​Decadent drinks to serve at Easter

With Pancake Day now behind us, it can only mean one thing - we’re now in the countdown to Easter! For many of us, Easter is a time for family gatherings, with friends or family coming over to stay, or neighbours popping in for evening drinks, dinner or a full-blown party. If you are planning on any kind of celebration event at Easter, with a house full of guests, you might be in need of some ideas for delicious and unusual drinks to serve. If that’s the case, you’re in luck, as in today’s blog post, we take a look at some sensational ideas for Easter drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

When you think of Easter, you naturally think of spring, with plants bursting into flower and birds and wildlife all filled with joy. And, of course, you also think of chocolate Easter eggs! So how do we encapsulate those ideas into some appetising drinks that really fit the season? Let’s take a look…

Delicate and light cocktails that epitomise spring

With longer days and warmer temperatures by the time that Easter arrives, spring is very definitely in the air. That means that we want to drink light, refreshing cocktails or mocktails that make us feel happy and bright. Try a cocktail made with gin and grapefruit juice, topped off with a sprig of fresh rosemary for a real sense of new growth and vitality.

Another great idea is anything lemon-based as this offers zing and freshness, no matter what it is combined with. Try a good-quality lemonade with champagne and add a slice of lemon to the rim of the glass and throw in a few frozen blueberries to produce something that looks every bit as stylish as you’d find in a classy cocktail bar. If champagne seems a little extravagant to be mixing with lemonade, you can always substitute Prosecco or Cava.

Other fresh and vibrant flavours to consider for Easter drinks include apricot, lavender, mint, raspberry, lime, mango and elderflower. Keep the alcoholic ingredients simple, with gin or vodka as the base, to ensure that the cocktail stays light and refreshing. If you’re making a mocktail instead, try good-quality soda water, lemonade or sparkling mineral water and go to town on decorating the glass with a slice of lemon or lime, crushed ice and a sprig of fresh mint, rosemary or even basil.

Chocolate and milk-based drinks

Whilst some people might say that it has nothing to do with the real message of Easter, there can be no denying that for many, one of the most quintessential parts of the Easter celebration is the Easter Egg. Representing new birth and life, eggs and chicks have appeared on Easter cards for a lot longer than we have been giving Easter eggs as gifts. To tie in the Easter egg theme with celebration drinks, we need to look at recipe ideas that involve chocolate and milk.

Of course, drinks that use Irish cream type liqueurs are perhaps the obvious choice, here. Try mixing a measure of Baileys, with a measure of vodka and a shot of chocolate liqueur in a cocktail shaker, before serving in a mini milk bottle, topped with grated chocolate. Add in a straw to drink it with and you have a very classy, and oh so tasty, Easter drink that will have your guests queuing up for seconds!

Another classic recipe for a really unusual Easter cocktail uses vodka, crème de cacao and an actual egg. Add the vodka and crème de cacao to a cocktail shaker and crack in the egg, adding a little sugar and some vanilla cream too. Shake well, and then pour into a martini glass and top with chocolate sprinkles or shavings. Again, you can serve this in a milk bottle if you prefer, for a more contemporary look.

Our final recipe idea for today is a gorgeously decadent mocktail, made with delicious chocolate - a choctail, if you like. Mix a tablespoon of premium cocoa powder with two glasses of almond milk in a saucepan and add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and two tablespoons of caster sugar. Heat the mixture, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved fully. Allow the mixture to cool and then pour into cocktail glasses, ready to serve. For a stylish touch, run a slice of lemon around the rim of the glasses before you pour the drink in and then dip them in a mix of sugar and cocoa to coat the rims. You could also dip them in finely grated chocolate instead, or even add grated chocolate to the top of the drink.

If you’re looking for interesting ways to serve your Easter drinks, why not take a look at our drinking jar range? Using a drinking jar, for example, instead of a regular glass, is a great way to add a touch of quirky style to your party. We stock drinking jars in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so take a look today to see what appeals...