Onesies Merry and Christmas Cheers

One of the things we love most about Christmas has to be the food and drinks! Here's some of our festive favourites...

Chocolate Orange Cocktail

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/jackos-chocolate-orange Firstly, make your orange syrup. Combine 100ml water with 100g golden caster sugar and zest of 1 orange (or clementine) in a pan and bring to the boil. Cool and strain the syrup. Chill 4 coupé glasses and dampen the rims with a little water and dip into grated dark chocolate. In a cocktail shaker, shake 100ml vodka, 100ml crème de cacao, 60ml orange syrup and 40ml orange juice with ice (perhaps 2 batches). Pour into the glasses and enjoy.

Angel's Kiss

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1837656/angels-kiss Pour 400ml chilled Tia Maria into small cocktail or liqueur glasses. Carefully pour 250ml of double cream over a teaspoon so it floats on the surface of the Tia Maria and makes a separate layer.  Dust the cream with cocoa by shaking it through a tea strainer and serve.

Egg Nog

Pippa Middleton's 'Celebrate' In a saucepan, warm 1 litre whole milk. Mix together, in a jug, 6 free-range egg yolks, 80g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 whole vanilla pod. Add this to the warmed milk along with 200ml brandy and heat through gently, with out boiling, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be very careful here - you don't want to scramble the eggs! The egg nog can then be chilled for a few hours until needed, or served warm. Heat gently for 5-7 minutes and grate over nutmeg before serving in small cups.  

Mulled Wine

Pippa Middleton's 'Celebrate' Peel 4 oranges and set aside the peel. Juice the oranges into a bowl, then stud the orange peel with 20 cloves. Pour 2 bottles of fruity red wine, such as Merlot, into a saucepan with a pinch of ground ginger and 4 cinnamon sticks, then add a little at a time - the amount of sugar you need depends on how sweet you like your mulled wine, so taste as you go. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves (do not allow to boil) and serve warm.  

Christmas Sloe Gin Cocktails

Pippa Middleton's 'Celebrate' Gin and Tonic: Add some festive colour and warmth to a classic. Replace regular gin with sloe gin, serve over ice, add tonic and garnish with a candid orange slice or silver peel. Sloe Gin Fizz: A wintry English take on the classic French Kir Royale. Add sloe gin to the bottom of a Champagne flute and top with Champagne or another sparkling wine.    

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/890641/peppermint-hot-chocolate Put 200g plain chocolate, broken into chunks, into a pan with 600ml milk. Gently heat, stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Continue heating until the milk is steaming, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs, add sugar to taste, and hang a peppermint candy cane on the edge of each. Let each person stir their hot chocolate with their candy cane, letting as much of the peppermint dissolve as they fancy. We can't wait to snuggle up into our onesies, and sit down with a festive drink. What's your favourite Christmas drink?