The celebrations are well and truly underway, so what better time to whip up a Christmas cocktail and toast the festive season? With a little help from The Savoy’s senior bartender, Pippa Guy, and her new book, Let’s Get Fizzical, we’ve got two bubbling concoctions on the cards that are just right for a drinks party with friends. Cheers!
Royal Silver Bullet
The elegance of this cocktail makes it a great choice for evening drinks. It takes its inspiration from the classic Silver Bullet cocktail, but the addition of Champagne adds a little extra fun. The slight sweetness of the Kummel comes forward, with the herbal caraway, cumin, and fennel lingering familiarly in the background.
Ingredients:
Gin, 30ml/1fl oz
Kummel, 15ml/0.5fl oz
Lemon juice, 15ml/0.5fl oz
Champagne, to top up
Method:
Shake the gin, Kummel and lemon juice over ice.
Strain the mixture into a martini glass to serve.
Top with champagne.
Garnish:
Silver leaf or edible silver glitter gives this drink an exciting, sparkly finish.
Negroni Sbagliato
The sweet vermouth in this drink offsets the bitterness of the Campari. A Negroni is a classic gin cocktail and “sbagliato” is the Italian word for mistake. The story goes that this drink was born when bartender Mirko Stocchetti accidentally poured Prosecco instead of gin into his Negroni. The popularity of this bubbly blunder will forever signify that sometimes you really do learn from your mistakes.
Ingredients:
Campari, 30ml/1fl oz
Sweet vermouth, 30ml/1fl oz
Prosecco, to top up
Method:
Pour the Campari and sweet vermouth into an ice-filled mixing glass and stir for 10 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice to serve.
Top with Prosecco and stir again. Do this slowly to ensure the Prosecco stays bubbly.
Garnish:
Freshen up this drink with an orange twist.