Ukraine: uzvar
Uzvar is traditionally drunk on Christmas Eve, and makes an interesting change from spiced mulled apple juice. The dried fruit adds a flavour evocative of mince pies. (The warm, plump left-over fruit is excellent with ice-cream.) Serves eight.
2 litres apple juice (keep it local, if possible)
250ml water
100g prunes
100g raisins
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 orange peel
200ml honey
Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir, turn down the heat and keep at a steady temperature for 10 minutes. Serve in mugs.
Caribbean: daiquiri
This beautifully balanced drink from Cuba is a classic for a reason, and there is little need to alter the original. To make sugar syrup, combine equal parts water and sugar, simmer until the sugar dissolves, then pour into a sterilised container. It will keep for up to two months; once opened, store in the fridge and use within a month. So here it is. No nonsense. Per serving:
75ml white rum
25ml fresh lime juice
15ml sugar syrup
Slice of lime, to garnish
Put everything bar the lime in a shaker with ice, shake hard, then strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with lime.
India: orange and green cardamom lassi
Orange and cardamom are tremendous companions. I use honey instead of the traditional sugar in my lassi, because I find its sweetness is just that bit smoother. The key with the orange is to pinch the zest over the drink to release the essential oils, just as you would on a cocktail. Serves two.
300ml natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley Organic, and not just because I’m a West Country boy, honest)
2 tbsp honey
1 small pinch ground cardamom
100ml cold water
50g crushed ice cubes
2 orange twists, to finish
Put everything bar the orange twists in a blender and whizz smooth. Pour into two tumblers, then twist the orange peel over the drinks to spray the lassi with those delectable orange oils.
South-east Asia: Singapore sling
It is the 100th anniversary of this legendary cocktail, created in 1915 in the Raffles Hotel, Singapore. If you haven’t tried one before, here’s your excuse. A cocktail umbrella and a garish stirrer are obligatory. Per serving:
30ml gin
15ml cherry brandy
7.5ml Cointreau
7.5ml Bénédictine
1 dash Angostura bitters
10ml grenadine
120ml pineapple juice
15ml lime juice
Put everything in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake hard and strain into a tall glass filled with ice.
Italy: negroni sbagliato
I’ve drunk my fair share of these at the bar of Cafe Murano in London. Traditional negroni contains gin, but this spritzy alternative is a splendid Christmas cocktail , and could well be a contender for a morning bucks fizz– sbagliato essentially means “messed up”. I like the blend of vermouths, but if you can’t find, or afford, Antica Formula (it ain’t cheap), use any red vermouth that suits your wallet and tastebuds; the lambrusco brings a little tannin to the party. Per serving:
25ml Campari
12.5ml Martini Rosso
12.5ml Antica Formula
25ml red lambrusco
1 orange twist, to garnish
Fill a tumbler with ice, add the Campari and vermouth, then top with lambrusco. Gently stir – the lambrusco, being fizzy, may bubble up if you’re too vigourous –, then twist the orange peel over the glass to release those precious aromatic oils. Another straight away, please.
Scandinavia: snaps
This strong libation varies in name from country to country, but wherever you are, a few shots have largely the same outcome: inebriation. Swedish versions have a strong herbal kick, while Norwegians call the stuff akvavit and flavour it with caraway and fennel. Be sure to learn a snapsvisor to accompany your snaps: these are drinking songs all about, you guessed it, drinking snaps. Makes one 70cl bottle.
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 handful fresh dill
2 star anise
1 tsp sugar
1 unwaxed lemon, peel only
700ml vodka (I use Sipsmith’s, but any good one will do)
Heat an empty pan on a medium heat, then add the caraway and fennel, and heat until they give off a toasty aroma. Take off the heat and set aside.
Put the cooled seeds, dill, star anise and lemon peel in a clean 700ml jar. Pour in the vodka, seal and store in a cool, dark cupboard for three days. Fine-strain into a sterilised bottle, mix in the sugar and put in the freezer, ready for a fitting occasion.
• Jack Adair Bevan is co-owner of The Ethicurean in Bristol.
