Christmas Dinner

A Christmas dinner is a long, generous affair, and the drinks that accompany it work best when they move with the meal rather than against it. The trick is to think in stages: an arrival serve to gather everyone in from the cold, something measured to sit alongside the food, and a slower pour for the lull that follows the last plate.

The aperitif

Before the table is set, a warm welcome does more than any chilled fizz. A small glass of mulled wine or a fragrant glühwein fills the room with clove and orange and signals that the evening has properly begun. Keep these light and not too sweet at this point — they are an overture, not the main event, and you want appetites intact for what follows.

Alongside the meal

Through the meal itself, most hosts return to wine, but a single warm option held in reserve is a kind gesture for anyone who would rather sip something spiced than pour another glass of red. Serve it gently warm, around 60°C, so it sits comfortably beside roast and trimmings without overwhelming them. A modern spirit-forward serve such as a warm gin-based drink can also suit the more adventurous guest who wants something with a little more backbone.

After the table is cleared

When the plates are gone and the conversation slows, the drinks should slow with it. This is the moment for an Irish coffee, its cream and warmth a natural full stop to a rich meal, or a small mug of spiked hot chocolate for those with a sweeter ending in mind. Serve these in smaller measures than you might expect; by now the pleasure is in the ritual as much as the drink. Lower the lights, let the candles do their work, and let the evening drift to its close.