A Christmas cocktail is a special treat that’s fun, festive, and full of flavor. We compiled 12 of our favorite alcoholic drinks for the holidays.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the holidays. Eating lots of good food, drinking lots of tasty drinks, embracing the cold weather, and spending time with friends and family is pretty perfect in my book. And a Christmas cocktail is one of my favorite ways to welcome the holiday season, because it feels so festive and celebratory.
There are lots of different Christmas cocktails, from creamy, indulgent drinks, to light and refreshing beverages. I’ve compiled 12 of my favorite recipes, so you can have fun making drinks during the holidays.
What Makes a Drink a Christmas Cocktail?
In my eyes, there are three different things that can make a cocktail a Christmas cocktail.
- The flavors. Some flavors just taste like Christmas. Peppermint is the most obvious one, but flavors like cranberry, orange, nutmeg, and rosemary are all wintry flavors that taste perfect at Christmas.
- The look. You might notice that a lot of the cocktails in this list simply look like Christmas. Whether it’s having a festive color or a glass that’s rimmed with candy canes, some cocktails simply look the part of a Christmas drink.
- They’re fun. Christmas is all about celebration and having a good time. Not everything at Christmas needs to be red, green, and peppermint flavored. A cocktail that’s simply fun is perfect for the holiday season. It’s why champagne and prosecco are so common at Christmas … they’re fun!
How to Stock Your Bar for the Holidays
You can’t make Christmas cocktails unless you have the right ingredients and equipment. Here are some things to stock your bar with so that you’re all set to make holiday cocktails.
- Flavored alcohol. This is the main one. If you want to make a peppermint-flavored cocktail, you need either peppermint vodka or peppermint schnapps … or ideally both! Whatever your favorite Christmas flavors are, stock up on some alcohol that has those flavors.
- Celebratory glasses. We drink with our eyes first. One of the best ways to make a fun and festive Christmas cocktail is by putting it in a fun and festive glass! The right glassware can be the difference between a standard cocktail and a super fun Christmas cocktail.
- Some garnishes. Make sure you have some candy canes around if you’re going to be making Christmas cocktails. It’s also a good idea to stock up on other seasonal cocktail garnishes, like orange slices, cinnamon sticks, fresh cranberries, and star anise.
12 of Our Favorite Festive Christmas Cocktails
12 of our favorite Christmas cocktails to drink this holiday season. Sip these on the couch by the fire, or make a batch of them for your holiday party!
This punch can be made in the slow cooker to be cozy and warm, or can be served cold to be light and refreshing. It has cranberry, pineapple, and lemon juice, and is garnished with fresh cranberries and warm spices. With vodka and triple sec, it packs a … well … punch.
Christmas is a special day, so there’s no reason that you should wait until the evening to start drinking. This is the perfect cocktail to have alongside cinnamon rolls, as it’s essentially just a standard mimosa, but with amaretto and grenadine added.
I’m a big fan of eggnog during the holidays, and I’m especially a big fan of boozy eggnog. Homemade eggnog goes really well with peppermint, and this recipe has three kinds of peppermint: peppermint vodka, peppermint schnapps, and peppermint candies.
Pomegranate always feels like such a festive ingredient to me. This cocktail uses both the fresh seeds and a pomegranate liqueur, with a little bit of cointreau to add some sweet orange flavor.
This is a really fun Christmas cocktail for when it’s cold outside. It reminds you of being a kid in the winter, bundled up with a cup of hot chocolate. Except now you’re an adult, and that hot chocolate has RumChata in it!
There’s something magical about a festive shot. This green layered candy cane shot will get you in the Christmas spirit in a matter of seconds. It looks super cool, and the combination of alcohols – peppermint vodka, creme de menth, and RumChata – goes perfectly together.
I think white Russians are a super underrated cocktail. The flavors of cream, Kahlua, and voda just go together perfectly. And they go together even better when peppermint is involved. With peppermint vodka and a candy cane garnish, this cocktail is an easy way to make a classic cocktail seasonal.
You won’t find a cocktail with a better name for Christmas than this one! The name and look of the cocktail might scream “winter,” but the flavor is pretty tropical. It’s blue curacao, pineapple juice, rum, and cream of coconut, blended with ice. It’s a lot of fun, and perfectly festive.
Cranberry is one of my favorite Christmas flavors. And sparkling wine is one of the most festive alcohols around. Add some apple whiskey and rosemary to those two, and you have a cocktail that’s perfect for sipping on in December, while Christmas carols play and you put up some ornaments.
The name says it all with this cocktail. Why eat a gingerbread man, when you could drink an alcoholic gingerbread man? This is a really fun cocktail that uses gingersnap vodka, butterscotch schnapps, and Irish cream. It’s super sweet, extremely creamy, a little spicy, and a whole lot festive.
This is a pretty sophisticated cocktail, and it’s one of my go-tos for drinking in the living room in front of the fire. Bourbon makes this a cozy cocktail for a cold day, but orange liqueur and grapefruit juice keep the drink light and refreshing.
The most famous Christmas candy mixed with the most famous cocktail. That seems like a recipe for a great Christmas drink. This is a fun recipe to make, because you get to make your own candy cane infused vodka! You can use the infused vodka for many different recipes, but why not keep it classic with a martini?
