With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to stock your drinks cupboard with liqueurs and spirits not normally bought the rest of the year, which — if drunk in moderation —can add their own touch of magic to the festivities.

The art of mixing drinks is no deep and jealously guarded secret, nor a skill acquired over years of painstaking effort — a successful festive cocktail owes its final flavour to the quality ingredients that go into the glass. If you add a little imagination to the mix all the better, provided you are aware of the way certain flavours complement each other.

The term cocktail now appears to refer to almost any mixed drink, including non-alcoholic concoctions. It is unclear as to when the word cocktail was coined, or what those early cocktails tasted like. One theory is that the word stems from the English cock-tail which referred to women of easy virtue during the mid 1800s, who were considered desirable but impure. It is also thought that it comes from the rooster’s tail used as a colonial drink garnish.

Although most liqueurs add a considerable sweetness to any cocktail mix, some call for extra sugar, best added in liquid form named gomme syrup which is really simple to prepare. All you do is simmer together about a pound of granulated sugar with a pint of water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once made and cooled, it can be stored in a glass bottle until needed.

Because so many people are saying “No” to alcohol as they are driving, it’s also worth stocking up with some tasty non-alcoholic drinks too. These need not be dull — there are some great non-alcoholic products on sale these days. If served in an attractive glass and garnished beautifully, they can look and taste superb and be as festive as anything else served at a party.

I have been serving Big Tom spiced tomato juice this year pouring it over ice, and serving with a small stick of celery. The beauty of this drink is that you can turn it into a very tasty Bloody Mary by adding a dash of vodka.

The company that produces Big Tom has come up with Beet It, an organic beetroot juice which certainly makes for a very colourful drink — though, be warned, it does turn urine pink!

I have also used their apple and cinnamon mix as a base for a warm, non-alcoholic mulled brew, adding a few raisins to the mix and garnishing it with thin apple slices.

Grenadine is another useful non-alcoholic drink as it adds both colour and flavour. Because grenadine (a viscous syrup created from a concentration of pomegranates) is a particularly thick syrupy red liquid, it sinks to the bottom of the glass if allowed to fall naturally without stirring. This creates a particularly attractive sunrise effect. Children love it, especially if mixed with fruit juice and garnished with orange slices.

Another non-alcoholic product I tried for the first time this year was Great Uncle Cornelius’s Finest Spiced Ginger, which includes nutmeg, ginseng, hyssop, cloves and coriander among its ingredients. I found it far too sweet to drink on its own, but when served as a long drink topped up with lemonade, it was fine.

It’s worth remembering that you can buy flavoured coffee beans for your festive party, which provides those driving home a warming spicy drink before they leave. Cherizena coffee beans are flavoured with rum, nuts, orange and spices.

For those who appreciate a cream liqueur served with their coffee — and are rather fond of the flavour of aniseed created by star anise — a small glass of Luxardo’s cream liqueur which comes with a hint of coffee, is perfect with a festive coffee.

One of the perks of holding a Christmas party in your own home is that you can indulge yourself and enjoy a tipple or two. It’s worth adding a bottle of a quality blended whisky, such as Grant’s, to your drinks list, drinking it straight or using it as a base for a cocktail.

Try mixing together equal amounts of Grant’s whisky and Crème de Cacao and serve poured over crushed ice garnished with a fresh vanilla pod.

Whisky, cherry brandy and a splash of tonic tastes great too. Garnish this drink with a sage leaf and a glacé cherry for a seasonal touch.

And if you prefer the unadulterated flavour of a single malt with that mouth-watering combination of unmistakable maltiness, smokiness and sherry sweetness, then a glass of Glenfarclas’s 10-year-old, with its gloriously smooth finish, will certainly hit the spot.

Then there’s the cocktail that will make your toes tingle within seconds of taking the first sip — the classic champagne cocktail. If you make it by mixing a dash of cognac with Gosset’s Grande Reserve Brut, having added a sugar cube sprinkled with bitters to the glass, the party will undoubtedly go with an extra swing.