37 Christmas Cocktails for Boosting Holiday Spirits
The holiday season is a time to give thanks, express gratitude, and celebrate life with friends and family. But, for many grown adults who find themselves spending more time than usual with parents, siblings, and other random relatives, this season of joy and merriment can get kind of stressful.
As spiritual teacher Ram Dass famously said, “If you think you’re enlightened, try spending a week with your family.”
Cocktails can help.
Whether you’re planning a holiday party for friends, are on beverage duty for the potluck due to sub-par culinary skills, want to take your feast up to another level, or just need to soothe your nerves while listening to your overly opinionated, cable news-obsessed uncle spout off about politics, we’ve got you covered with a Christmas cocktail that will do the trick.
These drinks include classics, like coquito, egg nog, and hot buttered rum, alongside TikTok-viral recipes, like the tropical-inspired Christmas mojito and neon green Grinch, and everything in between.
So, no matter your reason for mixing up a drink, these 37 Christmas cocktails are sure to elevate the mood of everyone at the party—yourself included. And, if you’re seeking a sober-friendly solution for a holiday pick-me-up, check out these spirit-lifting mocktail recipes.
The Grinch
This bright green concoction, which spread across social media like wildfire, evokes the classic children’s tale by Dr. Seuss. Our “Grinch” features vibrant and melon-forward Midori, vodka, pineapple juice, and dry sparkling wine with a bright red cherry for an added dose of Christmas spirit.
Christmas Mojito
A mojito at Christmas? If you’re stuck traveling to Wisconsin when you’d rather be kicking back on a beach, why not. This coconut-infused cocktail is sure to be an instant holiday hit.
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White Christmas Cocktail
Again, if you’re being forced to travel for a White Christmas, you might as well honor the weather with this creamy vodka-based mix. It tastes like melted ice cream with a spirited kick.
Jack Frost Cocktail
Another internet favorite, this eye-catching cocktail gets its seasonally appropriate, frosty blue coloring from blue Curaçao. Essentially a blue piña colada, the Jack Frost features a white rum base and finely shredded coconut rim.
Mistletoe Margarita
Margaritas are great no matter the season, but the exquisite “Mistletoe” holiday vibes here come courtesy of added cranberry and rosemary.
Coconut Christmas Margarita
Dreaming of a green Christmas? Try this Coconut Christmas Margarita, made with cannabis-infused super creamy coconut milk.
Sugar Cookie Martini
A reimagining of the classic Christmas cookie, the Sugar Cookie Martini is another TikTok hit. The drink involves a milky mix of vodka and amaretto.
Christmas Cake Martini
The Christmas Cake Martini evokes the comfort of the holidays in cocktail form. Flavors of almond, cherry, and lime balance the intensity of Scotch whisky, and a powerful combination of cinnamon sugar and orange peel acts as a delicious garnish.
It’s a Wonderful Life
It will be A Wonderful Life—or hour—when you take a sip of this creamy blend of Irish cream liqueur and crème de menthe.
Irish Coffee
The combo of sugar, coffee, Irish whiskey and cream are the foundation of the ever-beloved concoction known as Irish coffee.
Candied Sweet Potato Sidecar
Even if you’re not a fan of your mom’s candied sweet potato casserole, you’ll probably want a second helping of this Candied Sweet Potato Sidecar. Barrel-aged sweet potato liqueur, with all its brown sugar-spiced goodness, supports modest amounts of Cognac-infused orange liqueur and lemon juice.
The Allen Parsnips Project
The humble root vegetable takes center stage in the Allen Parsnips Project. Once juiced, parsnip’s mildly sweet, slightly earthy flavor profile “screams autumn,” according to Bob Peters, former bartender at the now-closed Punch Room in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Poinsettia Holiday Cocktail
Named for the quintessentially festive plant, the rosy vodka and Prosecco-based Poinsettia cocktail is perfect for the holiday season.
The Donna Reed
The Donna Reed cocktail riffs on a classic Negroni, but coconut liqueur—inspired by the film It’s a Wonderful Life—gives it an underlying tropical twist.
Winter Sangria
The days of sangria consumption being relegated to the months of June through August are over. When red wine is your base, the right spices can make a drink fit for any season. Meet: winter sangria.
Tom and Jerry
The Tom and Jerry cocktail is a hot and creamy staple during blustery months in the Midwest. It’s a soothing—and hopefully heartwarming—mix of velvety egg batter, dark rum, brandy, spices, and more.
Norwegian Gløgg
Norwegian gløgg, the country’s take on mulled wine, gets an added dose of flavor and booze with the help of aquavit, Norway’s national spirit.
Glühwein
Looking to shake up your mulled wine this season? Curious what Feuerzangenbowle is, and also enjoy setting things on fire? Then it’s time for you to explore Glühwein, a German winter tradition.
Mulled Rosé with Ginger and Grapefruit
Grapefruit, orange liqueur, and rosé help create an uplifting warm winter treat that will make you rethink mulled wine.
Hot Buttered Rum
Originally intended for medicinal purposes—like, maintaining sanity, maybe?—the colonial-era hot buttered rum drink is a steaming blend of rum, butter, sugar, spices, and hot water (go figure).
The Velvet Holiday Cocktail
Bourbon, Port, and beer warmed on the stove combine for a perfectly velvety holiday cocktail, made even better with added star anise, clove, and cardamom.
Hot Eggnog
Eggnog is a quintessential holiday cocktail tradition. Mix it up with this hot version this year, topped with brandy, bourbon, rum, or Sherry.
Punch au Lait (a k a Eggnog Espresso Martini)
Sure, Eggnog is a holiday tradition, but it can be a bit of a snooze. Enter: Punch au Lait, an eye-opening variation that fives pedestrian ‘nog a wake up call courtesy of added espresso or cold brew.
Christmas Egg Nog
This batched Christmas Egg Nog takes everyone’s favorite festive cocktail and cranks it up a notch. Cloves and cinnamon add a spiced punch, and light rum does its best to support everything from the background. Serves (and delights) eight.
Coquito
Essentially Puerto Rico’s more flavorful, tropical take on eggnog, coquito is a rum-based holiday staple that gets its depth and complexity from multiple forms of milk and coconut cream, along with warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove.
Warm Almond and Cognac Cocktail
A riff on the classic “flip” cocktail form, where a spirit, fortified wine, or beer is combined with sweetener, cream, and a whole egg, the warm almond and Cognac cocktail replaces eggs and dairy with steamed almond milk. This drink is soothingly warm, perfect for a cold day.
Classic Hot Toddy
Thaw yourself out of wintertime chill with this lemony, sweet (and sometimes spiced) classic hot toddy recipe.
Spiced Hot Toddy
A spiced take on the festive staple offers fortifying comfort ideal for the long winter months. Try it with Cognac, bourbon, rye, aged rum, or a red bitter like Campari.
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Sake Hot Toddy
This spin on a hot toddy introduces sake to the mix, lending the drink a bright, citrusy spin.
Yule Tide Toddy
Yes, you do need another version of a Hot Toddy, actually. This Yule Tide twist adds maple syrup, apples, cinnamon, and amaro to the fun, making for a festive and delicious update to an already beloved classic.
Gingerbread Toddy
With the additions of gingerbread porter syrup and cinnamon, you’ll want to drink this cozy, fragrant gingerbread toddy recipe all season long.
Grand Street Hot Toddy
The low-alcohol Grand Street Hot Toddy mixes chamomile tea, Amaro Montenegro, and sweet vermouth for a warm, easy-sipping cocktail.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cocktail
This riff on the perennially popular Pumpkin Spice Latte can be left non-alcoholic or dosed with Cognac, rum, or bourbon for a spirit-warming twist.
Boozy Hot Chocolate
Few drinks embody happiness like hot chocolate. Adult-ify yours by adding rum for an extra-festive holiday treat.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
It may sound odd, but the seasonally-appropriate red wine hot chocolate is an ideal middle ground between mulled wine and hot cocoa.
Hot Mentha Mess
If you like Mexican hot chocolate, the Hot Mentha Mess is for you. Powerful bourbon flavors are balanced by cocoa and a kick of cayenne, topped off with refreshing Fernet Brancamenta.
Spiced Cranberry Orange Wassail
The most popular hot cocktails, like hot toddies, hot-buttered rums, cocoas, and mulled wines, often date back generations—centuries, even. Another heritage cocktail, this one with roots in medieval England, needs a place in your repertoire: wassail. As the name suggests, this one boasts cranberry, oranges, and a warming spice mix.
More Holiday Coverage
- Making mulled wine? Then buy one of these expert-approved bottles of vino for your recipe.
- How Wine Enthusiast’s staffers celebrate the holidays.
- Five tips for making holiday meals more wine friendly.
- The eight best digestifs to sip after a big meal, according to pros.
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