It's almost party time! Without Christmas drinks, a holiday party can't truly be complete. Inventive, lively cocktails with a festive twist will help you feel cheerier immediately.
To make this festive season one to remember, you'll need many festive drink ideas for holiday parties with friends, big family gatherings, or for your office Christmas party. Choose between a traditional cocktail suited for leisurely sipping or a shot that will get the party started.
Mixing drinks for a large gathering? Think about something you can batch easily. This list includes festive cocktails that you can make for yourself or share with your guests. Naturally, these are perfect for a holiday get-together, but you can also experiment with them during a marathon of Christmas movies or a cookie-baking session (along with some hearty Christmas songs).
With so many Christmas cocktail recipes available online, choosing the ideal drinks for your event may be difficult. Here are 7 delectable Christmas cocktails you may sip all festive season long to help you out!
1. Christmas Margarita
A delightful take on the classic margarita is one of our best recipe suggestions for the holiday season because it gives this traditional cocktail a fresh twist!
These colorful and tasty margaritas are the ideal complement to your appetizers. With tastes of cranberry, pomegranate, and fresh lime juice to make it especially distinctive, it's sure to leave visitors wanting more.
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serving: 1 yield
Ingredients:
- 3 oz. cranberry juice
- 2 oz tequila (preferably clear)
- 1 oz. pomegranate juice
- 1/2 oz. lime juice
- 1/2 oz. triple sec or orange liqueur
- Add ice, frozen cranberries, and a rosemary sprig on top
Instructions:
- Fill the martini shaker with all the ingredients. If you don't have a shaker, straining the ice in a mason jar will work just fine. Shake it and make sure the covers are securely on!
- Pour into a glass over ice, then garnish with a rosemary sprig and frozen cranberries.
2. Apple Cider Sangria
This could potentially rival apple pie in taste thanks to its delicious combination of sweet brandy, cinnamon-scented apple cider, and a sharp taste of fresh ginger.
This spiced, bubbly cocktail packs a flavorful Christmas punch indeed. Its components even give it a gorgeous orange hue, sweet tart flavor and wonderful aroma.
Serve it in a clear glass pitcher so your party guests can see the full picture. To really make it pop, add some garnish, such pomegranate seeds, apple wedges, and orange wedges.
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serving: 6 to 8 yields
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups apple cider
- 3/4 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 2 tsp. orange bitters
- 4 clementines, thinly sliced
- 2 apples
- 1 750ml bottle Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine
- Pomegranate seeds
Instructions:
- Combine cider, brandy, ginger, lemon juice, clementine juice, and bitters in a big pitcher. Add the clementine and apple slices, and stir. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator for up to a day.
- Add Prosecco when ready to serve. If preferred, garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and serve over ice.
3. Cranberry French 75 Punch
The classic ingredients for a French 75 cocktail are gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. The mixture is then shaken and served in a champagne flute. After that, champagne is poured on top of the cocktail, and voilà!
It is a refreshing beverage with a vibrant lemon flavor. The cocktail feels light and, to be honest, kind of dreamy to drink thanks to the bubbles.
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serving: 8 yields
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, more for serving
- 3 clementines, thinly sliced
- 8 cups cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 cups gin
- 1/2 cup fresh clementine juice
- 1 bottle sparkling white wine
Instructions:
- Scatter the cranberries and clementine slices in a Bundt pan. Add water on top, then freeze.
- Cranberry juice, gin, and clementine juice should all be combined in a punch bowl. Add more cranberries and a frozen ice ring.
- After adding a glass of bubbly, serve.
4. Peppermint Martini
There's no beverage that shouts Christmas quite like this one! Peppermint martinis is a sweet and creamy cocktail with a festive minty flavor. This beverage is perfect if you are an avid enthusiast of peppermint bark.
Total Time: 10 minutes
Serving: 3 yields
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 cup crushed candy canes
- 6 oz. white chocolate liqueur
- 4 oz. vodka
- 2 oz. peppermint schnapps
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- Ice
- 3 small candy canes
Instructions:
- Place melted chocolate onto one shallow plate and crushed candy canes on another. Dip the rims of martini glasses in chocolate first, then in the candy canes.Pour the remaining chocolate into the bottom of the glasses and swirl to coat the bottom ⅓ of the glasses with chocolate. Set the glasses in the freezer while you make the drink.
- Combine vodka, white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps, and heavy cream in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker to the brim with ice and shake until chilled.Pour drink into three glasses and garnish with a candy cane before serving.
5. Yule Mule
The Yule Mule is a Christmas drink made with ginger beer and cranberries, based on the classic Moscow Mule. It can also include different juices and simple syrup to provide other flavors.
The balance of this cranberry drink is one of its best features. The tartness of the fresh cranberries and the spiciness of the ginger beer blend beautifully together. The simple syrup sweetens it and the lime juice gives it a little sharpness.
Serving: 6 yields
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
- 9 oz. vodka
- 6 oz. simple syrup
- 3 oz. lime juice
- 18 oz. ginger beer
Instructions:
- Squeeze the limes and create the simple syrup one to two hours before the gathering. You can find cold-pressed lime juice in the grocery.
- Gather your garnishes. Divide the rosemary sprigs into shorter garnishes and quarter the limes.
- Place the ingredients in individual jars or containers on the surface that will become your Mule Bar.
- Mix thoroughly until well blended, then serve right away!
6. Hot Buttered Rum
Total Time: 10 minutes
Serving: 1 yield
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 splash pure vanilla extract
- 1 dash ground cinnamon
- 1 dash ground nutmeg
- 1 dash ground allspice
- 2 oz. dark rum
- 4 oz. hot water
- Cinnamon stick, for garnish
Instructions:
- In an Irish coffee glass or cup, thoroughly mix the butter, vanilla essence, sugar, and spices.
- Pour in the rum and top with hot water and stir.
- Decorate with a cinnamon stick. Serve and enjoy.
7. Mulled Wine
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serving: 5 yields
Ingredients:
- 2 small oranges
- 1 bottle of affordable Merlot, Zinfandel or Garnacha (Grenache)
- ¼ cup brandy
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, to taste
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- Optional garnish: ¼ cup whole cranberries, additional orange slices and cinnamon sticks
Instructions:
- Slice one into rounds and halve the other. Transfer the rounds to a small Dutch oven or medium saucepan with a heavy bottom. Pour the leftover orange juice into the pot.
- Add the brandy to the saucepan after the wine. Add 1 tablespoon of sweetener. Stir in the cloves, star anise, and cinnamon sticks.
- Watch the mixture as it warms up over medium heat for about five minutes, or until it begins to steam. Lower the heat to the lowest setting as soon as you notice the smallest bubbles forming at the surface.
- Taste carefully, and if it's not sweet enough, add another spoonful of sweetener. If the level of spice is not to your liking, cook for a further five to ten minutes on extremely low heat.
- Pour into mugs and top with chosen garnishes. You can add cranberries to the pot to give it a more festive appearance if that's what you're doing.
- Keep the mulled wine on the stove over extra-low heat if you plan to finish it off in less than 20 minutes. If not, take it off the heat, cover it, and reheat slowly if needed. If you want to prevent it from being any spicier than it already is, you can strain it before storing it in the fridge for a few days.
