It's officially Christmas. There’s a moment every year when the festive season truly kicks in, and this year’s wasn’t signalled by the drama over the Coca-Cola wink, the phenomenon that is gin baubles, or even Shane McGowan’s rasping baritone telling us “It was Christmas Eve babe” for the first time in November.

It was the invention of a custard cocktail.

Eggnog be gone, mulled wine see you later, port (no wait, port you can stay) for the sweet comfort food of our childhood has been fused with one of our favourite grown-up tipples and a liqueur that sounds, frankly, thrilling.

The Queen Raffald cocktail, so named after 18^th century entrepreneur and custard-loving cook Elizabeth Raffald, is made using Ambrosia’s dangerous sounding Deluxe Custard Vanilla with Clotted Cream, blended with rum and gingerbread liqueur, and finished with a sprinkling of nutmeg and dark chocolate shavings. Gingerbread man garnish optional.
 
It was created for The Taste of London Winter Festival but is also available for Londoners to try at Mews of Mayfair for a limited time only (we can’t see it being a huge hit in January, to be fair.)

Self-confessed “huge Ambrosia fan” James Williamson from Mews of Mayfair said: “We love pushing the boundaries of cocktail creation whilst keeping things exciting and I wanted to create a dessert cocktail.”

Ambrosia has recently made a push to spark the public’s imagination when it comes to the yellow stuff. Traditionally a blanket for spongy puddings – the gravy of stodgy desserts, if you will - the 100-year-old Devon-based firm recently introduced Frozen Custard and insists there’s a growing trend for savoury custard dishes.

“We can’t wait to see what the next big idea might be,” said the firm’s Grace Liljemark.

Any ideas? Share your own custard recipes on our Facebook page and here’s how to go about serving the Queen Raffald at your next festive gathering...

Ingredients (serves one)

• 50ml rum (we use Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva)
• 10ml gingerbread liqueur
• 75ml Ambrosia Deluxe Custard Vanilla with Clotted Cream
• Garnish: nutmeg and dark chocolate, mini gingerbread man

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake before pouring in to a coupe glass and garnish with shavings of chocolate and nutmeg.

It’s 280 calories a pop, if you care about that sort of thing, so only slightly more than a Mars Bar (and probably a bit more fun.)