Winter Garden Party

A garden in winter

A winter garden party is its own genre. Patio heaters, fairy lights, blankets at the ready, everyone in coats — and a drink in hand that does its part in keeping the cold at bay. The drinks need to be warm enough on arrival to still be warm a few minutes in, generous enough to invite a second round, and simple enough that the host doesn’t spend the evening at the stove.

What to serve

For a crowd, lean on big-batch warmers: a pot of glühwein or mulled wine on the lowest heat ticks every box, with spiced rum punch for guests who want something headier. For an alternative that’s lighter and quicker, Hot Apple Gin takes the work out: the bottle goes from cupboard to pan to stemmed glass in two minutes, no recipe to memorise, and Hot Apple Gin 0.0 covers any guest staying off the alcohol.

Practicalities

Pre-warm the glasses. Cold glass plus cold air finishes a warm drink in about ninety seconds — a quick swirl of boiling water in each glass before pouring buys you several useful minutes. Have a tray of garnish ready (apple slices, orange wedges, cinnamon sticks) so the second round looks as composed as the first. And keep the drinks at the warm-not-hot 60–65°C mark; anything hotter scorches the aromatics outdoors faster than it does indoors.