It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is just around the corner now, and at Stroodles our Christmas preparations are in full swing! With houses and trees decorated, and Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree, we thought it would be the perfect time to start thinking about what drinks you could make and enjoy with your Christmas guests this year.
At Stroodles we believe that no holiday celebration is complete without some delicious drinks (which you can stroodle of course). So, at Stroodles HQ we thought long and hard about what our favourite Christmas tipples are, and have put together this blog post to share with you our top 5 Christmas cocktails. We believe that making your own cocktails definitely adds a special sparkle to the Christmas season, and are guaranteed to bring the festive cheer amongst guests.
The following festive tipples will definitely get all you fellow stroodlers in the Christmas spirit, so why not have a go at making some of our favourite Christmas drinks yourselves?
Apple Velvet
Aloha 65 spirit up your Christmas! This Christmas why not add Aloha 65 to your festive tipples? If you’re looking for a spirit which is sweet yet fiery at the same time, then this is definitely the spirit for you.
Aloha 65 is like nothing else. It doesn’t fit neatly into boxes marked “gin” or “vodka”. It’s a spirit drink infused with fresh pineapple, lemon, ginger, scotch-bonnet chillies and carefully selected herbs and spices.
This particular cocktail, Apple Velvet, is perfect for those who are looking for a warm festive tipple, but perhaps aren’t a massive fan of mulled wine. Apple Velvet is a warm, apple delight with a kick of spice, and tastes even better when served with a stroodle.
Ingredients:
200ml Aloha 65
1 litre of cloudy apple juice
Cinnamon stick
Method:
Add 200ml Aloha 65, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 litre of cloudy apple juice to the pan and heat up until hot then serve with a stroodle.
If you prefer a mulled wine, you could switch the apple juice to red wine, as well as add some star anise and cloves, and you’ve got yourself THE most delicious Aloha 65 version of the classic mulled wine!
Christmas Negroni 
This Christmas twist on the classic Negroni is sure to be a crowd pleaser amongst your guests this Christmas, especially when drinking it with a pasta straw!
Infusing your gin with wintery spices gives this classic Italian cocktail a festive feel and you a warming glow! This delicious twist on a Negroni features festive spices and oranges - it’s not to be missed! So good we would drink it all year round… Thanks Jamie Oliver!
Ingredients:
INFUSED GIN (MAKES 550ML)
2 oranges
100 g golden caster sugar
4 cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
1 stick of cinnamon
1 star anise
500 ml Bombay sapphire gin
NEGRONI
70 ml infused gin , (recipe below)
2 slices of orange
50 ml Martini bianco
50 ml Martini bitters
Method:
1. To make the infused gin (do this as far ahead as you can), strip the zest from the oranges, then add to a small pan with all of the remaining ingredients, except for the gin.
2. Gently bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it forms a light syrup. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
3. Once cold, pour the cooled syrup and its infusions into a glass bottle and top up with the gin. Shake well to mix and store for at least a week to infuse. Strain before using.
4. To make the cocktails, divide a handful of ice cubes between two old fashioned whisky glasses. Mix the negroni ingredients in a jug, stir well and divide between the glasses. Serve with a stroodle!
Clementine Prosecco 
Make Christmas extra special this year with this sparkling clementine prosecco cocktail. Jazz up a bottle of prosecco with fruity orange liqueur and tangy clementine juice for a truly festive party tipple - and it tastes even better served with a stroodle pasta straw of course!
We love anything with clementines, and the lemon juice ensures that it’s not too sweet. So very Christmassy! We think this prosecco cocktail is the perfect morning tipple, perhaps to enjoy whilst opening all your presents!
Prosecco Club’s Clementine Prosecco recipe is ticking our taste buds this December….
Ingredients
Juice of 6 clementines
Juice of 1/2 lemon
100g caster sugar
Campari or Aperol, to taste
Prosecco
Method
1. In a pan, mix together the juice of the clementines and ½ lemon with the caster sugar. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble the mixture for 5 minutes until syrupy. Leave to cool, then chill.
2. To serve, pour a little of the chilled clementine syrup into serving glasses, followed by a dash of Campari or Aperol. Top up with chilled Prosecco and stir! Add a stroodle to each glass and enjoy!
Mistletoe Margaritas 
Merry margarita time!
I mean, come on, who doesn’t need a good Christmas margarita? These delicious Mistletoe Cranberry Margaritas are just the thing to spice up any holiday season party!
The sugared cranberries and fresh mint leaves garnish (AND a frosty rimmed glass!) are the perfect way to step up your cocktail game, especially when served with a pasta straw.
Try Delish’s festive party favourite at your Christmas or New Year party and treat your guests to a delicious twist on a Margarita to enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
50 g whole cranberries
50 g caster sugar, divided
2 tbsp. salt
1 wedge lime, for rim
480 ml cranberry juice
350 ml silver tequila
235 ml triple sec
180 ml lime juice, divided
Ice
Mint, for garnish
Method
1. In a medium bowl, toss cranberries with 60ml lime juice. Drain out lime juice, then toss with 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour onto a baking sheet to dry.
2. Combine remaining sugar with salt on a shallow plate and mix to combine. Using the lime wedge, wet the rim of each glass, then dip in sugar salt mixture.
3. Combine cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice in a large blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and a couple sugared cranberries, add a pasta straw and enjoy!
Cranberry Mule 
This Cranberry Mule is a fun twist on the more traditional Moscow Mule, which at Stroodles HQ we all love. We believe that everyone should have a Cranberry Mule in their hands this Christmas!
This fantastic drink calls for spiced rum (instead of traditional vodka), cranberry juice and ginger beer, then is topped with sugared cranberries as garnish. Shake up a Cranberry Moscow Mule and serve this festive holiday cocktail! It’s the perfect drink for holiday entertaining, especially when you add a stroodle pasta straw for that extra WOW factor!
This speckled palate recipe is too delicious for words..
Ingredients:
16 oz. Cranberry Juice
24 oz. Ginger Beer
12 oz. Spiced Rum
8 oz. Simple Syrup
Ice / Frozen Cranberries (or both!)
Method:
1. In a large glass pitcher, combine the following: 16 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice, 24 oz. ginger beer, 12 oz. spiced rum, 8 oz. simple syrup
2. Stir with a long cocktail spoon (or a wooden spoon!)
3. Add ice and/or frozen cranberries to keep it cool, and serve. Just make sure that you leave enough space to add ice or frozen cranberries at the end to keep it cool!
4. Pour the icy cold cocktail over the ice in your prepared glass.
Garnish each glass with sugared cranberries (or regular cranberries if you don’t want to go the sugared route!), add a stroodle and enjoy immediately!
We are sure that shaking up any of these Christmas tipples this festive season will put a huge smile on your loved ones faces. Whatever your drink of choice this festive season, add a Stroodle to your drink to add that extra WOW factor for your Christmas guests! We don’t want you to ruin anyone's Christmas with soggy paper straws after all, so be sure to stock up on some Stroodles by clicking here.
Please do let us know if you make any of these Christmas cocktails, and send us photos of course - we would love to see your creations!
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Lots of love from the Stroodles team x
