Elevate your festive celebrations with a delightful sip of the season! Here are a few drinks to try during the holidays.
The older and, hopefully, wiser I get, the less interested I am in complicated things. Give me the classics! They’ve held up for a reason. That extends to shoes, suiting, outerwear, watches, and, yes, my cocktail preferences. There’s something about holiday cocktails that adds another level to seasonal festivities.
With the end-of-year holidays in full swing, add cheer with a few holiday cocktail recipes to make the season merry and bright. Our top 10 holiday cocktails are perfect for gatherings or while you spend the evening gift wrapping. The best part? You can make many of these as mocktails sans alcohol.
The Old Tom Martini
Every time I get back to my hometown of Detroit, usually around the holidays, I make a point to try out at least one new restaurant. The city has come so far in the last 15 years, and I love to see what’s new and exciting downtown. Watching a truly marvelous kitchen team in the middle of a bustling dinner service is fascinating. It may look chaotic, but it’s a carefully choreographed dance of metal, fire, sound, and scent.
The steak that night was excellent, yes, but what really stood out for me was the cocktail I had. I looked through the standard offerings, but nothing appealed to me, so I asked the bartender to surprise me. A few minutes later, something in a traditional martini glass showed up. Intrigued, I took a sip. What was that? It was slightly oaked, a little sweet, and with a bright orange finish.
On my way out, I approached the bartender, shook his hand, and asked what he’d made. It was a riff on a classic martini with a cask-aged Old Tom Gin from Valentine Distilling. I’ve tried to recreate that here.
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz Old Tom Gin (I use Liberator from Valentine)
- One cap full of Dry French Vermouth (Noilly Prat is excellent)
- 2 drops Orange bitters
- Orange peel for garnish
Directions
Fill a mixing glass with plenty of quality ice, ideally from water run through a charcoal filter. I’ve taken to using one big ice club, as it melts more slowly.
Add a capful, or about half an ounce, of vermouth to the mixing glass. I hold the glass in my hand and move it around to coat the ice, but you can use a bar spoon just as well.
Add 2.5 oz of Old Tom Gin and stir with the bar spoon for 20 seconds.
Add two drops of orange bitters into the glass and stir for another 10 seconds.
Strain into a classic martini glass or cocktail coupe, and garnish with a thin slice of orange peel.
Eggnog
You cannot have a list of holiday cocktails without eggnog. The drink is rich in history, as it gained popularity in colonial America. During that time, many served it during the holidays, much like it is now. Today, it’s not just a drink. Eggnog is to the Christmas season what pumpkin spice is to fall. You’ll find eggnog-scented candles, coffee creamer and ice cream.
If you want to make your own eggnog at home, here’s how.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of milk
- One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Five cloves (whole)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 12 egg yolks
- 4 cups cream
- 2 ½ cups spiced rum
Directions
In a saucepan over low heat, add milk, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and your cloves. Intermittently stir for five minutes. Then, increase your heat to medium to bring your mixture to a slow boil and remove from heat.
Next, whisk your egg yolks in a separate bowl until they are light yellow. Add sugar and continue to whisk until they are light and fluffy.
Slowly add the hot mixture to the egg yolks and sugar while whisking quickly. You’ll want to avoid “cooking” the eggs with the hot milk mix. Once everything is combined, pour the mixture back into your saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until your eggnog is thick. Do not boil your eggnog.
Pour the eggnog through a strainer to remove any curdled eggs and cloves. Let the mix cool for an hour or so. Then, stir in the cream, rum, the rest of the vanilla and nutmeg. Refrigerate the eggnog for at least 8 hours to let the flavors marry.
The Winter Negroni
I’m not quite sure why, but the Negroni has been the unofficial drink of the #menswear crowd. Maybe it’s because it’s really easy to make or because of the signature red of the Campari photographs.
Perhaps it’s because any variety of three ingredients can dramatically change the character of the same drink. Therefore, it is much easier to argue, trivially, over the correct proportion of said ingredients. Indeed, entire books have been written on the subject.
I make mine up in batches and keep it in the fridge. It’s a little nod to my late grandfather, who kept a stash of his ‘medicine (a dry V/O Manhattan)’ in a large cough syrup bottle in the fridge so he could have a half pour every afternoon. He lived to 101, so I suppose he did something right.
The sweet vermouth dictates what kind of Negroni I’m making. In summer, I’ll go for something lighter in body and, indeed, a little sweeter. In winter, I look for darker, richer, and spicier varietals of this fortified wine.
Ingredients
- 1 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- 1 oz Campari
- One orange slice
- Old Fashioned Glass
Directions
Stick an old-fashioned glass in your freezer for 15-20 minutes before serving.
As for serving, there’s nothing wrong with eyeballing the ingredients into the glass over ice and stirring with the orange slice. I’ve definitely done it. But I prefer to measure most of the time. So, I’ll start with the gin and layer the vermouth and Campari on top.
Gin has to be London dry. I’m not especially particular about brands here, though I’ve found Tanqueray works well for my palate and the flavors I enjoy. If I can find a rare sale, I’ll spring for a bottle of Monkey 47, a gin from Germany’s Black Forest.
As for vermouth, I prefer the character and taste of Punt e Mes (or ‘Point and a Half’) for my winter Negronis. It’s more herbal and spiced than traditional sweet vermouths.
On the part of Campari, some guys are willing to put up big bucks for a bottle of vintage stuff. I don’t particularly care to, though. Salute.
Dirty Snowmen
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of mixing dessert with alcohol. Maybe I am aging myself here, but personally, I think it’s a stomach ache waiting to happen. However, if you love to indulge in sweet holiday desserts, the Dirty Snowman is right up your alley. Think of it as an adult hot chocolate. It’s one of the best warm holiday cocktails for keeping your hands toasty while walking through a winter wonderland. Or, maybe as an after-dinner sweet to sit by the fireplace with.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of hot chocolate mix
- 1 pint of vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup of Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
- Melted chocolate, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream for garnish
Directions
Make your hot chocolate according to the directions on the package. Personally, I do half milk and half heavy whipping cream for a more decadent and creamy hot chocolate.
Prep your glasses or mugs as you wish. For the ultimate dirty snowman experience, dip the rim of your mugs into melted chocolate and immediately into the chocolate shavings. You can also drizzle the inside of your mug with melted chocolate.
Once you prep your mugs, add a scoop of Vanilla ice cream to them. Pour your hot chocolate in and add the Baileys on top. You’ll want to divide your Baileys based on how many servings you pour.
Then, top with whipped cream and add more chocolate shavings if you wish.
The Slightly Shaken Perfect Manhattan
Most people stir their Manhattans. My wife’s great-grandmother apparently did. My grandfather just mixed his up and stuck it in the fridge.
Stirring just dilutes the drink’s flavor unless the ingredients are already chilled. So, I prefer to give it a brief shake before service. I also find the ‘classic’ 2:1 ratio of whiskey to sweet vermouth a little too sweet for my liking, so I’ve got a twist.
Ingredients
- 2oz rye whiskey
- 0.5oz dry vermouth
- 0.5oz sweet vermouth
- 2 drops Angostura bitters
- Luxardo cherry, if you can find them
Directions
This simple holiday cocktail is easy to make. I pour all the ingredients into the shaker glass. I use a Boston shaker, but a more traditional one would also be fine.
Give everything a shake for about 10 seconds.
Pour into a cocktail coupe or traditional martini glass and add the cherry. It’ll be a little cloudy at first, but it clears up and reaches the perfect sipping temperature in three or four minutes.
Jingle Juice
Gone are the days when someone might “spike” the punch at the office party. If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic for punch in a bowl at your holiday party, bring the Jingle Juice. It truly is a fun Christmas punch to share. This one tends to pack a punch (no pun intended), so don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Ingredients
4 cups of cranberry juice (or any cranberry-mix juice you prefer)
One bottle of Rosé or Prosecco (it should be a sparkling or bubbly version)
1 ½ cups of vodka
½ cup of triple sec
1 liter of Sprite or Starry
1 to 2 cups of frozen cranberries
¼ cup of white sugar
Cranberries, limes, rosemary, mint, sugar, etc. for garnish
Directions
This one is relatively simple to make! It’s perfect if you’re in a hurry but want to make something refreshing. Combine all of your liquid ingredients in a large punch bowl or pitcher. Then stir in your frozen cranberries–they also act as ice cubes to keep your holiday beverage cold.
Arrange extra cranberries, limes, rosemary sprigs, mint sprigs, and sugar for garnish on a separate tray. If you’re serving, use the limes to moisten the rim of your glasses and dip them in sugar. Add your beverage and additional cranberries, limes and a rosemary or mint sprig for a festive final touch.
The Old Fashioned
As I mentioned at the outset, the older I get, the less interested I am in sweet cocktails. Alcohol has a ton of natural sugars in it anyway, so an Old Fashioned is a little challenging for me. But I know people love them, so here we go.
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces rye whiskey (I like Whistle Pig’s Piggyback or Knob Creek)
- Three dashes of Angostura bitters
- 1 bar spoon of simple syrup
- One large, round ice cube made with filtered water
- Thin strip flamed of orange and Luxardo cherry to garnish
Directions
Combine whiskey and bitters in a mixing glass over a few ice cubes. Then, pour out the bar spoon and, using that spoon, stir for 15 seconds or so. It gets the drink cold, but no need to dilute it. Strain over the ice cube and give a few more stirs.
Garnish with the flamed orange and Luxardo cherry. Enjoy!
White Cranberry Cosmo
Ah, the Cosmopolitan. It’s a classic that shot to fame during the Sex And The City era in the late 1990s and 2000s. It’s a drink you traditionally make with classic red cranberry juice. However, swapping red cranberry juice with white cranberry juice gives you a sweeter flavor and icy appearance. If you’re a fan of the Cosmo, you should definitely give the white cranberry version a try this holiday season.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz of a citrus vodka like Absolut Citron or St. George California Citrus Vodka
- ½ oz of elderflower liqueur
- 1 oz of white cranberry juice
- ¼ oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Cranberries and white sugar for garnish
Directions
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice and your liquid ingredients, and shake well. Any foam will resolve quickly—strain into a chilled glass. Then garnish with cranberries dusted with white sugar. For a little extra sweetness, you can also rim your glass with white sugar.
The “No-Groni”
My wife and I used to enjoy a Negroni on Friday afternoons after work as a great way to kick off the weekend. But when we discovered we were expecting our second child, that wasn’t an option for her.
I tried a few ‘No-Gronis’ on her behalf, with limited success. They were flat and far too herbal. So, I created my own.
The secret ingredient here is Chinotto, an Italian soda with rhubarb, cinnamon, and orange blossom flavors, not unlike my favorite Punt e Mes vermouth.
The sweet comes from Cheerwine, a cherry-flavored soda from Salisbury, North Carolina. The splash of soda balances things out.
Apologies in advance, as I neglected to get a photo!
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Chinotto soda
- 1.5 oz Cheerwine soda
- 1.5 oz soda water
- Orange slide to garnish
- Optional rosemary spring or juniper berries
Directions
This is a kind of layered drink, and I prefer doing it in this order: I pour the Chinotto, then the Cheerwine, and then top it with soda water.
Because there’s no alcohol in this, I treat it as more of a long drink and use a Collins glass. You can garnish with a thin orange slice and rosemary spring.
If you’d like the flavor of gin without the alcohol, try gently muddling a few juniper berries at the bottom of the glass before adding your ice.
Gingerbread Martini
Without a doubt, gingerbread is synonymous with the holiday season. Why not enjoy gingerbread in booze form? The gingerbread martini shares the same spotlight as the other indulgent dessert drinks on this list. It’s not light, arguably chock-full of calories, but it’s delicious. If you want to treat yourself, give the gingerbread martini a try.
Ingredients
- 4 oz of vanilla vodka or regular vodka paired with a splash of pure vanilla extract
- 2 oz of coffee liqueur like Kahlua
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream (you can also use half and half if you want something a tad lighter)
- One teaspoon of molasses
- One teaspoon of powdered ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Cinnamon sticks and whipped cream for garnish
Directions
Reach for your trusty cocktail shaker and strainer and pour your liquid ingredients, plus the ginger and cinnamon. Give your concoction a good stir with a spoon, then add ice and shake well.
Strain into your martini glass and garnish with cinnamon sticks and a dollop of whipped cream. You can even rim the glass with red and green sugar crystal for a dash of holiday spirit.
FAQs
You might have a few questions about the best holiday cocktails, and that’s okay. Here are a few of the most popular questions surrounding cocktails.
What Are Craft Cocktails?
Think of craft cocktails as the fancier sibling of classic holiday cocktails. Often, they are a spin on the original, born from a desire to create something new. Many craft cocktails feature premium liquors, fresh ingredients, and beautiful presentation.
Is It Safe to Use Egg White in Cocktails?
While it’s not 100% risk-free, using raw egg whites in cocktails is fairly safe. Many egg-white-based drinks are mixed with acidic juices like lime and orange. This pairing denatures harmful bacteria. Many drinks, such as sours and the gin fizz, use egg whites to create a frothy foam top.
How Do You Drink Freezer Door Cocktails?
You would drink freezer-door cocktails like you would other drinks. Often just poured into a glass and garnished.
Have a Happy Holiday With These Easy Holiday Cocktails
And there you have it. 10 holiday drink recipes to try this season. As the season unfolds, let these drinks elevate your spirits. They are a hit whether you enjoy a nightcap or celebrate the season with friends and family. When you prefer something classic or bold, there’s a little bit of something for everyone on this list.
Let’s raise our glasses for a toast. I hope you enjoy the season. Please remember to drink in moderation! Cheers!
What are your go-to holiday drinks? Let us know in the comments below!
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