Four Pillars Gin Original Festive Drinks
Friends near or far, wherever you find yourselves, we hope you have a fantastic, fun-filled and safe festive season.
After the year you’ve all had, you deserve the best bloody holiday season ever. And not just those of you who get to enjoy your festivities served up with a big dose of Australian sunshine. We’re also thinking about those Australians and lovers of Australian gin who’ll be enjoying a cold, wintery Christmas and New Year over in the UK.
For all of you (and anyone who likes a bit of old-school glitz in their holiday season) our resident Creative Director of Gin Drinks, James Irvine, has taken time out from running Eileen’s Bar at our Four Pillars Laboratory in Surry Hills to put together this banging list of original and adapted gin drinks to get the festive party started. Cheers!
Clover Club
Make the most of time together with loved ones this festive season with a round of Bloody Shiraz Gin Clover Clubs. We’ve fancied up this classic cocktail with Christmas flavours and the best bloody gin in the world!
Ingredients
50ml Bloody Shiraz Gin
25ml Fresh lemon juice
15ml Sugar syrup
3-4 Fresh raspberries
Dash of egg white
Nutmeg
Method
Shake and fine strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
DOUGLAS FIR
Our tibute to a beautiful Christmas tree, we call this celebratory spritz a Douglas Fir. Grab yourself a bottle of Bloody Shiraz Gin and serve it tall, bubbly and utterly delicious.
Ingredients
25ml Bloody Shiraz Gin
25ml Fresh orange juice
Sparkling wine
Rosemary
Orange
Method
Add gin and orange juice to a wine glass over ice, then top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a wheel of orange and a sprig of rosemary.
G&T SMASH
There’s never a wrong time for a G&T, but the festive season derserves one that’s a bit extra special. So here’s our G&T Smash made festive with a muddle of strawberries and mint leaves.
Ingredients
50ml Rare Dry Gin
2-4 Strawberries
4-6 Mint Leaves
Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Method
Place 6 mint leaves and 4 strawberries in the bottom of a Collins glass. Gently press and muddle together berries and mint. Add gin and some tonic water and stir. Then add ice and top with remaining tonic. Garnish with a mint sprig.
GINGER COLLINS
Wanting a taste of Australian sunshine to warm up your festive season? Grab a bottle of Modern Australian Gin and try this Ginger Collins made with lemon, honey and ginger beer.
Ingredients
50ml Modern Australian Gin
25ml Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Honey
Fever-Tree Ginger Beer
Lemon
Method
Completely dissolve honey into lemon juice. Add honey lemon liquid and gin to a Collins glass over ice, then top up with ginger beer. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
NUTCRACKER NEGRONI
There is no greater cocktail than the Negroni. This is our Nutcracker Negroni variant, made perfect for Christmas by adding Bloody Shiraz Gin and Amaretto into the mix.
Ingredients
25ml Bloody Shiraz Gin
25ml Sweet vermouth
12.5ml Amaretto
12.5ml Campari
Method
Build in a rocks glass over ice and stir well. Garnish with an orange wedge.
WASSAIL (serves 10)
Make the most of your Christmas family time with this warm Bloody Shiraz Gin punch designed to be shared. We’ve called it a Wassail as a tribute to the medieval English tradition of drinking together.
Ingredients
700ml Bloody Shiraz Gin
700ml Apple cider
350ml Fresh orange juice
150g Fresh cranberries
30g Brown sugar
1 Vanilla bean (split)
10 Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
Garnish
2 Oranges
12 Cinnamon sticks
Method
Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes. To serve, ladle the hot punch into a glass.