Festive Drinks a la Russe

Here are some of my favourite beverages for the festive season inspired by some recipes and flavours of Russian cuisine. You can find more ideas in my cookbook.

MEDOK
Makes 1 

200 ml hot water
2 tsp of honey

50ml of whiskey

2 tbsp of apple puree 

4 spring of thyme, plus more to decorate 

1 slice of apple to decorate  

Put all the ingredients in a cup and let them infuse for a few minutes. To serve decorate with an additional slice of apple and a sprig of thyme. 

SILVER BIRCH TEARS 

Makes one 

25ml of vodka 

100ml of silver birch juice 

1/4 juice of lemon 

A small bunch of lemon thyme 

A handful of mint leaves 

A splash of soda water 

Lemon peel to decorate 

Pound the lemon quarter with mint and lemon thyme until all the juice is released from the lemon. Remove the skin. 

Add the vodka and birch juice, top with a splash of soda water. 

Serve in a short glass with some ice, and decorate with a lemon peel. 

PERSIMMON BELINNI

Makes 4 cocktails 

4 very ripe persimmons 

2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 lemon, juiced 

100ml of water 

1 bottle of sparkling wine or champagne 

4 slices of persimmon to decorate 

To make the puree blend the roughly chopped persimmon with sugar, lemon juice and water. Strain it though a sieve to obtain a silky smooth consistency.

Add a tbsp of the puree to each glass (I’d recommend using an old fashioned champagne saucer) and top with approximately 200ml of the bubbles. Give it a gentle stir, decorate with a slide of persimmon and enjoy immediately!