The festive season is upon us, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than by sipping on a cheerful cocktail? Whether you’re throwing an elaborate holiday party, hosting your nearest and dearest or just cozying up by the fire with a batch of freshly made Christmas cookies, a festive cocktail is sure to bring on all the bright and merry vibes.
If you’re not sure where to start with the most festive holiday drinks recipes, don’t fret—we’ve got you covered with all the best cocktails for the season, so you can kick back, relax and cue up the holiday movies. There are the usual seasonal favorites like hot toddies and a good old fashioned spiked hot chocolate, as well as more elaborate drinks that feature everything from hints of gingerbread and peppermint to notes of cinnamon and cranberry. There are vodka and gin recipes, celebratory bubbly options, tried and true classic cocktails and plenty of cozy and comforting delights. Below, see all the best holiday cocktail recipes to make from now through the New Year—and into 2025, because you deserve to celebrate all year long.
Ingredients:
1 ounce Lalo Tequila
1 teaspoon Luxardo Maraschino
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Tonic water
Rosemary sprig and pomegranate seeds, to garnish
Directions:
Add tequila, Luxardo Maraschino and bitters to a highball glass with ice. Top with tonic water and gently stir. Garnish with rosemary and pomegranate seeds.
Ingredients:
1.5 parts Hendrick’s Gin
3 parts elderflower tonic
Splash of sparkling wine
Rosemary sprig, pomegranate seeds and cucumber wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a wine glass filled with cubed ice; stir gently. Garnish with rosemary sprig, pomegranate seeds and cucumber wheel.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Casamigos Reposado Tequila
1 oz Irish Cream Liqueur
.5 oz ginger syrup
5 to 6 dashes bitters
1 pinch cinnamon
Salt, sugar and pumpkin spice (for rim)
Star anise, for garnish
Directions:
Wet half of the rim of coupe glass with an orange wedge or wheel and dip into the salt, sugar and pumpkin spice mixture. Set aside. Combine all ingredients into a tin shaker; add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into the coupe glass. Fill glass with fresh ice and garnish with star anise.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Bacardi Spiced Rum
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
6 mint leaves
3 oz ginger beer
Directions:
Add all ingredients, except for ginger beer, into a highball glass filled with crushed ice; churn. Top with more crushed ice and ginger bear. Garnish with mint sprig.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka
3 oz ginger beer
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz lime juice
2 dashes of orange bitters
1 lime slice, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a copper mug filled with fresh ice. Stir and garnish with lime slice.
Ingredients:
2 oz Templeton Straight Rye Whiskey
1 oz peppermint schnapps
1/2 oz simple syrup
Crushed candy cane, for garnish
Directions:
Rim a chilled cocktail glass with crushed candy cane. Set aside. Add rye whiskey, peppermint schnapps and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake well; strain into the candy cane-rimmed glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a small piece of candy cane.
Ingredients:
2 oz RumHaven
2 oz eggnog
Coconut flakes and cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Directions:
Add rum and eggnog into a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake to combine and chill. Strain into a rocks glass without ice. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes and a cinnamon stick.
Ingredients:
1 part Averna
2 parts Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Rye
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Brandied cherry, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Strain into a coupe glass; garnish with brandied cherry.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 oz Staple Gin
3/4 oz dry vermouth
Leaves from one sprig of fresh rosemary, plus one sprig for garnish
Splash of olive brine
Orange bitters
Fennel bitters (optional)
Lemon twist, for garnish
Directions:
Add rosemary leaves and olive brine to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add gin, vermouth, orange bitters and fennel bitters. Add ice and stir to chill. Double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with rosemary sprig and lemon twist.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Brugal 1888
1 tbsp butter
.5 oz vanilla syrup or cinnamon
3 dashes AllSpice dram
5 oz boiling water
Nutmeg and cinnamon spices, for garnish
Directions:
Slowly add ingredients into a glass; stir. Garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
3/4 oz plum wine
.5 oz cinnamon and clove syrup
.5 oz lemon juice
Plum slice and whole cloves, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a plum slice and whole cloves.
Ingredients:
1.25 oz Nolet’s Silver
.75 oz lime juice
.75 oz simple syrup
Peppermint leaves and crushed candy canes, for garnish
Directions:
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a crushed candy cane-rimmed martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a peppermint.
Ingredients:
1 oz Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
1 oz vodka
Milk or non-dairy alternative
Nutmeg, for garnish
Directions:
Add Mr Black and vodka into a rocks glass filled with ice; stir. Top with choice of milk and garnish with grated nutmeg.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 parts Malibu Original
1/4 part lemon juice
2 parts apple cider
1/2 part honey
4 parts red wine
Fruit (orange, apple, lemon)
Lemon slice and cinnamon stick, for garnish
Directions:
Add rum, lemon juice, apple cider, honey and wine to a bowl and mix well. After making sure honey is fully incorporated, add fruits of choice. Mix again; let sit for 30 minutes before serving. Pour into a glass with fresh ice and garnish with lemon and cinnamon stick.
Ingredients:
1 part Sipsmith London Dry Gin
1 part Campari
1 part sweet vermouth
Red berry tea
Dehydrated orange, for garnish
Directions:
Add gin, Campari and vermouth into a mug and stir. Top with hot red berry tea. Garnish with dehydrated orange.
Ingredients:
1/2 bottle Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit
1.5 oz rum
Fresh pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice
Grapefruit wedge and fresh sage, for garnish
Directions:
Combine rum and pomegranate juice into a cocktail shaker. Pour into a glass over ice. Top with sparkling grapefruit juice and garnish with a grapefruit wedge and fresh sage.
Ingredients:
3/4 oz Whitley Neill Rhubarb and Ginger Gin
1/3 oz lemon juice
2 oz apple juice
Prosecco
Apple slices, for garnish
Directions:
Add gin, lemon juice and apple juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to combine. Pour into a flute glass and top with Prosecco. Garnish with apple slices.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz gin
3 oz blood orange juice
1.5 tsp simple syrup
3 oz Riondo Prosecco
Blood orange slice, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients, except for prosecco, into a shaker with ice and stir for 30 seconds, until chilled. Pour into a glass with fresh ice and top with prosecco. Garnish with a blood orange slice.
Ingredients:
2 oz Dulce Vida Organic Blanco Tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz Naranja Orange Liqueur
1 oz coconut cream
Cranberry and lime wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Combine tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, coconut cream and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass rimmed in shredded coconut. Garnish with fresh cranberries and a lime wheel.
Ingredients:
1 part The Busker Irish Whiskey
1 part Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur
1 part coffee
Cream
Directions:
Add whiskey, coffee liqueur and coffee to a glass or mug; stir together. Top with cream.
Ingredients:
1 part Malfy Gin
3/4 part Lillet Blanc
1 part club soda
2 1/2 parts G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon
Grapefruit or lemon twist, for garnish
Directions:
Add gin and Lillet Blanc in a glass filled with cubed ice. Top with club soda and champagne. Garnish with a grapefruit or lemon twist.
Ingredients:
1.5 parts Grand Marnier Louis-Alexandre
.75 part heavy cream
.25 part crème de cacao
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Grated nutmeg, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a shaker; shake. Serve straight up in a coupe glass.
Ingredients:
1 oz Belvedere Vodka
1.5 oz hot water
1 oz French fortified wine
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz honey
1 cinnamon stick
Fresh grated nutmeg
Orange wedge
Cloves
Directions:
Add hot water to heat-resistant glass mug, then add honey. Pour in lemon juice, wine and vodka. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange wedge; top with nutmeg.
Ingredients:
2 parts The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve
4 parts spiced horchata
Cinnamon, for garnish
Directions:
Build drink in a single rocks glass with ice. Spring with cinnamon and a cinnamon stick.
Ingredients:
2 oz Redemption Straight Rye
1 oz prosecco
.25 oz amaretto liqueur
2 oz apple cider
.25 oz ginger syrup
1 bar spoon brown sugar
1 lemon peel
1 orange peel
.25 oz lemon juice
Apple wheel, cinnamon stick and freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Directions:
Add sugar, lemon and orange peels to a shaker. Muddle together to release the citrus oils into the sugar. Add ginger syrup and muddle again. Add rye, lemon juice, ginger syrup, cider and amaretto liqueur. Add ice and shake; strain into a glass with a fresh big ice cube. Top with prosecco and garnish with apple wheel, cinnamon stick and nutmeg.
Ingredients:
2 oz Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
2 oz cranberry juice
1 oz maple syrup
1 oz lemon juice
Rosemary and cranberry, for garnish
Directions:
Combine bourbon, cranberry juice, maple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with sugared rosemary and cranberries.
Ingredients:
2 oz 818 Tequila Reposado
1.25 oz chilled espresso
.75 oz coffee liqueur
.25 oz cinnamon syrup
Espresso beans
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake for 15 to 20 seconds, until foamy, and then strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with three espresso beans.
Ingredients:
1.75 oz Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège
1.5 oz hot water
.15 oz sugar cane syrup
2 lemon supremes (wedges without peel, pith and skin)
1 thin slice ginger
1 orange twist, for garnish
Directions:
Mix Hennessy, sugar, lemon and ginger in a glass. Stir gently to allow sugar to dissolve. Top with hot water and garnish with orange twist.
Ingredients:
2 oz Proper No. Twelve Irish Apple
4 cups apple cider
6 sticks cinnamon
4 tbsp nutmeg
10 cloves
Orange zest
Orange twist
Directions:
Over heat, combine whiskey, apple cider, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves and orange zest in pan. Pour into a heat-protected mug. Garnish with orange twist.
Ingredients:
1 oz Fords London Gin
1 oz plum wine
.25 oz pear brandy
2 to 3 dashes fig bitters
Lemon, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice; stir until cold. Pour into glass of choice and garnish with a lemon twist.
Ingredients:
2 oz Baileys Original Irish Cream
1 cup hot chocolate
Whipped cream, chocolate shavings and snowflake cookie, for garnish
Directions:
Prepare hot chocolate and pour into a mug. Top with Baileys. Garnish with
Add all ingredients into a hot toddy glass; garnish with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and cookie.
