Champagne, Santa?

Over one in five festive Brits (22 per cent) will be leaving a tot of sherry out for Santa Claus, according to research by Ember, the national pub group and champions of real ale.

Whisky is our second favourite tipple for Father Christmas as 11 per cent pour him a glass, while one in ten Brits leave a smooth glass of Bailey’s out.

A more substantial pint of lager or Real Ale also feature on the festive shopping list.

But tradition doesn’t hold any clout for Father Christmas fans in Ireland, Wales and Scotland – who all cite Baileys, or Irish Cream, as their top choice.

And the Scots stand out as the big spenders – splashing more cash on Champagne for Santa than any other region – with the West Midlands coming in second in the Champers-stakes.

While still favouring sherry, the North East is hoping to put hairs on Santa’s chest as the biggest spenders on lager.

Andre Johnstone, Senior Marketing Manager at Ember, said: “Christmas is all about those age-old traditions, so I’m not surprised to see that sherry is still top of the tots when it comes to quenching Santa’s thirst come Christmas Eve.

“But it’s great to see modern tastes creeping in to mix things up a little! I was especially pleased to see that some people are even leaving Real Ale out and I’m sure Santa will be delighted with a drop of Britain's finest drink!"

“Any of the twelve Real Ales on tap at Ember Inns nationwide this winter as part of our Cask Club would quench even Santa’s thirst!”

To find out more about Ember’s Cask Club log on to the website at emberinns.co.uk or the Ember facebook page on the ‘Cask Club’ tab.

The Santa Sups top ten was:

1. Sherry
2. Whisky
3. Baileys
4. Brandy
5. Port
6. Lager
7. Wine
8. Real ale
9. Vodka
10. Cider