The countdown to Christmas is upon us, Christmas songs are being played on the radio and, this year, many of you may already have pulled out the decorations and turned your houses in to winter wonderlands. And now the halls are well and truly decked, it’s time to stick on your favourite Christmas movie, mine’s Elf followed closely by Home Alone, and cosy up with a festive cocktail to bring even more cheer in to your life!

If that sounds good to you then I have some great news. I may not be able to help with the inevitable debate of Love Actually or Elf, but my very own Gingerbread Martini is on the Happy Hour menu this month and even better…it’s super simple to make.

If it does help at all this is my top 5 Christmas movie recommendations:

1. Elf
2. Home Alone
3. The Santa Clause
4. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey version)
5. Miracle on 34^th Street (Richard Attenborough version)

So, the Gingerbread Martini is a cocktail I am really proud of. I created it a couple of years ago when we had some friends round for pre-Christmas drinks and dinner and wanted to start the evening off with something that was unquestionably Christmas in a glass to get us all in the festive mood. Those of you that know us, know we like to go big when hosting; so on this occasion, as much as we love them both, the usual mulled wine or cider wasn’t going to cut it. Or, for me having not met some of the guests before, didn’t want to knock their socks off with my infamous Eggnog – spoiler alert, that will be going on the blog just in time for Christmas.

As usual, I turned to the internet as my first port of call but found google a little uninspiring. So as always in this situation, I turned to the trusty noggin once again, taking inspiration from another festive favourite of mine…the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte!

With the concept locked in my mind, it didn’t take long to concoct what has become one of my favourite cocktails (strictly kept as a treat for the yuletide season…I promise!). 

Turns out, it’s not just me…it’s a real crowd pleaser! Having made it now for a fair few people it is in fact, of all the cocktails I’ve made over the past couple of years, by far the most requested recipe of the lot. I know some people have been waiting since this time last year on the promise that it would be going up on the blog at some point, so for you, I can happily tell you the long wait is over! For everyone else, I really hope you enjoy as much as the rest of us.

Gingerbread Martini Ingredients

• 40ml Vodka (Hutch’s recommendation – Black Cow Vodka)
• 40ml Coffee Liqueur (Hutch’s recommendation – Mr Black Coffee Liqueur)
• 40ml Baileys (note – Baileys Almande [dairy free] works well with this recipe)
• 40ml Gingerbread syrup (Hutch’s recommendation – Monin syrup)

How to make a Gingerbread Martini

• Put a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker along with all ingredients
• Shake vigorously for around 30 seconds
• Strain into a martini glass, and stick on your favourite Christmas playlist to get truly in the spirit

I know it may seem Christmassy to us now but gingerbread wasn’t always so closely linked with the festive period. In fact, whilst it’s known that the gingerbread house, which is now synonymous with the Christmas holidays, originated in Germany during the 16^th century; it is not known whether it was a result of the popular fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, by The Brothers Grimm. For those that know the story, it could therefore be argued that the gingerbread house should be more aligned with Halloween than Christmas. In my opinion, it’s 100% Christmas but at least this story gives me a good excuse to start shaking up those Gingerbread Martinis a little earlier!

Happy Holidays!

Hutch