Wintry Christmas Pimm's Cup Cocktail Recipe

The Pimm's cup cocktail is most commonly considered a summer drink. Perhaps you associate it with long balmy afternoons, when it's mixed with lemonade to give it a cool, sparkling sweetness and combined with chopped-up summer strawberries and oranges with a fresh cucumber garnish. But, what if you want to enjoy a Pimm's cup cocktail in the winter months, too? If that sounds like you, you're in luck. Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye has devised a wintry twist on this classic British summer favorite, meaning that you now have the perfect excuse to crack out the Pimm's no matter the season.

Like other delicious winter cocktails, this Christmas Pimm's cup cocktail recipe makes good use of spiced flavors such as rum, cinnamon, and ginger to add warming base notes to the drink. It also includes red apples and oranges, making the most of the seasonal harvest and giving the Pimm's cup its classic fruit accompaniment. Lastly, the recipe calls for red currants for a festive and fruity feel, and a sprig of fresh rosemary as a garnish that injects an earthy, herby undertone to the drink. This wintry Christmas Pimm's cup cocktail is the perfect drink to get you in the holiday spirit!

To begin this wintry Christmas Pimm's cup cocktail recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want an orange, an apple, Pimm's, spiced rum, cranberry juice, and some ginger beer. For garnishes, you will additionally need red currant sprigs, cinnamon sticks, and sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Slice the orange and the apple into segments.

Add the Pimm's, spiced rum, and cranberry juice to a jug and muddle with a spoon.

Add the sliced orange, apple, and a few cubes of ice to two glasses.

Divide out the Pimm's mixture between the two glasses.

Top the glasses with the ginger beer.

Garnish each drink with a sprig of red currants, a cinnamon stick, and a sprig of fresh rosemary before serving.

This wintery Christmas Pimm's cup cocktail recipe can easily be adapted to suit different tastes or to suit the ingredients in your kitchen and on the supermarket shelves. One of the most simple ways to change up this recipe is through the inclusion of different fruits. Keeping with the seasonal theme, cranberries would make a wonderful garnish choice, as they add a classic, festive finishing touch. Similarly, you could choose to go for different types of apples, or maybe a variation of oranges, such as clementines or satsumas. Red grapes would work well, too, and give the drink a nod to other delicious Christmas drinks like mulled wine. They also add to the aesthetics of the cocktail. For a slightly sweeter finish, you can substitute the ginger beer for a ginger ale in this Pimm's cocktail, or you could omit the ginger flavor completely in favor of a lemonade to make the drink lighter. The spiced rum and seasonal fruits will keep the wintry flavors going strong.

The recipe can also be scaled up if you're serving a large group of people, and the Pimm's cup is often traditionally a cocktail prepared in larger quantities to serve a crowd. Simply double or triple the quantities and make it up in a big jug.

While a lot of cocktails are best served straight away, this wintery Christmas Pimm's cup cocktail actually lends itself to being made up ahead of time. That's because it allows the flavors of the apples and the oranges to infuse with the Pimm's, rum, and cranberry juice. To prepare this drink ahead of time, simply combine the chopped fruits and the liquids in a jug, and be sure to store the mixture in the fridge to keep it chilled. You'll want to remember to leave out the ginger beer and add it only when you are ready to serve the cocktails. If the ginger beer is added ahead of time, it will end up going flat and you'll lose the fizzy aspect of this cocktail. Similarly, don't add the ice until you're ready to serve, as it will just melt and water down the drink.

Preparing the cocktail this way makes this Christmas Pimm's a perfect drink for a dinner party, as you can prep it ahead of time and throw in the finishing touches right at the last minute, giving you more time for hosting and socializing with your guests.