A DIY Greek Christmas Cocktail by Baba Au Rum

We asked Baba Au Rum, a stellar Athens bar that ranks among the "World's 50 Best Bars," to offer you a delicious Christmas cocktail recipe that can be made at home.


Christmas is a time for celebration, togetherness and heartwarming self-indulgence, so what better way to celebrate your time with family and friends that with a stylish cocktail packed with festive flavor and invented by one of the best bars in the world? “We chose these particular ingredients because of their immediate connection to Christmas,” says Baba Au Rum mixologist Nikos Psarianos. “Ginger, spices and pomegranate represent the Christmas season and of course, wine and tsipouro can’t miss from a Christmas dinner in Greece.” 

Is this cocktail easy enough for an amateur to make? “This cocktail is easy to mix at home as it doesn’t require anything other than the ingredients and a saucepan,” Nikos assured us. “The only ingredient that may be slightly tricky to find is citric acid. If you can’t get a hold of it, just add extra lime juice (increase the quantity to 15 mililiters per drink).” 

 

Finally, we asked for food pairing suggestions, since, let’s face it, as revealed by our scales in the early days of the new year, Christmas is a time when we like to indulge in both drinking and eating! “Ideally you could serve it with Parmesan cheese or some other salty cheese like graviera, accompanied by crackers and tomato chutney,” Nikos suggests.

Method

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan at low heat and stir them well until the sugar dissolves.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and let it cool to room temperature, then add the citric acid, and stir until it has dissolved.

 

Serve in a highball glass with a Collins ice block or regular ice.

 

 

 

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Ingredients (serves 2)

20 ml Opurist tsipouro 
35 ml pomegranate cordial 
5 ml elderflower liqueur
10 ml fresh lime juice
70 ml sparkling wine 
500 g sugar 
250 ml pomegranate juice
75 g ginger 
a 5 g cinnamon stick
5 g cloves
7 g citric acid
a mint leaf, for garnish



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