Snowball

Advocaat and lemonade — the Dutch egg liqueur's custard sweetness lifted by carbonation, a British Christmas institution that peaked in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Snowball is one of Britain's most distinctly seasonal cocktails — a preparation so firmly embedded in British Christmas culture that it is rarely encountered outside the November-to-January window in which Advocaat is actively marketed. The drink combines Advocaat, a Dutch egg liqueur made from a blend of egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and brandy, with lemonade, producing a drink of custard-yellow color and sweet, egg-cream character. Advocaat was developed in the Netherlands — the word derives from the Dutch advocatenborrel, meaning lawyer's drink — and has been commercially produced since at least the early 20th century, with Bols, the Amsterdam distillery founded in 1575, being its most recognized international producer. The liqueur's thick, egg-enriched consistency is moderated by the lemonade's carbonation and citric acid, and the combination is genuinely pleasant: the custard sweetness of the Advocaat against the lemon's brightness produces a drink that is less heavy than either component alone. The Snowball became commercially significant in Britain after Advocaat producers began marketing the combination specifically for Christmas from the 1950s onward, and the drink peaked in British cultural visibility during the 1970s and 1980s. Its association with Christmas parties, family gatherings, and first-alcoholic-drink experiences for British adults made it a cultural touchstone of British seasonal drinking — universally known even by those who have never consumed one.