21 Cocktails for Christmas and Other Winter Celebrations

There’s no better way to celebrate the winter holidays than with a seasonal craft cocktail. Whether it’s for a swanky Christmas dinner or a family party, the following cocktails will bring the festive cheer. With winter flavors like cinnamon, peppermint and chocolate, these drinks—some warm, some cool and some bubbly—make for the perfect holiday drinks.

Fireside Punch

1.5 oz. Black Cow Vodka
3/4 oz. Lemon juice
3/4 oz. Honey syrup
1/2 oz. Amaretto
1/4 oz. Allspice dram
Topped with a dry sparkling wine
Garnish with a lemon moon or star anise.

Shake ingredients, fine strain in a double rocks glass over ice, garnish and serve.

Created by Alicia Walton for Sea Star

Black Cow Vodka

Holiday Cup

2 oz. Absolut Elyx
1/2 oz. Blackberry liqueur
1 oz. Lemon juice
6 crushed blackberries
6 crushed raspberries
Garnish with a blackberry and orange twist

Shake ingredients and Strain over fresh ice into a copper cup. Top with champagne and garnish.

Absolut

Eggnog Caliente

3 oz. Eggnog
1.5 oz. Soltado Anejo Tequila
Garnish with ground cinnamon and a mini marshmallows on a skewer

Combine liquids in ice-filled shaker, stir and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon and skewer.

Natalia Kozikowska

El Sueño

1 oz. Tequila Don Julio 70 Crystal Añejo
1/4 oz. Tequila Don Julio Añejo
1/4 oz. Crème de Cacao
1 tsp Almond syrup
1 dash Mole bitters
Garnoish with caramelized orange peel

Combine ingredients with ice and stir. Strain contents into a rocks glass over ice and garnish.

Created by Mixologist Ben Scorah

Don Julio
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Angry Jolly Juice

12 oz. Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple
16 oz. Water
8 oz. Cranberry juice
4 oz. Brandy or spiced rum
4 oz. Light brown sugar
3 Bags of chai tea
Garnish with a lemon wheel studded with cloves

Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the tea bags. Allow to steep for 2 minutes and then remove the tea bags. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Simmer over low to medium heat and serve hot with garnish.

Angry Orchard

Cider of the elit

2 oz. elit vodka
2 oz. Unfiltered apple juice
1/2 oz. Pear purée
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. Homemade cider syrup*
Garnish with a dehydrated apple ring

Shake and strain over ice and serve in a rocks glass.

*How to make cider syrup: Lightly toast 2 cinnamon sticks and 2.5 Tbsp whole clove. Add 1 cup water and steep spices until water starts to boil. Add 1 cup sugar and stir till dissolved. Let heat, but do not let boil. Cover and allow it to get to room temperature, and then strain out all spices.

Created by Amin Benny, Fig and Olive in LA

elit Vodka

Holly Jolly

1.5 oz Gin
1/2 oz. Pine liqueur
3/4 oz. Vanilla syrup

3/4 oz. Lime juice
3 Mint leaves
Top with soda
Garnish with pine needles

Shake, strain, top with soda, garnish and serve.

Created by Nico de Soto for Miracle

Noah Fecks
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Big Poppa

1.5 oz. Truffle gin
3/4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. Yuzu juice
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
1 egg white

Created by Antanas Samkus for The Beatrice Inn

The Beatrice Inn

Gluehwein

3 oz. Red Wine
1 oz. The Bitter Truth Apricot Liqueur
5 dashes The Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters
5 dashes The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Bitters

Heat up ingredients in a pot and pour into a tea glass or cup.

Created by Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck for The Bitter Truth

The Bitter Truth

Gingerbread Martini

Serves two

3 oz. Smirnoff Vodka
3 oz. Irish cream
2 Tbsp. Gingerbread syrup
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 oz. Cream
Garnish with whipped Cream and crushed gingerbread cookies

Created by Kendra Darr for Simply Darrling

Smirnoff
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Alpine Peak Martini

2 oz. Ketel One
1 oz. Creme De Cacao
Garnish with peppermint stick

Served at The Peak at PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown

Peak at PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown

Wine By the Fireside

750 ml Castello del Poggio Moscato IGT
12 oz. Paul John Brilliance Single Malt Whiskey
6 oz. Ceres passionfruit juice
2 oz. Drambuie
12 dashes of Hella Bitters Ginger
1 Lemon (sliced into quarter wedges)
1 Apple (sliced into quarter wedges)
8 Cinnamon sticks

Combine all ingredients in a large decanter. Stir around and serve into a wine glass with a big rock.

Created by Cory Goldstein for Muddling Memories

Amanda Picotte

Slow & Low Rock And Rye

This is a complete Rye cocktail in a can, featuring the same flavors and proof as if it was made fresh in a shaker. Serve at a party to mix things up or stuff it in a stocking.

Rock & Rye
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Berries & Bubbles

1.5 oz. Sour mix
1 oz. Domaine Chandon Brut
1/4 oz. Belvedere Cytrus
3/4 oz. Crème de Cassis

Combine Combine all ingredients except champagne in a mixing glass. Add pellet ice to mixing tin and shake vigorously. Add dry ice and marinated berries to chilled service glass. Strain mixture in service glass and top with Domaine Chandon Brut float.

Served at Ocean Prime, NYC

Ocean Prime

Sherries Jubilee

2 oz. Black Cow Vodka
1/2 oz. Cocchi Rosa or Carpano Bianco
1/2 oz.Lustau Cream Sherry
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Candied Pecan rim*

Stir all ingredients and strain into chilled cocktail glass. When opting for pecan rim, add a small amount of honey to the rim of the glass to help them stick.

Melt 1 Tbsp butter on medium in pan. Add 1 cup chopped pecans and 1 Tbsp brown sugar and stir continuously till golden. Spread on parchment paper to dry for 1 hour, and then pulse in food processor until finely ground.Be careful to not over process, as nuts will turn into butter.

Created by Alicia Walton for Sea Star

Black Cow Vodka

Superfly


1.5 oz. Zaya Rum
Hot chocolate*
2 Dashes Angostura bitters
Branca Menta whipped cream**

Pour Zaya into a glass mug and bitters and add hot chocolate.

*To make hot chocolate: Steam 7 oz. of whole milk with 40 grams of Valrhona Caraibe 66% dark chocolate.
**To make Branca Menta whipped cream: Stir 5 oz. of Branca Menta and 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar into 26 oz. heavy cream, dissolving the sugar. Pour this mixture into an iSi whipped cream canister, load 2 cream chargers chill and dispense.

Created by Gates Otsuji (The Standard, High Line in NYC)

Zaya Rum
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Christmas Lights Out

3 oz. Tito's Handmade Vodka
1.5 oz. Bourbon
1 Dollop maple syrup
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Top with low fat milk

Tito's Handmade Vodka

Winter Welcome

1.5 oz The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve
5 oz. Cinnamon syrup
5 oz. Becherovka
3 oz. Apple cider
Garnish with cinnamon sticks, cloves and anise star

Build ingredients in a crockpot and garnish. Serve from the crockpot in a tea cup.

Glenlivet

Cakewalk

(Two servings)

3 oz. Cognac
1.5 oz. Campari
1.5 oz. Vanilla syrup
1.5 oz. Lemon juice
1 oz. Strawberry puree*
4 dashes Orange Bitters

Build ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake generously. Funnel into cocktail bottle and enjoy with a side of Panettone

Created by Pam Wiznitzer for Seamstress

Campari
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Pineapple Cake

1.5 oz. Johnnie Walker Black Label
1/2 oz. Brown rice syrup
1/2 oz. Fresh pineapple juice
1 tbs. Butter
4 oz Boiling Water
1 pinch Chinese 5-spice powder (Cinnamon, Clove, Fennel, Anise, Szechuan Pepper)
Garnish with slice dried pineapple

Heat a hot toddy glass. Add butter,spices and some boiling hot water, reserving half and stirring until melted. Add remaining ingredients and continue stirring until dissolved.Garnish with dried pineapple slice and serve.

Created by Mixologist Chantal Tseng, D.C

Johnny Walker

Coquito Vanderbilt

2 oz. Barrel Anejo Vanderbilt Tequila
1 oz. Condense milk
1 oz. Evaporated milk
1 oz. Coconut cream
1 oz. Coconut milk
Garnish with shaved cinnamon

Shaken with large rock ice cube and served in a tall glass with shaved cinnamon.

Served at the Condado Vanderbilt

Condado Vanderbilt Hotel

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