10 easy to make cocktails from Scotland's best bars and brands - including a Gleneagles chocolate negroni

From a twist on a classic, to a simple addition to fizz, here are some easy to make cocktails at home - ideal for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Holyrood distillery’s drinks creative, Elsie Cinnamond had some top tips for budding at-home bartenders. She said: “Pre batch a cocktail and keep it in the fridge or freezer or create a punch for guests to help themselves. If fridge space is limited at Christmas pop some glasses in the freezer to pour drinks straight into. Your drink will keep colder for longer and it adds a professional touch.

She also had this recipe, and tip: “Make a spiced sugar syrup to add Christmassy flavour to hot drinks (mulled wine, coffee, hot rum, hot toddies) cocktails and delicious pour over ice cream. Do this by mixing equal parts Demerara sugar and water (I.e 250g sugar and 250ml water), heat gently until the sugar dissolves and add in whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, star anise, cloves. You can also add citrus peels like orange and lemon. Remove from the heat and allow the spices to infuse in the syrup overnight. Sieve out the spices and bottle the syrup. This will keep in the fridge for a month. For a richer, thicker syrup use a 2:1 ratio sugar:ratio.”

Gleneagles chocolate negroni

contributed

This easy to make twist on a classic comes from the team at The Gleneagles Hotel - and it's an ideal winter warmer.

Ingredients

• 25ml Tanqueray Sevilla
• 25ml Barolo Chinato
• 25ml Campari
• 10ml Chocolate liqueur

Method

Add all the ingredients to a rock glass over plenty of ice and stir.

Garnish with a chocolate crisp.

Bolero from Elsa’s at The Fife Arms

Alexander Baxter

Ingredients

• 30ml - Tonka Tequila (A replacement spirit can be created by adding 2g vanilla extract into a bottle of tequila)
• 10ml - Mezcal
• 25ml - Raspberry cordial
• 5ml - Tio Pepe
• Tonka Raspberry Dust - for garnish

Method

Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and hard shake for about 20sec. Double strain into chilled glass of your choice. We would suggest a coupé, rocks or nick n nora. Sprinkle the tonka raspberry dust on top of the cocktail to finish

Hot gin toddy from Iain Mcpherson, Panda and Sons

Speaking to us last year on Scran, our food and drink podcast, award-winning bartender Iain Mcpherson gave us this cocktail recipe. He said: “with the cold winter weather, a hot - in this case gin - toddy is ideal.”

Ingredients

• 50ml gin
• 15ml honey
• 10ml lemon juice
• Couple of cloves
• Cinnamon stick

Method

Add ingredients to a mug or glass with a handle, top up with hot water to taste and stir.

Birch & Tonic from Buck and Birch

contributed

This easy drink is classic made with a foraged botanical vodka

Ingredients

• 50ml Birch botanical vodka
• Bottle of your favourite tonic
• Apple slices to garnish

Method

Pour 50ml of the vodka over ice, top with tonic garnish and serve. As an alternative, you can switch the tonic or cloudy apple juice – also delicious

Hebridean Espresso Martini from Isle of Barra Distillers

Ingredients

• 45ml Hebridean Vodka
• 25ml Kahlua
• 25ml cooled espresso

Method

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice

Shake well

Strain and serve into a chilled coupe glass

Toddy Whisky Sour from Holyrood Distillery

Ingredients

• 50ml Ambir
• 10ml Pimento Dram (allspice liqueur)
• 20ml Honey
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 2 dash foamer

Method

Dry shake ingredients, then shake with ice before fine straining into a glass.

'Angel Face' from Holyrood Distillery

Ingredients

• 30ml Height of Arrows Gin
• 25ml Calvados
• 25ml Apricot Brandy
• 1 lemon twist

Method

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. Add the lemon twist to garnish.

Non-alcoholic Jump Ship Punch

The zesty clementine and herbal thyme in the spritz perfectly complement the tart, crisp notes of Jump Ship Gooseberry Gose, creating a refreshingly delicious sip. Created by mixologist Danny Mcmanus for Jump Ship Brewing.

Ingredients

• 15ml lime juice
• 30ml Clementine juice
• 15ml thyme syrup
• 10ml Lyre's Non Alcoholic Spritz
• 50ml Jump Ship - Gooseberry Gose

Thyme syrup recipe

• 200g Boiling water
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 10g fresh Thyme

Mix together in a jar or bottle until sugar is dissolved. Leave for two to three hours or for best results overnight.

For the drink: Build in a wine glass full of ice, garnish with a lime wheel and thyme sprig.

Lejay Kir Royal

contributed

Lejay is the original Crème de Cassis. It was founded in 1841 in Dijon in the heart of Burgundy, when café owner Auguste Denis Lagout was inspired to create a liqueur using the region’s exceptionally flavourful cassis berries (blackcurrants). After years of experimentation – and taking the name of Henri Lejay, the founder’s son in law and business partner – Lejay was launched as the world’s first ever Crème de Cassis, using a unique recipe and production process that remains unchanged to this day.

This classic drink is simple, and ideal for the start of a meal or party at home.

Ingredients

• Lejay Creme de Cassis
• Bottle of champagne

Method

Pour one part cassis into a champagne glass and top up with champagne.

Shortbread Christmas Snowball Cocktail

contributed

Ingredients

• 50ml Advocaat
• 25ml Scotch Whisky
• 100ml lemonade
• 15ml shortbread syrup
• Walker’s Shortbread Festive Stars, crushed for the rim and whole for garnish
• Ice

Method

Rub the rim of the highball glass with a lemon wedge then dip the rim in the crushed Walker’s Shortbread to coat.

Next add the ice, followed by the advocaat, whisky, lime cordial and lemonade then stir carefully until the cocktail has fully mixed then sprinkle a touch of cinnamon on top and serve with a maraschino cherry and a festive star and enjoy!

Arran Gold Eggnogold

contributed

Ingredients

• 25 ml Arran Barrel Reserve
• 50 ml Arran Gold
• 10 ml Sugar Syrup
• 1 Egg

Method

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into half pint over cubed ice.

Dust nutmeg over the top to serve.

Panettone Negroni

Lateef Photography

Ingredients

• 25ml Campari
• 25ml Gin
• 10ml 1757 Rosso Vermouth
• 15ml PX Sherry
• Infused with toasted panettone

Method

Fill a rocks glass with ice

Pour in the spirits and stir gently