47 Festive Christmas Cocktails to Keep Spirits Bright
If you’ve been looking for 🎄The Best Christmas Cocktails🎄, rest assured: You’ve found them. Whether you’re planning to pour prosecco at the holiday party or cozy up with a whiskey cocktail at home by the fire, the following recipes will reinvigorate your winter drink game. We’ve got easy spritzes and simple stirred drinks, variations on the martini and mulled wine, and a creamy rum-laced drink that might just give eggnog a run for its money. There are holiday cocktails to go with Christmas cookies, sparklers to toast with before Christmas dinner, and big-batch punches. Searching for nonalcoholic options? We’ve got those too.
So stock your home bar with a few of our favorite bottles and get ready to sip your way through the season with our most popular Christmas drink recipes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton. Glassware by Riedel.3/47Manhattan
To make a manhattan what bartenders call “perfect,” stir in half dry and half sweet vermouth. Or, if you prefer a sweeter version, stir in a bar spoon of syrup from the cherry jar. For another riff, try the Tipperary, an Irish whiskey manhattan with a healthy dose of Chartreuse.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton4/47Gourmet’s Classic Eggnog
What makes this eggnog recipe special is its lightness. The egg whites are whipped stiff and folded into the mix, almost like clouds billowing on top of the liquid. For a twist, try our tea-infused Fireplace Eggnog or caffeinated No-Sleep-Till-Santa Eggnog.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Leslie Raney6/47Vesper
Martinis get all the glory, but did you know that this is the first cocktail James Bond ever ordered? Named after double agent and temporary Bond love interest Vesper Lynd, the Vesper is essentially a dry martini variation that splits the base between gin and vodka and uses French aperitif Lillet instead of dry vermouth. Hey, if it’s good enough for Double-O Seven (and Lynd), it’s certainly good enough for us.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton7/47Old-Fashioned
The old-fashioned is a time-honored classic cocktail recipe dating to the early 1800s. The simplest way to make it forgoes the muddled fruit and goes back to just sugar, bitters, spirit, and citrus peel. For a bittersweet riff, try our Black Apple Old-Fashioned, which includes Jägermeister. (Yup, Jägermeister.)
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Judy Haubert8/47Espresso Martini
The espresso martini may be enjoying a renaissance right now, but its origin story goes back to the eighties. Don’t know it? We’ll give you a history lesson. For another buzzy and boozy concoction that doesn’t require a shaking tin, try an Irish coffee after Christmas dinner.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton10/47Mulled Wine
Don’t let the holidays pass you by without brewing up a big pot of mulled wine. This holiday punch, infused with spices, citrus zest, and even a vanilla bean, will make the whole house smell like Christmas. We also have a pared-down mulled wine that relies on Beaujolais, brandy, and fresh apple cider. Think of it as winter’s answer to sangria.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Leslie Raney11/47Sidecar
Consider this citrusy sidecar cocktail recipe a friendly reminder to stock up on cognac and an opportunity to step up your decorative and flavorful cocktail garnish game.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell12/47Fifty-Fifty Martini
This hip-again throwback martini is made with equal parts gin and vermouth, as they were served circa 1910. (If you prefer a vodka martini, by all means.) To achieve the right flavor balance, use a high-proof, full-bodied gin that can stand up to the vermouth.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell15/47Scotchy Boulevardiers
Made with a combination of scotch and rye instead of gin, this Christmas cocktail, which we consider the negroni’s wintery cousin, is bitter and boozy with a touch of smoke.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Pearl Jones22/47Shirley Tonic
The holiday-spiced grenadine syrup is what makes this grown-up Shirley Temple a Christmas cocktail. For more nonalcoholic cocktails—let’s do away with “mocktail,” shall we?—check out these drink recipes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton23/47Fleming Fizz
A cross between a Penicillin and a French 75, this cocktail is the best excuse to pull out your champagne flutes. Smoky scotch is lightened with ginger-honey syrup and a splash of sparkling wine.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova24/47Buttered Rum Hot Chocolate
Butter adds velvety texture to this special-occasion cocktail featuring bittersweet chocolate, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, heavy cream, and freshly grated nutmeg. And yes, you should top the cups with marshmallows—preferably the homemade variety.
Photo by Ed Anderson25/47Thunderer
Everyone likes a spicy, gingery bourbon drink, especially at Christmas. Fresh lemon and grapefruit juice make this one bright enough to sip before dinner alongside a bowl of spiced nuts.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton26/47Hot Butterscotch
The rum is optional in this warming beverage, which doubles as a special Christmas morning drink. It certainly beats that mug of hot chocolate (or is it hot cocoa?) (or is it hot cocoa?)! Just don’t forget the whipped cream.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Katherine Lough29/47Ponche a Crème
One of our contributors shared her favorite Christmas cocktail recipe with us, arguing that the creamy, Trinidadian rum-laced drink is nothing like eggnog. It’s better.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton. Glassware by Riedel.30/47Little Italy
If you’ve ever wished your manhattan was a little more complex and a little less sweet, this elegant cocktail made with rye and Cynar amaro is for you.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou31/47Turmeric-Cumin Margarita
While this earthy, cool-weather margarita was created for a Diwali celebration, we’ve found that the golden elixir is just as popular throughout the winter holiday season.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi34/47Hot White Russian
Dreaming of a white Christmas? This warm version of the classic cocktail is especially appealing by the holiday fireside—and we’ve heard it pairs well with gingerbread cookies or peppermint bark.
35/47Marrakesh Express
Fresh pomegranate juice shines against a backdrop of savory harissa heat (be sure to use a paste, not a dry powder) and a balanced floral aroma from lemon and rosewater in this holiday drink.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege36/47Kitty Highball
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton37/47That’ll Take the Edge Off
Inspired by a Sazerac, here’s an intensely boozy, herbal-Scotchy drink that’ll relax your shoulders, loosen your tongue, and clear your mind. Basically, everything you need a Christmas drink to do.
38/47All She Wrote
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne39/47Jungle Bird
Featuring bitter Campari, this is not your average tropical cocktail. The reason why we consider it a holiday drink, though, is that the blackstrap rum gives it a maple-like flavor, which nicely complements Christmas dinner.
Photo by Colin Price40/47White Russian
Cocktail and cookie pairings are a thing, as far as we’re concerned. This classic vodka cocktail—it comes with a shot of Kahlúa and a little cream for richness—is begging for a dunking of an iced sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie bar.
Photo by Lizzie Munro41/47Tuxedo No. 2
This martini variation is made with gin, maraschino liqueur, dry vermouth, and an absinthe rinse, and we bet it’ll carry you right into the new year.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell42/47Pomegranate Prosecco Punch
Turn prosecco into full-blown Christmas punch with tart pomegranate juice, bright lime juice, and, of course, the festive bubbles. PS. This punch recipe contains no liquor, making it an easy pairing for Christmas appetizers.
43/47Everything Good Cocktail
File under Drinks That Taste Like Christmas Dessert. Inspired by the classic combination of orange and chocolate, this cocktail incorporates orange liqueur, chocolate bitters, and mezcal for a smoky note.
Photo by Denny Culbert44/47Celery Stalker
If you’re planning a particularly heavy Christmas dinner (we’re looking at you, pork roast), consider a light cocktail to start off the night, like this sparkling number. The festive cocktail would also suit a brunch.
Photo by Emma Janzen47/47Mezcal Mule
With potent ginger juice instead of ginger beer, this smoky twist on a classic Moscow mule sure packs a punch. The Christmas cocktail is all dressed up for the holidays, too, with a sprig of fresh mint, lime, and cranberries.
