Drinks for the festive season!

It's that time of year again when we start to think about entertaining and what better way to make one's loved ones feel welcome than wiht a homemade beverage?
Here are some ideas to impress your guests...


Apéritif Maison (Le Petit Bourg)

1 litre/4 cups red wine – Merlot is perfect
12cl/1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy though any brandy would do I'd imagine)
150g/6 ozs. sugar
2 tablsp. Chicory
1 vanilla pod
1 cinnamon stick
Juice of 3 oranges


Mix all together and leave for a couple of days. Strain into holy water bottle.....
and enjoy!


Cocktail for 30 people….

2 bottles gin
1 bottle vodka
1 bottle crème de cassis
7 litres orange juice

Mix all together and serve chilled with little bits of fruit (optional)

Mulled Wine


1 Bottle of Bordeaux red wine
½ bottle Port
Same quantity of water
Freshly ground nutmeg
Cinnamon stick
Sugar

Heat up all together and add sugar to taste

Kir Royale
Put a drop of Crème de Cassis in the bottom of a champagne glass and top up with sparkling white wine/cider/perry



Quarante quatre: (forty four)
Bit late for this one - mine has been waiting for dégustation since August, but here goes...
Simplicity at it’s best and a great ‘digestif’.  Impress your neighbours and/or friends by offering them an after-dinner Calvados homemade liquor.

Alternatively, you may like to serve a little 44 with white wine as an apéritif!

You will need:
1 litre of  Calvados
1 orange
44 sugar lumps
44 cloves or
44 coffee grains

and 44 days of patience!

Pour the Calvados into a large Kilner jar with  44 sugar lumps and 44 coffee grains or ...... if you’ve opted for cloves....
Stick the 44 cloves into an orange and add to jar.
Wait at least 44 days before tasting.
( Quarante quatre will, however, keep for centuries in the Kilner jar)