The Five Classic Drinks to Serve – in Order – at Your Holiday Dinner Party

The best hosts ensure their guests have a thoroughly entertaining time from start to finish, and make the whole celebration appear effortless. They genuinely have a great time doing it.

To take the pressure off, I’ve put together some drinks and simple tips to help you climb the hosting leaderboard.

Spoiler alert: the best host serves a damn good drink. Or five.

1. Pour: champagne, or a delicious local sparkling
Every celebration should begin with bubbles, in my book. It’s considered and basically effortless. When your guests arrive, pop a bottle, get social, and share a glass with your guests. Loosen up a little and also buy yourself some time to finish any dinner prep. The NV Nadeson Collis Coda by Lethbridge is a vibrant sparkling that does not disappoint. It’s locally produced in Henty, NSW, using chardonnay and pinot noir together with small amounts of pinot meunier and pinot gris. Did I say a bottle? Make it two. If it’s not in stock (it has a tendency to sell out), try Ten Minutes By Tractor's 2021 Vintage Cuvee or the Garagiste’s Merricks Cuvee de Coeur.

2. Mix: a French 75
Small group? No sweat. Use the leftover sparkling in a round of French 75s. This simple drink – gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar and sparkling wine – is the perfect pre-dinner cocktail. It’s short, sharp and incredibly refreshing. You can also substitute the gin for cognac, to create the French 125 cocktail, a richer alternative that is equally delicious.

The recipe:
1 oz (30ml) gin (French 75) or cognac (French 125)
1/2 oz (15ml) lemon juice
1/2 oz (15ml) simple syrup
Add your ingredients to a shaker. Fill it with ice and shake very briefly.
Strain into a chilled coupette and then top with Champagne – approx. 1 1/2 oz (45ml)
Garnish with a lemon twist

3. Stir: a Martini
Now it’s time to show your skills, master mixer. A Martini is so simple and pure, you must make it perfectly to do it justice – you can’t hand someone a shitty Martini and get away with it, so give this drink your full attention.

These are the golden rules for this classic drink.

1. Always use good quality liquor.
2. Vermouth should be fresh and kept in the fridge once opened.
3. Ice should be in a sealed container in the freezer.
4. Freeze your glassware ahead of time

The recipe:
2 oz (60ml) gin
(30ml) dry vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Add your ingredients to a mixing glass or pint glass, then add your ice all way to the top and stir.
Using a spoon (or my favourite, a chopstick), stir the mixture swiftly around the glass. After about 20 turns. The glass should feel cold and the Martini ready to serve.
Strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with an olive, lemon twist or cocktail onion.

4. Serve: dessert, in the form of a Grasshopper or a Stinger
Have you ever tried a Grasshopper? Many haven’t. This green delight might make you think of the ’70s, but the drink’s roots go back way further than that. This mint choc chip wonder is a fantastic, creamy dessert-style cocktail and a guilty pleasure for many pro bartenders.

The recipe:
1 1/2 oz (45ml) white creme de menthe
1 1/2 oz (45ml) white creme de cacao
1 oz (30ml) cream
Small handful fresh mint
Add your ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
Shake and strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with a mint leaf.

Don’t like cream? Let’s get a couple Stingers on the go.

The recipe:
2 oz (60ml) brandy
3/4 oz (22ml) white creme de menthe
Add your ingredients to a chilled rocks glass or tumbler
Top with crushed ice and garnish with a generous mint sprig

A note on crushed ice. Don’t have it? Wrap your ice in a tea towel, get your rolling pin out and smash the ice with the pin on your bench top. Ta-da!

A Christmas special
If you want to add a little festive spirit, forget googling “how to make eggnog” – make a Flip. A Flip is a dessert-style cocktail made with cream and egg yolk, and often garnished with freshly grated nutmeg.

Here’s a recipe for my personal favourite, and a popular serve come Christmas Eve at The Everleigh:

New York Flip
1 oz (30ml) bourbon
3/4 oz (22ml) port
1/2 oz (15ml) sugar syrup
1/2 oz (15ml) cream
1 egg yolk
Fresh nutmeg, for garnish
Add your ingredients to a shaker and shake, first, without ice to emulsify.
Add ice and shake hard and fast to aerate.
Strain into a chilled coupette and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

The fresh nutmeg is key, so try not to use ready-ground. Remember, the expert entertainer never skips a step.

Happy hosting, everyone.

Michael Madrusan is one of Australia’s most influential bar owners and the co-owner of Made in the Shade, the group that owns The Everleigh, Heartbreaker and Bar Margaux.