It's time to get into the Christmas spirit with a special festive tipple.
From mince pie-flavoured rum to Christmas pudding gin and a Nutcracker-inspired snowglobe bottle, retailers have pulled out all the stops this year.
There is even a Pig in Blanket whiskey cocktail among the weird and wonderful alcoholic drinks up for grabs.
But which beverages are party perfect and which ones are best avoided this year? We reveal all in our taste test of the 12 drinks of Christmas...
(Ratings are out of 5).
■ Watch the video of our taste test at.. https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymirror?lang=en
Winter Spiced Fizz - 1
£3 Morrisons
Morrisons Spiced Fizz
They say: An alternative to mulled wine, this cocktail is a sparkling blend of wine and festive spices.
We say: As a fan of both mulled wine and sparkling wine, I initially thought this drink could be a replacement for a Christmas day Buck’s Fizz.
However, it left me disappointed as it mainly tasted of very, very fizzy Ribena.
It also had an overpowering sickly sweet smell which I found a bit off-putting. I’ll stick to what I know this Christmas.
Minced Pie Rumhattan - 2
£25 worldofzing.com
Rumhattan
They say: The taste of Christmas in a glass, with the fruity flavours of a mince pie perfectly infused with rich Mount Gay rum and vermouth.
We say: I was expecting this to taste like a spiced rum – but in fact it was more like a sherry.
I found the drink overall to be a bit strange.
Disaronno Velvet - 3
£15 Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco and Waitrose
Disaronno Velvet
They say: A new take on the classic amaretto liqueur. This creamy drink has subtle flavours of toasted almonds, apricot, vanilla and toffee.
We say: This has a very subtle, marzipan flavour, and I could imagine myself enjoying this as a Christmas Day nightcap. The bottle design is stunning, and it would look great on a shelf or in a drinks cabinet.
Mulled Christmas Gin - 4
£40 burleighsgin.com
They say: Created using Burleighs’ signature botanicals with festive favourites including nutmeg, ginger, liquorice root, star anise and cloves. The botanicals are steeped in red wine. Serve with premium tonic, fresh orange and cinnamon stick.
We say: I’m not exactly sure what I was initially expecting from this, but I was intrigued by the idea of a mulled wine gin. It didn’t have much of a wine flavour – it mostly tasted of a premium gin but slightly spicier. But it’s far from unpleasant and I could see myself enjoying this with tonic.
Hortus Christmas Gin - 5
£15.99 Lidl
They say: This festive flavour includes frankincense and myrrh, giving it spicy undertones. It also has hints of orange and cinnamon, making it perfect for serving with a citrus tonic and a garnish of orange peel for a Christmas treat.
We say: The Three Wise Men would be impressed with this one – it’s a real winner. It’s a lot more luxurious than the price suggests, smells of a church on Christmas Eve and I could imagine really savouring this with tonic and a swirl of orange peel as a Boxing Day hair of the dog.
Blood Orange Light Up Musical Snow Globe Gin Liqueur Magnum - 3.5
£35 Marks & Spencer
They say: A magnum-sized gin in a brand-new blood orange flavour with 23-carat edible gold and silver leaf. This wow-worthy drink lights up and plays a festive tune, making it a beautiful Christmas centrepiece or an impressive gift.
We say: This is a real show-stopping piece that plays the Nutcracker theme tune, perfect for gifting to loved ones or taking to a Christmas party, and given that it’s a magnum it’s not bad value for money. The drink itself was a bit too sweet for my tastes, which loses it a couple of points.
Gingerbread Espresso Martini - 4
£25 dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk
Gingerbread
They say: This winter wonder made from fine Scottish vodka blended with warming gingerbread spices is a ready-made, bottled cocktail which makes for a brilliant seasonal gift.
We say: I love espresso martinis, and have never tried a gingerbread flavoured one until now. Sometimes pre-mixed espresso martinis can taste a bit wrong, but I would have been happy to have this one served to me in a bar. It has a lovely wintery taste but the gingerbread doesn’t overpower the coffee, instead complementing it well.
Ballycastle Chocolate and Clementine Cream - 5
£6.99 Aldi
They say: A beautifully luxurious creamy blend of alcohol, double cream and clementine flavourings. The perfect treat for those with a sweeter tooth.
We say: Although it’s clementine and not orange, this has a real Terry’s Chocolate Orange vibe to it and I liked the striking glittery orange bottle. This is dangerous as it’s extremely delicious and doesn’t feel like you’re drinking booze, but rather a very moreish milkshake.
Sixpence Pud Gin Liqueur - 3.5
£24.95 Harvey Nichols, Master of Malt, Firebox and Gravitydrinks.co.uk
Sixpence gin
They say: This shimmering gin liqueur is set to be the centre piece of your Christmas celebrations. Simply drink neat in a glass with ice, use to create a festive cocktail or add to prosecco to create the perfect aperitif.
We say: This has a slight overpowering raisin taste, but I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt as I didn’t have prosecco to hand and feel it would work better in fizz than on the rocks. The fact it is versatile is a nice touch, as is the festive gold colour of the drink and unusual Christmas pudding bottle design.
Cranberry Blush Gin Liqueur - 3
£12 Sainsbury’s
They say: A cranberry flavoured spirit made with whole cranberries to naturally infuse flavour and colour. This drink has subtle notes of warming cinnamon, cardamom and ginger and can be mixed with Triple Sec, pomegranate juice and lime juice to make a Christmas Cosmopolitan cocktail.
We say: It tastes just like cranberry juice, and is very tart. Due to its overpowering taste, it would have tasted nicer mixed in a cocktail as the brand suggests. I like the chic bottle more than the drink itself.
Pig in Blanket Old Fashioned - 4
£14.99 thecocktaildeliverycompany.co.uk
Old Fashioned
They say: No pigs were harmed in the making of this drink! Perfect for that Christmas day festive lunch, our charming Old Fashioned is crafted with “bacon” infused Bourbon stirred with simple syrup and fennel bitters, and garnished with a rosemary sprig.
We say: I’m not the biggest fan of pigs in blankets, and was a bit wary of this. But I am willing to admit that I was wrong and it is surprisingly nice. I am not 100% sure what it is infused with, but it has an initially smoky taste that then does taste a bit like bacon - and this works with the Bourbon. The additional sprig of rosemary complemented it well too.
Tesco Finest Irish Cream Lebkuchen Spiced Gingerbread - 2
£12 Tesco
Tesco Irish Cream
They say: This evokes festive flavours from traditional Christmas markets with aromas of gingerbread and spice notes, warming spirit and Irish single malt whiskey, enveloped in velvety Ballyrashane double cream.
We say: The liqueur smells exactly like a baked goods stand at a Christmas market - but when it came to the taste it fell flat. I was expecting more of a gingerbread flavour but it just tasted like regular Irish cream, and a bit bland at that.
