Shall we toast with a Tast de Noël?
We already had the banquet, with a good well cut ham, a very fresh seafood and the supreme quality nougat. We just needed the pairing . The drink with which to accompany the food or the drink with which to celebrate Christmas, the Old Year and the New Year. And to find out what we must drink if we want to be traditional or not , we have once again turned to the experts.
WHAT ARE THE MOST TRADITIONAL LIQUEURS AT CHRISTMAS
"Christmas is one of the most traditional celebrations and that means that they are dates in which traditional liquors take on a special value," he explains. Bosco Torremocha Garcia de la Rasilla , executive director of the Spanish Federation of Spirits ( FEBE ). “Liquors such as chinchón, anise, pacharán or brandy”. And he reminds us that brandy is one of the first used in cocktail bars beyond the classic toast.
According to the mixologist and entrepreneur behind the Dry Martini bar, Javier de las Muelas , the best spirits to prepare cocktails at these parties “will be those whose aromas and flavors take us back to these dates. **Fruit liqueurs, berries, nuts, herbal liqueurs, egg liqueurs, spices (anise, vanilla, etc.) **”.
Another of the traditions on these dates, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas, is to prepare the famous christmas punch , Torremocha tells us, or how the English call it Cup, because it is served in a cup. “It's very convenient because you can prepare it ahead of time and leave it ready to serve in a punch bowl or similar container,” he explains. And he gives us two recipes: “One egg based , which is less typical in Spain, mixed with rum or brandy , and cook at medium temperature and it is taken warm ", He says. Without specifying measures because “ in the punch as in the gazpacho, each one has its recipe ”. And the other, he carries fruit base : “Orange, pineapple, pomegranate, strawberries and this one is made with white rum and is served cold”.
Other traditional cocktails on these dates are those made with cava or champagne base (whose consumption, he tells us, is rising 15% in Spain). "As the Kir Royal , which is a combination of champagne and cassis or blackberry liqueur.”
And, of course, for a few years the gin and tonic has gained strength and is not going away, as Bosco Torremocha García de la Rasilla explains.
Eggnog, a must in the US
WHEN TO TAKE THEM
Traditionally, in Spain, we wait until the end of dinner to start with the mixed drinks and cocktails. The toast is the end of the party . But modern cocktails encourage us to also enjoy them before and during the meal. "It is one of the great discoveries -says Torremocha-, the cocktail as an aperitif : it is perfect, because we are in a moment of relaxation, it can be something refreshing, like a gin and tonic or a glass of champagne”. Y so we whet our appetite . Or we don't get so tired to the cup.
Javier de las Muelas agrees: “Cocktails are very versatile”, he says, they can be taken at any time, before, during or after dinner.
PRACTICAL TIPS TO PREPARE YOUR COCKTAIL AT HOME
The first rule is very simple: “As the English say: Keep it simple”, explains Torremocha. "To have a good cocktail you don't need a thousand instruments". Just be clear about a few quick tips:
- Have a lot watch out for the ice . Do not abuse.
- Identify the ingredients that we are going to use and have them on hand. So that we do not have the recipe left halfway.
- Clean tools between cocktails . Or the result will not be the same.
- have cold drinks.
CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL RECIPES
Javier de las Muelas exclusively shares two of his cocktails from the Christmas Collection: the Christmas Tasting Y Celebration.
CELEBRATION
“It is a perfect cocktail for all hours; He will accompany us before and after a lunch or dinner. His combination of golden rum with hammers, pomegranate and grapefruit It will make him become a protagonist in our celebrations”.
2 drops DROPLETS® Sweet Violets
0.5 cl egg white
1cl lime juice
1cl grapefruit juice
2cl crème de myrtille
3cl pomegranate puree
5cl Bacardi rum 8 years
Decor: lime zest
Celebration
TAST DE NOËL
“This cava cocktail represents the purest spirit of these days with bubbly joy and citrus, cocoa and vanilla notes”.
4cl grapefruit juice
1cl vanilla syrup
3cl Pancracio chocolate vodka
2cl Gray Goose Vodka
13cl cava Freixenet Black Cord
Decor: grapefruit spiral, star anise.
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Christmas Tasting