A Christmas Negroni, a selection of Christmas drink ideas and a dream cocktail trolley

Last Updated on November 17, 2020

Getting in the Christmas Spirit with Bacardi – The Christmas Negroni

A couple of days ago I was lucky enough to take part in the fabulous online Virtual Bacardi Christmas Cocktail Showcase – a cocktail masterclass hosted by Bacardi’s brand ambassadors to celebrate their latest seasonal serves.  Not only did this old dog learn a few new tricks but I was also left with samples of some of the Bacardi range that I’ve used to create my own cocktail, a delicious (though I say so myself) Christmas Negroni.

I had been sent a review box heaving with goodies in preparation for the event. There were old friends like Grey Goose vodka and St Germain elderflower liqueur as well as exciting new (to me) products such as Martini Fiero orange vermouth and Bombay Bramble gin with assorted mixers, syrups and garnishes. The plan was to make a series of bespoke cocktails for the upcoming winter festivities. The brand ambassador mixologists led us gently through the process of creating four delicious drinks.

We started with a Bacardí Spiced and Sparkle – a warming spiced drink perfect for Bonfire Night. The richness of the Fiero Berries Royale and floral effervescence of the St Germain Festive Spritz would add to any Xmas celebration and finally the Grey Goose Countdown would make any New Year’s Eve party go with a bang. They are well worth exploring if you are looking for some fresh seasonal drink ideas. The recipes are at the end of this post.

But at London Unattached we like to experiment with products so here is our special recipe for a Christmas Negroni featuring Martini Fiero orange vermouth and Bombay Bramble gin to give a seasonal twist to our favourite cocktail.   

Now, having spent hours bent over a chilled cocktail shaker to bring you a Christmas Negroni I think I deserve a treat from Father Christmas this year.   My inner DJ makes this new limited edition bar trolley from Bacardi particularly appropriate I think.  

The ‘Mixing Console’ has been handcrafted from Caribbean rum barrels for the ultimate at-home celebration. The vinyl music console and integrated bar is a design first for Bacardi and has been created in collaboration with the award-winning designer Hugh Miller, whose work is inspired by Japanese applied arts philosophy.  Some of the features in this unique piece include:   

•  A built-in Fluance RT80 vinyl turntable  
•  Custom 50-watt Bluetooth speakers, housed in decadent brass mesh fronting  
•  A record store shelf to house the best festive dance tracks this season 
• The most stunning and decadent walnut cocktail bar top set with its own hand made oak cocktail-stirrers, crafted from the rum barrels  
• And of course, a bottle of premium BACARDÍ Gran Reserva Diez    

It’s available to purchase from today at Minima, RRP £1,700. Christmas is coming so if anybody would like to buy me one, don’t hold back.  I’ll be leaving a Christmas Negroni out for Santa and keeping my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, if a Christmas Negroni doesn’t take your fancy, here are some more ideas from BACARDÍ for seasonal cocktails

BACARDÍ  Spiced and Sparkle 

• 35 ml BACARDÍ  Spiced Rum, 10 ml lemon, 15 ml sugar syrup,  35 ml Cranberry juice, 35 ml red wine
• Build all ingredients into glass, then pour over red wine float. For hot version: microwave all ingredients except BACARDÍ Spiced for 1.5min, then add BACARDÍ Spiced. Or warm over the hob.  

FIERO BERRIES ROYALE (Martini and Bombay serve)  

• 25 ml Martini  Fiero, 25 ml Bombay  Bramble, 10 ml blackcurrant syrup,  Top with Martini Prosecco
• Combine Martini Fiero, Bombay Bramble and blackcurrant syrup in a shaker, shake and strain into a flute glass.  Top with prosecco, garnish with a lemon twist and a blackberry.

ST GERMAIN Festive Spritz

•  40 ml of St Germain,  60 ml of prosecco, 60 ml of sparkling water
• Combine all of the ingredients over ice in a Collins glass.   Stir gently. Garnish with a lemon twist, dehydrated orange wheel and star anise for a seasonal touch.

GREY GOOSE Countdown 

• 35 ml Grey Goose Vodka, 15 ml light agave syrup, 25 ml yellow grapefruit juice, 25 ml pineapple juice         
• Top with ice-cold ginger ale  Shake and strain, top with soda  Garnish with grapefruit zest

I tried all of these as part of the BACARDÍ Christmas event – and I can honestly recommend them both for ease of execution (you don’t need to be a trained mixologist) and for accessibility – no need for complicated syrups and bitters for any of these.

But, of course, my favourite – and the drink I’ll be serving on Christmas Day for my family is my own Christmas Negroni.  We’ve played around with negroni recipes before and if you are looking for something slightly different, how about this Winter Gin Negroni

A beautiful berry red drink, it’s the perfect aperitif before that all-important Christmas Lunch

So, stock up your bar trolley now – and get mixing.  After all, you’ll want to have practised them (especially my Christmas Negroni) before the big day!  If you need anything or just want to send someone a special present this Christmas, here’s a link to the official Bacardi portfolio gifting page on Amazon where you’ll find all the things you need to make the cocktails here and a whole lot more!