Is there anything cozier than clinking glasses of holiday cocktails while the lights twinkle and the snacks keep coming? I don’t think so! This is the season for slowing down, gathering your favorite people and pouring something a little special.
This collection has a bit of everything. There are warm classics like mulled wine and hot buttered rum, creamy dessert sips like a gingerbread martini, bubbly Christmas cocktails and even a margarita for the tequila fans. There’s also a festive mocktail for anyone skipping the booze!
My tip: pick one warm drink and one chilled one, and your party menu is basically done. Cheers!
Holiday Cocktails – Table of Contents
Tito’s Cranberry Mule – Festive Vodka Drink for the Season
Two classic vodka cocktails get a makeover here: the vodka-cran meets the mule. Tito’s describes it as spiced, tart and crisp, and that is exactly the vibe of this easy cranberry mule recipe.
You only need vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and a splash of cranberry juice. Add everything to a copper mug with ice, stir, garnish with a lime slice and you’re ready to toast.
Hot Buttered Rum
Butter, what can’t it do? This simple hot buttered rum recipe combines spiced rum with caramel syrup, honey, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, all muddled right in the mug and topped up with hot water.
Softened butter melts on top for a rich, velvety finish. Hosting? The recipe suggests mixing six servings and placing a hot kettle in the center of the table for a cozy, tea-style service with friends.
Spiked Apple Cider
This easy spiked apple cider is warm, comforting and ready in just 10 minutes. Apple cider simmers with cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange zest, fresh orange juice and grated ginger before a splash of spiced rum or brandy goes in. No added sugar needed!
The author calls it a huge crowd pleaser and likes to make a pitcher when entertaining. Her tip: make a batch without rum for the kids, too, and simply mark which pitcher is which.
Gingerbread Martini
With Baileys, vodka, heavy cream and a homemade gingerbread syrup made from brown sugar, molasses and warm spices, this drink tastes like the famous cookie in cocktail form. The author says if you close your eyes and take a sip, it tastes just like gingerbread cookies!
The syrup is the star, but store-bought syrup works if you’re short on time. Finish with whipped cream and crushed gingerbread cookies for a true dessert cocktail.
Mulled Wine – Cozy Christmas Drink for a Crowd
If coziness has a fragrance, writes Rosie Schaap, it’s red wine simmering on the stove with citrus and spices. Her version adds brandy for extra zing, plus dark brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lightly crushed cardamom pods.
Her tip: choose a red wine that isn’t bone-dry, because a little fruitiness works well here. It serves 6 to 8 and is easily doubled, which makes this mulled wine recipe easy to scale for big gatherings.
Bourbon Maple Eggnog
Leah Hall twists classic whiskey eggnog by using maple syrup instead of sugar, plus bourbon and a couple of drops of tiki bitters. Shake with ice, strain and finish with a dash of nutmeg for an easy eggnog cocktail recipe ready in 5 minutes.
Leah loves a glass of eggnog while wrapping presents and admits she tries to sip it slowly, but it goes down far too easy. The maple flavor is subtle, and as she asks, has maple syrup ever messed up anything?
Poinsettia Cocktail
Tart cranberry juice and orange liqueur are topped with bubbly champagne in this simple poinsettia cocktail recipe. Chrisy Toombs promises its beautiful red hue and cranberry orange taste will bring a smile to your face.
Her tips: use 100% cranberry juice for the best color, and feel free to swap the champagne for a dry sparkling wine you love. Garnish with fresh cranberries, an orange twist or a sprig of rosemary.
Pomegranate Margarita – Festive Tequila Cocktail for Winter
The author admits she packed so much pomegranate juice into this drink that margarita-flavored pomegranate juice might be a better name! She uses a little less triple sec than usual so the flavors get along nicely, and no simple syrup is required.
This pomegranate margarita recipe is easy, with just four main ingredients. Add a salt or sugar rim, then top with pomegranate arils, which turn into a boozy little snack at the bottom of your glass.
Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Martini, Vegan
Cindy Rainey shakes chocolate liqueur, oat milk and peppermint vodka into a creamy, dairy-free chocolate peppermint martini. She uses her homemade vegan chocolate liqueur made with coconut milk, but you can also buy one.
The festive touch is the rim: dip the glass in chocolate, then in crushed candy canes. Cindy says it makes the drink extra special and suggests shaking vigorously until your hands are too cold to handle the shaker!
Christmas Mojito / Coconut Mojito
This Christmas mojito mocktail is creamy, fizzy and full of coconut, mint and lime flavors, and it’s ready in just 2 minutes. Muddle mint with sugar and lime juice, add ice and coconut milk, then top with sparkling water and pomegranate arils.
Author Dhwani loves the color and says the mint gives it that boughs of holly feel. Want a boozy version? Her note suggests mixing white rum and coconut rum into the coconut milk.
Hot Toddy
Endlessly versatile, this classic hot toddy steeps cinnamon, cloves and star anise in hot water before honey, lemon juice, Angostura bitters and bourbon join in. It’s ready in 10 minutes!
Holly and Natalie say you barely need a recipe for a great toddy, so make their simple hot toddy recipe a few times, then experiment with rum, Scotch or brandy. Their tip: warm your mug with hot water first.
Conclusion
From steaming mugs of mulled wine to bubbly poinsettias, these holiday cocktails cover every mood of the season. Wondering which drink feels the most Christmassy? For me, it’s a tie between creamy eggnog and a pot of mulled wine simmering on the stove!
My tips for choosing: for a big party, go with batch-friendly holiday cocktail recipes like the spiked apple cider or mulled wine. For a smaller get-together, shake up a gingerbread martini or chocolate peppermint martini as dessert. And always offer the Christmas mojito so non-drinkers get something festive, too.
Which one will you pour first? Pick your favorite, gather your people and let me know in the comments how it turned out. Cheers!