Festival Drinks
Alcoholic & Non alcoholic

This is served on arrival & again before Sunrise Rite.

The juice of 2 lemons & 1/4 cup of honey is added to a large bottle of brandy & left for a week. Pour a double tot into each glass & top up with hot but not boiling water, add a slice of lemon.

Yule Cheer

500ml clove scented carnation petals, snip out the bitter white heels of each petal before putting them in a large jar, add one litre brandy, 2 thumb lengths of dried orange peel & 12 cloves, add 45ml of brown sugar. Store for 2 weeks, strain & bottle.

Yule Cherry Brandy

1 large bottle of brandy, place in screw top jar. Add two handfuls of fresh cherries [ remove pips] 1 piece of cinnamon bark, 1 cup of brown sugar & 18 cloves, leave for 3 months, strain & bottle. Shake each day, leave in a sunny window sill.

Yule cherry Wine

1 tin of cherries with juice is added to a large bottle of sweet red wine, leave for 1 month, strain & bottle.

Yule Warmer

Add the following to a bottle of Port & leave for 2 to 3 weeks. 1 rosemary sprig, 6 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks & a tablespoon brown sugar.

Yule Wine

Add 13 cloves & one piece of Cassia bark to a bottle of sweet or semi-sweet wine, leave for 3 to 4 weeks.

Yule Punch

Boil 1 cup of dried mixed fruit in 1 cup of sugar & 3 cups of water, reduce to 1 cup, place in punch bowl, add 2 cups of ginger brandy & leave for 3 hours, then add 1 litre of orange juice & 2 cups of strong Rooibos or China tea & one bottle of sparkling wine just before serving.

Yule Rum & Raison Punch

Boil 1 cup of dried raisons [half white & half black] using same method as in Yule Punch & place in punch bowl, add 4 cups of rum & leave for 1 hour, add 2 litres of coke, 2 cups of orange herbal tea & 1 bottle of sparkling wine. Float some lemon slices on top.

Yule Apricot or Peach liqeur

20 peaches or apricots chopped or mashed, add 2 cups sugar, place in jar, top up with a bottle brandy, place on a sunny window sill each day for 10 days before Yule. Shake well each day.

Gloegg [Swedish Yule drink]

1 bottle red wine, 2 1/2 oz blanched almonds, 1/4 pint of gin, 1 stick of cinnamon, 10 cloves, 5 oz seedless raisons. Method place all the ingredients with the exception of the raisons & nuts in a pot & slowly heat, do not boil, add nuts & raisons, allow a few minutes for the to soak, then serve with long spoons to enable the guest to fish them out & eat.

IMBOLC

Imbolc Traditional Ginger Wine

Steep a jar of candied ginger in sweet wine for 1 month or use fresh chopped ginger & 1 cup of brown sugar in wine for same period for a less sweet wine.

Imbolc Punch

250 ml boiling water, 60 ml speedwell sprigs, 1 sprig rosemary, leave to cool & strain, add handful white raisons, 1 bottle lemonade, 1 cup gin or cane spirits & 1 bottle of white wine.

Imbolc Peach Punch

1 tin peaches steeped in 4 cups of brandy or rum, 1/2 cup honey, 1 litre lemonade & 1 bottle pink sparkling wine.

Imbolc Party cheer

1 bottle red wine, 4 sticks cinnamon, 1 glass port wine, 1 glass rum, sugar to taste. Simple to prepare, just heat the mixture, avoiding boiling & serve

SAMHAINE

Samhaine Punch

1 tin raspberries, 1litre raspberry juice, 1 cup cherry brandy, 1 litre soda water & 2 bottles of sweet wine red or white.

Samhaine Wine

Steep 12 cinnamon sticks in sweet wine for 6 to 8 weeks.

Samhaine Wine

Steep 1 nutmeg, 6 pieces of cassia bark, 2 cinnamon sticks & 6 cloves in a large bottle of white wine. 3 to 6 weeks.

Samhaine Wine

Boil the following, 6 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 nutmeg, 1 piece of cassia bark, 3 pieces of dried ginger, 2 cups of water & 1 cup of water, reduce to light syrup, when cool add to red wine & leave for one week.

Samhaine Cider Punch

6 bottles of cider, 1 tin of apples, 1 litre of lemonade, 1 cup of gin & 1 litre of apple juice, thinly sliced fresh red apple.

Samhaine Toddy

2 tots of ginger brandy in glass, heat ginger ale & add to glasses, add pinch of nutmeg & lemon slice & serve.

Samhaine Hot Toddy

Heat 1 tot ginger wine / or ginger brandy per person, add 1 tot of whiskey per glass, then tot of hot ginger wine now add hot strong coffee & sugar to taste, the top with cream & sprinkle with nutmeg & serve with candied ginger.

Samhaine Rum Punch

Boil ginger [ box or 8 or 9 pieces ] in 2 cups of water & 1 cup of sugar, reduce to light syrup, remove ginger pieces, add syrup to 2 bottles of red wine & stir well, add the juice of 1 lemon , 1 box of glaze cherries, 2 cups of rum & 1 bottle of ginger ale.

Hot Cup [18th century classic mull]

1 bottle red wine, 1 wineglass of brandy, 1 wine glass of orange curacao, 6 cloves, 12 lumps of sugar, grated nutmeg & 1 pint of boiling water. Place sugar, cloves & wine into a saucepan & bring slowly to heat, do not boil, now add brandy & curacao, then the boiling water, pour into glasses & sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

Hot Mulled Black Punch

1 tin blackcurrents or blackberries or black cherries, 1/2 pint sherry, ½ pint claret, 1 bottle red wine, the rind of 1 lemon, 1 pint hot water & sugar to taste.

Method; place thinly peeled lemon peel, [no white pith, it will make the drink bitter.] & the juice of the lemon together with your tinned fruit, [mash or cut into small pieces,] add the claret, sherry & wine in a pot & slowly heat, do not boil, remove peel & fruit, add the boiled water, allow each one to add sugar to taste.

OSTARA

Ostara Wine

Place 10 lemon grass leaves finely chopped into a pot, add 1/2 cup of honey, 1 cup lemon verbena leaves & steep in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, stir & leave to cool, strain & add to a 2 litre bottle, top up with dry white wine & chill.

Ostara Wine

Add 5 tablespoons of aniseed to a bottle of white wine, leave 3 weeks & strain.

Ostara Wine

Add 6 twigs of rosemary,1/4 cup honey to white wine ,leave 3 to 4 weeks.

Ostara Wine

Use a small twig of tansy in a bottle of semi sweet white wine, leave 2 weeks.

Ostara Punch

1 tin of cocktail fruit salad, 1 cup cane spirits, 2 litres pineapple juice, twig of mint or apple mint & pineapple sage, thinly sliced apple & orange, 2 bottles of white wine.

Ostara Punch

2 litres granadilla [Roses best] 1 tin of granadilla pulp, 2 cups cane or vodka, 1 bottle of lemonade, 2 bottles of sparking wine & 6 small rose geranium leaves & or elder flowers.

BLESSED BE