Raid the drinks cabinet and combine your haul to make delicious homemade Christmas Pimm’s. An essential for some proper festive spirit.

By making your own you can change the ingredients to suit your taste. Use our recipe as a base for experimenting.

Make your own festive spirit.

Homemade Christmas Pimm’s recipe

Makes a litre (13⁄4 pints)
■ 360ml (6⁄10 pint) gin
■ 180ml (61⁄3fl oz) sweet red vermouth, Martini Rosso will do
■ 60ml (2fl oz) Grand Marnier
■ 12 dashes Angostura Bitters
■ Sprig borage
■ 3 tbs light muscovado sugar
■ Zest and juice of 3 lemons
■ 1 litre (13⁄4 pints) traditional lemonade or ginger ale, chilled

■ 500ml (171⁄2fl oz) brandy
■ 11⁄2 litres apple juice
■ Ice
■ 2 cinnamon sticks
■ 1 apple, sliced
■ 1 orange, sliced

First combine the gin, vermouth, Grand Marnier and Angostura Bitters together with the sprig of borage. Add the sugar and lemon zest and juice before topping up with the chilled lemonade or ginger ale.

Combine the alcohol with the apple juice in a jug filled with ice, cinnamon, apple and orange. Drink with merriment and suitably jovial companions.