The recipe
for your table
Shake the advocaat with the lime juice and some ice briefly in a shaker.
Strain into a highball glass or coupe with a few ice cubes.
Top up gently with the fizzy lemonade and stir carefully once - it foams vigorously.
Garnish with a cherry on a pick.
The story
Advocaat - the thick Dutch liqueur made from egg yolks, sugar, and brandy - conquered all of Europe in the twentieth century, but it was the British who turned it into their favorite Christmas cocktail in the 1950s. The Snowball became hugely popular in the 1970s, complete with kitschy advertisements, and was then considered hopelessly dated for decades. That retro image was exactly what made its comeback possible: modern bartenders embraced the Snowball again, with fresh lime and good advocaat. In the Netherlands, the drink without lemonade is simply called 'advocaatje met slagroom' - also delicious, but less festive.
The right glass
The Snowball foams and fizzes, so give it room: a small highball glass of 22 to 36 cl in which the creamy yellow color and foam head stand out beautifully. For a festive table, a coupe also works - then it becomes more of a dessert cocktail. Clear glass, a red cherry on top: a drink needs nothing more to feel like Christmas. If you prefer to serve it as a dessert cocktail during the holidays, our champagne coupe glasses also pair well with it.
Arcoroc Islande Longdrink Glass 22 cl Tubo (6 pieces)
Duralex Picardie Longdrink Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets - together € 33,90.
The right tools
For a Snowball, besides the glass, you need a shaker, a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for precise measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools - together € 55,80.
Variations & twists
With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it becomes a dessert; with a splash of cherry brandy at the bottom, a retro cherry on top. In England, a squeeze of lime is customary - it makes the drink surprisingly fresh. Serve it alongside coffee during the holidays and let the nostalgia do its work. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
The lime juice is the difference between sticky and surprisingly fresh - don't skip it. Serve during the holidays alongside coffee instead of dessert.
Which advocaat and which soda
Thick, fresh advocaat is essential here: the creamier the liqueur, the fuller the foam after shaking. Thin, cheap advocaat sinks into the soda and leaves you with a watery glass. Check the label for the egg yolk content and preferably choose an artisanal bottle, or make it yourself. For the soda, bitter lemon is the classic choice, as the quinine balances all that sweetness; regular lemon soda works too, but make the splash of lime juice a little more generous, say 1.5 cl instead of 1.
Snowball or advocaat with whipped cream
In the Netherlands, most people know advocaat as a dessert: a glass of thick liqueur with a dollop of whipped cream and a small spoon. A Snowball uses the same liqueur, but shaken with 10 cl of ice-cold sparkling lemon soda and 1 cl of lime juice, giving you a light, drinkable cocktail instead of something you eat with a spoon. The main difference is texture and pace: you eat the advocaat in five minutes, while a Snowball takes half an hour. If you want both, add a dollop of whipped cream on top.
How strong is a Snowball
Advocaat generally contains between 14 and 20 percent alcohol, which is considerably lower than most liqueurs. With 5 cl advocaat, 10 cl lemonade and 1 cl lime juice, you end up with about 16 cl in the glass containing just under 1 cl of pure alcohol, or around 5 to 6 percent. That is comparable to a lager and considerably lighter than an average cocktail. Useful to know on a long festive evening: two Snowballs are roughly equivalent to a glass of wine.
For the holidays: in a jug
You can easily prepare the base in advance. For eight people, mix 40 cl advocaat with 8 cl fresh lime juice in a jug, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours; the colder it is, the better it will foam later. Add the lemonade per glass only, otherwise the fizz will be gone before the first guest sits down. Allow for 80 cl of bitter lemon in total, or about 16 cl per glass. Stir each glass gently once and garnish with a cherry on a pick.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a snowball?
A Snowball consists of 5 cl advocaat, 10 cl ice-cold sparkling lemon soda such as bitter lemon, and 1 cl fresh lime juice, finished with a cocktail cherry. The lime juice is not a minor detail: it keeps the creamy advocaat fresh instead of cloyingly sweet.
What is a snowball drink?
Snowball is the Dutch name for the Snowball, the advocaat drink shaken with sparkling lemon soda into a light, creamy yellow cocktail with a foamy head. In Great Britain, it has been the quintessential Christmas drink since the 1950s; advocaat itself comes from the Netherlands.
Which advocaat do you use for a Snowball?
Fresh, thick advocaat really makes a difference: the creamier the liqueur, the fuller the foam after shaking. Thin, cheap advocaat sinks through the lemonade and produces a watery result. Homemade advocaat works excellently, provided you use it well chilled.
Which glass do you use for a Snowball?
A small 22 to 36 cl highball glass gives the foam room and shows off the creamy yellow color; for a festive table, you can also use a coupe, which makes it more of a dessert cocktail. See our highball glasses for hospitality-quality sets.
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