What do you need while Christmas shopping? Christmas cocktails of course!

The cold, damp winter is well upon us. Fortunately, Christmas and all of its fun with friends and family is right around the corner. As you prepare for the giving season, you’ll definitely need a little something to warm you up in between shops during your gift buying.

Here are the best Christmas cocktails you can get if you’re in London, Manchester or Birmingham.

London

The hustle and bustle of Oxford Street this time of year is pretty manic! A shoppers paradise it may be, but we can guarantee you’ll need a ginny tipple after fighting your way to the front of the queues!

A stones throw (or snowballs throw to be on theme) from Oxford Circus is The London Cocktail Club where you will find a unique and fabulously fun list of festive cocktails! The menu is expertly crafted by owner and founder JJ Goodman and everything has a fun festive twist!

Escape central London and make your way to Oslo Bar and Kitchen where a Nordic winter wonderland awaits! Rest those aching feet and sip The Sloe Winter, a cocktail made from Sloe Gin, Winter Berries Syrup, Rosemary Stem, Orange Bitters and Prosecco.

If more Christmas decadence is in order we suggest a short trip across town to Kensington’s stylish and intimate cocktail bar, The K Bar. Order The Plight of the Pangolin cocktail, made with Elephant Gin and dressed with a bespoke Patrick Mavros Pangolin swizzle stick, the cocktail will be available throughout the festive season.

Manchester

Most seasonal shoppers will flock to the Arndale Centre in Manchester, however for more unique and quirky Christmas gifts, head to the Northern Quarter, where (conveniently) you will also find some amazing cocktail bars.

Drag yourself and your shopping bags to Allotment Bar and choose a gin from the 80 strong list (your welcome) or warm up with a beautiful chilli & orange negroni, made with Silent Pool, Dolin Rouge, Campari, Ancho Reyes Chilli Liqueur, Orange Bitters.

For a more elegant pit stop we highly recommend Vesper, inspired by the grand hotels of the 1920s, where you can take five and sip on a beautiful Blackberry Collins, made with fresh blackberries, gin, fig, vanilla, rosemary, lemon and soda.

If a hotel bar is more of your thing, be sure to drop into Velvet Bar at the Velvet Hotel, where you will find sumptuous cocktails and decadent surroundings.

Birmingham

If you’re out and about in Brum, we have you covered with a list of amazing bars for the ultimate Christmas cocktail.

The Jekyll & Hyde bar gives you the choice of naughty or nice cocktails (based on the fictional Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde). So the question is, are you on Father Christmas's Naughty or nice list? Choose between a Red Weed, containing Boe Violet Gin, liquorice & blackcurrant, or a much friendlier Mad Hatter's tea Party, made with Masons Tea Gin, fig liqueur, earl grey and peach.

The Bullring is what shopaholic’s dreams are made of and thankfully, right next to it is Browns, a beautiful bistro with stunning views of the Bullring and a fabulous cocktail list to sooth your gift buying mind (and feet). Order a Ginger Berry G&T - gin, blackberry, ginger, topped with tonic as you tick off your shopping list.

Escape the craziness of The Bullring and make you way to the gorgeous Jewellery Quarter. While there, a visit to 40 St Pauls is an absolute must for any discerning gin drinker! 140 gins await you and the Christmas cocktails are to die for.