The Warninks advocaat snowball is a fun, citrusy and enchantingly colourful cocktail that has been popular for decades. Adding a little ginger beer to the mix injects a burst of modern flair into the classic Snowball cocktail.
This drink is sponsored by Warninks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
An advocaat Snowball was the drink I remember being served amongst the adults at Christmas when I was growing up. I always liked the look of it – that gentle yellow colour along with the cocktail cherry that always accompanied this drink looked fun and inviting. Fast forward to adulthood and it’s a drink I too have enjoyed on numerous occasions over the years.
The Snowball cocktail is a drink that remains ever-popular but like all good classic cocktails there’s nothing wrong with putting a fresh spin on it for modern palates too. So today I’m pleased to be presenting my perky ginger beer rendition of the advocaat Snowball using Warninks.
What is a snowball?
What is a classic snowball made from?
It’s usually a blend of advocaat liqueur, lime juice and lemonade.
What does it taste like?
Advocaat is a richly flavoured, vibrant yellow liqueur with a flavour reminiscent of vanilla custard. This flavour underlies the classic advocaat snowball cocktail, but zesty lemon and lime flavours also feature prominently.
It’s a lightly creamy yet effervescent drink.
Where was this cocktail invented?
It was created in the 1940s in the UK and has remained popular ever since.
When can it be served?
Although Snowball cocktails are very popular over winter, especially Christmas-time, they can be enjoyed all year round. In fact, families who have traditionally reserved this drink for celebrations at Christmas are now enjoying it throughout the year whenever a get-together arises.
That’s a new tradition I can get on board with easily and the version I’m presenting today is ideal for drinking at any time of the year, not just Christmas.
What makes this Snowball drink special?
My rendition of the advocaat snowball takes the base recipe and makes one simple change: the lemonade is replaced with fiery ginger beer. This adds a certain liveliness to the flavour and offers a fresh take on the much-loved classic snowball cocktail. It is:
- Quick and easy to make
- Fun – who can resist that colour
- Crowd-pleasing
- Fresh and exciting
And if you are wondering what you could serve with this Snowball cocktail as a nibble, try my white chocolate advocaat truffles or my mince pies with advocaat butter.
Fancy a warm advocaat drink? Try the Bombardino – it’s guaranteed to make you feel cosy. Or opt for an advocaat latte for a longer hot advocaat drink.
Ingredients
I always use Warninks when making any advocaat based drink. It’s a brand that I know will reliably deliver a full-flavoured, high-quality liqueur. I highly recommend you do the same. (I did once attempt homemade advocaat liqueur with disastrous results).
Ensure the ginger beer you choose for this snowball cocktail has a good level of ginger heat to it. Weaker flavoured ones will just impart sweetness without much flavour, so choose quality here.
Use fresh lime juice rather than lime cordial. Lime juice adds zesty freshness to the drink whereas lime cordial can make it a little too sweet and the flavour is not so vibrant.
Step-by-step instructions
Making a Warninks advocate Snowball cocktail couldn’t be simpler:
- Pour the Warninks advocaat and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice
- Secure the lid and shake to chill and combine
- Strain into a glass
- Top up with ginger beer and stir to combine
Expert tips
- Don’t skip mixing the advocaat, lime and ice together first – it helps them blend well with the ginger beer and cools all ingredients down nicely
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker try using a large glass jar with a screw top lid or at a push stir the advocaat, lime and ice together in a jug for 30 seconds
- Ensure your ginger beer is well chilled too – a lukewarm Snowball cocktail is not ideal
Frequently asked questions
Warninks advocaat comes in at 17.2% abv which is relatively low for liqueurs. When mixed in the quantities specified in this recipe the resulting advocaat Snowball cocktail has an abv measure of around 5%.
Despite a common misconception, Advocaat and eggnog are two quite different drinks. Advocaat is made from brandy, egg yolks, vanilla and sugar whereas eggnog is made from eggs, sugar, cream and rum or whisky. As such, eggnog is not a suitable substitute in this Snowball cocktail recipe – only advocaat will suffice.
Because ginger beer is sparkling it is best to make this snowball cocktail at the point that it is required.
Buy a ready to drink Snowball cocktail in a can from these retailers: Sainsbury’s, Waitrose or Morrisons.
Ways to serve this cocktail
For a fresh and modern sense of style serve this advocaat Snowball in elegant cocktail glasses instead of the usual high-ball. Garnishes are up to you:
- Keep things classic with lime and a cocktail cherry or two
- Opt for a creative garnish to match the season such as holly at Christmas
- Or add a sense of cosy warmth with a cinnamon stick or some grated nutmeg
Then of course you can push the boat out and slip a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream into your Snowball. It’s an unexpected and indulgent twist certain to put a smile on the face of the lucky recipient of this drink.
More variations on the classic Snowball drink
If you fancy pimping your Snowball cocktail in other ways try these suggestions:
- Replace the lemonade with Prosecco or Champagne
- Add a shot of espresso coffee
- Make a Posh snowball using cloudy lemonade and ice cream
Or go off piste and try out a Fluffy Duck – it’s another classic advocaat cocktail.
Have you made this Warninks advocaat snowball cocktail with ginger beer? Please leave a rating or comment to let me know if you enjoyed it. I always love to hear from my readers.
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Warninks Advocaat Snowball Cocktail
Ingredients
- 50 ml Warninks Advocaat
- 10 ml Fresh lime juice
- 100 ml Ginger Beer
Instructions
- Pour the Warninks advocaat and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice
- Secure the lid and shake to chill and combine
- Strain into a glass
- Top up with ginger beer and stir to combine
- Garnish as desired and serve immediately
Notes
- Don’t skip mixing the advocaat, lime and ice together first – it helps them blend well with the ginger beer and cool all ingredients down nicely
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker try using a large glass jar with a screw top lid or at a push stir the advocaat, lime and ice together in a jug for 30 seconds
- Ensure your ginger beer is well chilled too – a lukewarm Snowball is not ideal
- Warninks advocaat comes in at 17.2% abv. When mixed in the quantities specified in this recipe the resulting advocaat Snowball cocktail has an abv measure of around 5%.
- Keep things classic with lime and a cocktail cherry or two
- Opt for a creative garnish to match the season such as holly at Christmas
- Or add a sense of cosy warmth with a cinnamon stick or some grated nutmeg
Brigid
I was introduced to advocaat with ginger beer and lime by my friend, Caroline, back in the 1970s. I thought that was how it was supposed to be made. We also occasionally spruced it up with sparkling wine- Babycham in those days – and occasionally a dash of brandy to give it even more of a kick! Who knew that we were inventing cocktails!
Never understood sneering types who claim not to like it! They’ve just not been doing it right!
Jane Saunders
Sounds as if you and Caroline were ahead of your time! I for one am proud to call myself an Advocaat lover 🙂