Do you love a dark and stormy? If you don't know it, it's a mixture of dark rum, ginger beer and lime ( click to see our recipe here). If you do, you'll love my creamy, festive twist on the classic cocktail: The Dark and Snowy! The secret to the deliciousness is the homemade flavoured syrup. You can flavour a simple syrup (which is equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil, stirring just until dissolved) in any way you like. I chose fresh ginger to flavour the simple syrup, which stands in for the spicy ginger beer called for in the original recipe. OK, I know what you're thinking. The addition of cream may seem unusual, but this is very much like a cream liqueur —think Irish cream or rum cream —and, actually, gives this cocktail a really fun and retro twist. Trust me! It's now in regular rotation at my holiday parties. Tell me: What are the holiday cocktails you turn to again and again? Photography by John Cullen