5 Christmas cocktails to impress your guests with

Samuel Ng, Monkey Shoulder’s new Southeast Asia ambassador and award-winning bartender. (Monkey Shoulder pic)

Samuel Ng is no stranger to those who are well-versed in the world of spirits – not the supernatural type, more of the beverage variety.

Originally born in Malaysia, Samuel lived and grew up in Melbourne, Australia and started life in the hospitality world as a barista, dishwasher and dining chef before switching over to bartending.

He then became the general manager of the internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Melbourne cocktail bar, The Black Pearl.

Now based in Singapore, he was recently named Monkey Shoulder’s Southeast Asia brand ambassador.

Speaking to FMT, he shares his favourite go-to cocktail recipes – some of which you can recreate at home for your guests during Christmas. So, if you have a bottle of Monkey Shoulder lying around, have a go and mix to impress!

These recipes make the perfect companion for dinner and catch-up sessions. (Monkey Shoulder pic)

Monkey Root Beer

“If I’m keeping it simple, a highball always works but I’m extremely partial to a Monkey Root Beer, which is fun and easy to make!” says Samuel.

He suggests mixing up Monkey Shoulder and A&W root beer and pour straight over ice, and voila! You have got yourself a Monkey Root Beer!

“I’m pretty sure I was the first to create the sweet concoction, which is a blast from my past. It is a fun nod to my childhood in Malaysia, which is where I first became a huge fan of A&W root beer.”

Mamie Taylor

A ginger and lime paradise. (Monkey Shoulder pic)

“A classic whiskey cocktail that I love shaken, but if you don’t have a shaker on hand then just mixing it all together works just as well,” says Samuel.

You’ll need:

45ml Monkey Shoulder
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
2 dashes angostura bitters.

Instructions:

Shake well. Strain into a tall glass full of ice.
Top with ginger beer (ginger ale is fine too, but beer is tastier).
Garnish with an Orange.

The Perfect Christmas Cocktail

This one you can make a big batch of, store in the fridge and pull out whenever you fancy a Christmas tipple.

“It’s also great because it means you don’t have to worry about making tricky cocktails from scratch when you’re busy over the festive period. Just pour the mix over ice, give it a stir and you’re good to go!”

You’ll need:

30ml Monkey Shoulder
30ml Campari
30ml Sweet vermouth
3 dashes orange bitters

To follow Samuel’s suggestion of making it in a big batch, use a 700ml bottle each of:

Monkey Shoulder
Campari
Sweet Vermouth (they’re usually 750ml, so take 50ml out and mix the rest of the bottle)
40ml orange bitters

To serve, pour over ice, stir and garnish with an orange.

Lazy Old Fashioned

There’s a reason why this cocktail is named as such – it’s easy and classic. (Monkey Shoulder pic)

A great make-at-home for a party cocktail is the Lazy Old Fashioned, according to Samuel. All you have to do is open a bottle of Monkey Shoulder and pour out 100ml (treat yourself to a cheeky dram while you batch the rest of the cocktail).

You’ll need:

700ml Bottle of Monkey Shoulder
90ml Sugar Syrup
30ml Angostura Bitters

Instructions:

Pour 90ml of sugar syrup into the bottle, along with 30ml of Angostura Bitters.
Shake and store in the fridge, and you’ve got 12 Lazy Old Fashioneds to pour over ice and garnish with an orange wedge.

New Old Soul

“More recently, one of the first drinks I created for Monkey Shoulder is a drink called New Old Soul, a classy cocktail with a zesty punch,” says Samuel.

It’s a retake on an Old Fashioned, but Samuel confesses that he really likes the simplicity of ingredients but the complexity of the drink.

As a tip, Monkey Shoulder is complemented by Braulio (an alpine Amaro), absinthe and more bitters.

You’ll need: