Hot spiced Cider.....Mulled wine is so last year!!
Warm the cider with some apple juice, ginger wine, with shreds of orange zest, cinnamon sticks and a star anise, some little orange segments and some apple slices, and I use preserved ginger in it too I love the lidl cloudy apple juice for this, add in a slug of brandy if you really need to keep the cold out. Add a little sugar or honey if you like it sweeter, but generally the apple juice is enough
You can also do this completely alcohol free...swap the cider for non alcoholic, or just apple juice, use the juice from the jar of preserved ginger instead of the ginger wine
I also like to liven up bottled Gluwein/Mulled Wine by adding a splash of Port, a little honey, and if you like it the tiniest hint of amaretto....makes it really festive like a gobful of Christmas cake
AND Sangria makes really really nice mulled wine if you have any lurking around that didn't get used up as it was such a dreadful summer.
Cherry juice heats up beautifully, splash of Ribena, some apple juice, and all the other trimmings if you need a non alcoholic version of mulled wine.
Hot buttered Rum is nice too, but very hard hitting, it's like a hot toddy really....hot water and rum, something sweet like honey or sugar syrup, and a generous knob of butter, make that really hot in a pan with some spices (cinnamon and suchlike) and then when the butter is melted, into an Irish coffee glass with a measure of rum in, quick stir and then the butter rises to the top. The spiced rum is easiest as it saves you faffing with infusing the spices
And for grown up snowballs use tonic water instead of lemonade with the Advocaat....but never forget the cherry!
Orange or Peach nectar is much nicer than just juice for Bucks Fizz or Bellinis
MAN ALIVE I love Christmas drinking!! I cannot wait until my Bramble Gin is ready!
AND another top tip is to get yourself off to your nearest Chinese Supermarket (or similar) they sell cinnamon sticks and star anise (anises?? anisesisss....???) in much larger quantities for much less money!