Would you like cream with that?

Some of our favourite cocktails are the ones we top with cream. And there is nothing that a good hot chocolate can’t fix – especially at this time of year. The best ones have a hefty serving of cream and marshmellows on top. But there is a way you can level up your creamy toppings, taking any cocktail to another dimension and spiking virgin hot drinks with some of your favourite spirits.

You’ve probably already been spiking your coffees for a while, with anything from whiskey to rum, Baileys and even Tia Maria. The same concept can be applied to whipped cream – if it tastes good, add it in. But we have a few suggestions to get you started that will amaze and delight anyone lucky enough to enjoy a creamy cocktail.

How to make:

Take your alcohol of choice and add it to a cocktail shaker with the cream. Give it a good shake and add to your drink.

Chartreuse surprise

This delicious blend of brandy and aromatic herbs is a fantastic way to spike your whipped cream. Full of flavour, the taste of this liqueur won’t get lost under the heavy cream, but it will add a comforting, warming edge to whatever drink you top it with.

We recommend using this as a topper for any coffee-based cocktails. The brandy flavours work perfectly with the bitter coffee, making for a warm drink made in heaven.

Grand Marinier delight

There are very few treats in the world that can’t be made better with the addition of orange, and cream-topped cocktails are no exception. Use Grand Marnier or another orange-based liqueur to pimp your cream and revel in the decadent flavours that follow.

This is the perfect topper for your Spanish coffee. A Spanish coffee is simply a black coffee with a hint of rum, and the Grand Marnier cream topping takes the alcohol content to cocktail proportions.

Amaretto wonderland

Everyone’s favourite sweet liqueur, Amaretto is the obvious choice for your White Russian. Clearly not sweet enough on its own, adding the Amaretto to your cream will rot your teeth from just one sip and have you bouncing off the walls in a hyperactive state. But it just tastes so, so good!

Like the other creams, it would also work well as a coffee topper.

Drambuie spectacular

As if your Irish coffee needed any more alcohol! But once you’ve made one with a Drambuie cream topping, you won’t ever go back! You only need a little bit to get that sweet, honeyed hit, but it will become a staple drink at Christmas and after any meal, ever!

If you’ve not spiked your cream yet, what are you waiting for? This is a simple way to enhance your cream cocktails and get people talking about your bartending skills. Experiment with some other flavours too – the liqueur world is your cocktail oyster!