegranate molasses, vodka, lemonade and blood orange juice in a 1.5 litre-capacity (6 cups) jug and stir to combine. Makes 1.25 litres (6 cups).
+ To loosen the seeds, roll the pomegranate on a bench, cut in half and scrape the seeds into a bowl.
++ You can find pomegranate molasses at specialty food stores and Middle Eastern grocers.

Vanilla Apple Crush
6 cups apple juice
1 cup vanilla-flavoured vodka
crushed ice, to serve
lime slices, to serve

Place the apple juice and vodka in a large jug and stir to combine.

Divide the ice between glasses, pour over the apple juice mixture and top with lime to serve.

Serves 8.

Iced Mint and Cucumber Gin
1 telegraph cucumber, peeled and grated
½ cup (125ml) gin
2.25 litres lemonade
ice cubes
1 cup mint leaves, to serve

Place the cucumber, gin, lemonade and ice cubes in a blender and blend until well combined.

Pour into glasses and top with the mint leaves to serve.

Serves 6.

Mint and Lime Crush
4 limes
1/3 cup (75 g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 cup (250ml) white rum
2 limes, extra, thinly sliced
½ cup mint leaves, extra
ice cubes and soda water, to serve

Place the mint, lime and sugar in a bowl and gently crush with the end of a rolling pin. Strain into a jug and add the rum, extra lime, extra mint and ice cubes.

Top up with soda water to serve.

Serves 6.

Caprioska
8 limes, cut into wedges
30 gm caster sugar, or to taste
12 mint leaves, torn
250 ml vodka

Method
Muddle limes with sugar in a large jug, add mint and vodka, stir well, add ice and serve.

Rob Choy
To serve:ice cubes
rind, removed with a peeler
45 ml Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (see note)
15 ml Martini Rosso
3 splashes Peychaud’s Bitters
1 tbs pallspice sugar syrup (see note)

Method
Fill a large tumbler with ice to three-quarters full. Add remaining ingredients (except rind) and stir for 20 seconds. Top with a little fresh ice so that ice sits above level of the liquid, rub rim of glass with rind, drop rind into glass as garnish and serve.

Note: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is a single-malt Scotch whisky. You can substitute any good-quality Scotch whisky. To make allspice sugar syrup, bring equal quantities of caster sugar (1/3 cup) and water (1/3 cup) to the boil, add allspice to taste (about ½ tsp), remove from heat and cool completely. The quantities given here will make about 125ml syrup.

Longrain Moscow Mule
200 ml vodka, preferably 42 Below
2 cups(firmly packed) mint
3-4 limes, cut into wedges
400 ml ginger beer

Method
Pour vodka into a 1 litre-capacity jug. Add mint and squeeze over lime, adding wedges to jug. Fill jug with ice, top with ginger beer, stir and serve. Note: This recipe makes 1 litre.

Sparkling Strawberry Crush
250 gm strawberries (about 1 punnet hulled and coarsely chopped
2 limes, juice only, plus extra wedges to serve
¼ cup (loosely packed) mint
Plus extra to serve
To serve:crushed ice and soda water
Strawberry-gin cordial
500 gm strawberries (about 2 punnets), hulled and coarsely chopped
About 330 gm(1½ cups) white sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
180 ml gin, or to taste

Method
For strawberry-gin cordial, combine strawberries and 500ml water in a saucepan, bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, simmer until strawberries are fragrant and pulpy (12-15 minutes), then strain through a muslin-lined sieve, pressing to extract all liquid (discard solids). Measure strawberry liquid (you should have about 1½ cups or 375ml) and combine in a clean saucepan with an equal amount by volume (not by weight) of sugar (about 1½ cups or 330gm). Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add vinegar, then cool slightly and stir through gin. Cool completely before using. Makes about 600ml. Cordial will keep refrigerated in a sterile bottle or container for 2 months

To serve, muddle strawberries, lime juice and mint and divide among glasses. Add strawberry-gin cordial to taste, top up with crushed ice, then soda water, and serve with lime wedges and extra mint. Add a cheeky splash of extra gin for good measure.

Raspberry Mint Mojito
7 small mint leaves, plus extra to garnish
7 raspberries, plus extra to garnish
½lime
1 tsp sugar syrup (see note)
40 ml medium-bodied rum, such as Mount Gay
To serve: soda water, chilled

Method
In a tumbler, add mint, raspberries, lime and sugar syrup and muddle gently.

Fill with crushed ice, add rum and give the whole thing a good stir, lifting the mint up from the bottom and through the drink.
Top with soda water and garnish with mint and a raspberry.

Note: For sugar syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water, bring to the boil, then cool completely and refrigerate for up to a year.