The Ivy
The season to eat, drink and be merry is now upon us (hurrah!) and The Ivy Café in Richmond has created a selection of extra special (and extra tasty) festive treats that are guaranteed to get even the biggest ‘bah humbug’ into the holiday spirit…
One such delight is the new Winter Bellini (£9.50). Made with tawny port, cranberry juice and a splash of Prosecco, it’s essentially Christmas in a glass; the port gives a sumptuous richness, the cranberry juice a distinctively festive sweetness (and a gorgeous colour) and the cold, crisp fizz provides an instant sense of sparkling celebration.
Another special Christmas creation is the Roasted Chestnut Julep (£9.75), which is a perfect winter warmer for whisky-lovers. A mixture of Maker’s Mark bourbon, chestnut syrup, lemon juice and sugar syrup provides a boozy ‘hug in a mug’ and it looks gorgeous too – served in a stylish copper julep cup and topped with snow-topped berries.
No festive cocktail menu would be complete without something warm, and this year The Ivy have created their very own, rather sophisticated Mulled Cider (£9.50), perfect for those cold, dark evenings. If it’s caffeine that you’re after, then the festive Gingerbread Latte (£3.50), made with gingerbread syrup, hot milk and garnished with a pinch of ground cinnamon, also makes mouth-watering Christmas classic, and a perfect pit stop when you’re out shopping.
Treat yourself to a couple of bar snacks (the truffle arancini and zucchini fritti are my favourites) or a slap-up meal with friends, but whatever you choose to nibble on, no festive meal would be complete without The Ivy’s ingenious, limited-edition Snowball Fight dessert (£9.25) – a gloriously naughty but oh-so-nice sugar rush that looks exactly like a snow-dusted snowball that has been thrown on to a plate.
It is, in fact, a delicious dollop of boozy, brandy ice cream, covered liberally in warm white chocolate, gingerbread and cream sauce, finished adorably with a little chocolate mushroom and mini yule log. Well, it is Christmas, after all...
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The limited-edition drinks can be enjoyed from now until January 1, and the festive dessert is available now until December 24. The Ivy Café, 9-11 Hill St, Richmond TW9 1SX theivycaferichmond.com
