A Pavlova Mojito, Cherry Marg and Cranberry Limoncello Spritz – three of the greats get a festive twist, and we’ll be making them all summer.
Jessica Nguyen is a big fan of Christmas. In a watches-Christmas-movies-in-themed-pyjamas kind of way. The cook and content creator’s birthday may be on December 23 (“Combined presents are the WORST,” she says), but Jessica still goes all out each year with colour-coordinated decorations, homemade bon-bons, carefully crafted menus and more. So, who better to bring us the freshest, brightest and most festive cocktails this season? Yep, Jessica has come to the party – literally – with three cracking drinks that will keep everyone happy around the table this year. Even Nan.
But first, a little about Jessica. The Melbourne creative is a good mate of ours here at Dan’s Daily, having previously shared some brilliant recipes with us for everything from pasta alla vodka to the ever-popular Pornstar Martini. Jessica is someone who makes hosting look effortless, and she can even throw a first-birthday party so epic we wish it was for us. But hey, she’s busy and so are you, so the name of the game this year is simple twists – easy ways to elevate the classic faves that make things more delicious but no more stressful.
We’re stoked she’s here to share her best tips for nailing Christmas as well as three seriously delish cocktails we can all pretend we thought up ourselves. Expect fresh summer-fruit flavours so damn delicious they might even steer the family’s conversations away from politics this year. Win-win.
The drinks
Whether you’re hosting Christmas this year or just rocking up to your aunty’s, Jessica has three incredible cocktails for you to mix up. We reckon this is the absolute best way to contribute on the day – it beats spending Christmas Eve panicking about burning the cookies or forgetting the cream for the pav. All three cocktail recipes are easy, fun and delicious – essential Chrissy criteria, we say – and they put a festive twist on the classics.
So, what are they? First up, Jessica has a Pavlova Mojito recipe – a mash-up of two of our favourite things. “Ideally, I’d serve this with a pavlova that uses the same fruit,” she says.
“It’s also a clever way to incorporate the same fruits you’d already have to garnish your pavlova,” Jessica says. No super long list of exotic fruits to buy here, thank you very much.
Next, there’s the Cherry Margarita recipe, which makes the most of all those peak-season cherries. “While I love a classic Marg with lime, the sweet yet tart cherries go beautifully with the lime in this Tommy’s-style Marg,” Jessica says, referencing that other popular twist that switches out the usual triple sec and sugar syrup for agave syrup.
“This cocktail is a bit sweet, sour and salty, but fresh and festive, and really balanced. Plus, you get this gorgeous pink hue to the drink and it’s so easy to make as you’ll most likely have cherries as part of your Christmas spread already.”
Watch Jessica show us how to make the drink here on the right.
Finally, there is what we think might just be the ultimate summer Spritz for a crowd, the Cranberry Limoncello Spritz Jug recipe. “This is fruity, zingy and spritzy. The cranberry pairs really well with the limoncello, and it’s such a good crowd pleaser,” Jessica says. “You can make it quickly for a group and it’s a pleasant sip on arrival for Christmas lunch.”
If these aren’t Christmas in a glass, we don’t know what is. And after you master them at all your festive events, you can keep them coming all summer long because they’re pitch-perfect for balmy nights with mates.
Watch Jessica make the Cranberry Limoncello Spritz Jug on the left.
The food
It can be easy to get swept up in the Christmas planning and want to road-test a fancy new recipe, but Jessica says to fight the temptation. “I’m all for picking special dishes you know are crowd pleasers that you’ve made before, but then do a little variation in terms of flavours or ingredients,” she says. “Cooking something you know off by heart will reduce the stress levels and remove the margin for disasters. For example, if you’re great at a lamb roast, why not make a homemade salsa verde or mint sauce to go with it? Great at baking a ham? Try a different seasonal glaze this year. Last year I did a mango, sriracha chilli glaze and it was a hit! One year, I made a Beef Wellington but added stars to the pastry to make it festive. Not a great cook and prefer a no-cook option? Buy some fresh seafood, like some oysters, but make a simple but festive mignonette to have with it.”
When hosting, it’s clearly all about making the day as easy as possible. “Go for fresh summer produce that’s either quick to prep or can be prepped the day before so you don’t have to technically cook on Christmas Day – just assemble,” Jessica says. This means opting for dishes like a seafood platter, roasted or barbecued meats with a homemade sauce, summer salads and grilled vegetables. “And a showstopping dessert like my two-tiered pavlova.” Yes please!
The decor
When it comes to decorations, Jessica picks a different colour theme each year and carries that through the tree, decorations and table. “I love the classic red and green together, but I also love red and pink.” Baubles and ribbons are hot favourites, and Jessica loves to hang baubles on her backyard wisteria for that extra festive touch. Just don’t expect to find any store-bought bon-bons at Jessica’s place. “I prefer to make them myself if I’m hosting Christmas. That way, it can match the tablescape. I make them out of toilet rolls and wrapping paper and fabric, and instead of a joke, I write a little note for each guest and pop in a little trinket they might enjoy, like chocolates or mini beauty product.” That tired old knock-knock and plastic whistle never stood a chance.
The memories
Growing up, Jessica loved choosing the family’s Christmas tree from a farm and bringing it home to decorate. “My mum loves to paint and is very crafty, and she handmakes a lot of Christmas decorations. I remember spending a whole weekend taking them out of storage, and decorating the home was a real marker of the start of the Christmas season,” she says. Jessica also loved the family’s Christmas spread. “It was a beautiful blend of some traditional Christmas dishes, but mixed with some special Vietnamese dishes and lots of gorgeous summer produce.”
The build-up
There are two camps when it comes to Christmas movies, and Jessica is all in. “Love Actually, The Holiday, Home Alone and Elf… It’s not Christmas unless I’ve watched all of these films in the lead-up,” she says. She’s even made an annual tradition of watching Home Alone with New York-style pizza. “It’s one of my favourite things to do with the family, and, this year, I’ve even ordered some Christmas pyjamas for us all to wear.”
