As a host, you need to be a little wary of seasonal cocktails. I once tasked several friends with peeling brown shrimps on Christmas morning, offering them the inducement of Champagne cocktails: sugar cubes sprinkled with Angostura, dropped into glasses, drenched in brandy and topped up with fizz.
Meanwhile, I set about making stuffing, peeling spuds, wrapping sausages in bacon, dissuading the cat from becoming too closely acquainted with the turkey, and all the other pre-prandial chores that festivity demands.
