Can you believe it’s already time for Christmas to roll around again? The holidays are here, and it’s time to figure out which snacks and drinks to serve at your Christmas party! If you’re looking for some great suggestions to help you get started, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite creative and Christmasy cocktails to jump-start your holiday meal planning. There are several different types of drinks and alcohol represented here, so find the one that speaks to your tastes the most.
And don’t forget to sample a few of these on your own time, too! After all, the holidays are a great time to treat yourself. Just because you’ll be making one cocktail for a lot of guests, that doesn’t mean you can’t settle down and relax with another one after the party is done. There are a lot of excellent flavors among these drinks, and you may be surprised to see all the unique cocktails available for this time of year. Whatever you’re looking for in your boozy drinks, we’ve got you covered. So let’s get started!
Chai Tea Latte with a Twist
Ingredients:
• 4 spiced chai tea bags
• 2 cups water
• 10 cloves, kept whole
• 2 strips orange peel
• 10 black peppercorns, kept whole
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
• ½ tsp smashed cardamom pods or ground cardamom
• 2 cups milk of choice
• 3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1-1/2 oz orange liqueur
• 4oz dark spiced rum
Directions
• In a small saucepan, add water, orange peel, tea bags, brown sugar, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir to combine.
• Bring ingredients to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling well, turn off the heat.
• Let steep for 15 minutes.
• Strain through fine mesh to remove the solids. Reserve the liquid.
• Add the liquid mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat.
• Add milk of your choice and bring to a simmer over low.
• Add orange liqueur and rum.
• Either blend with a stick blender or add to a traditional blender until frothy and foamy.
• Serve warm in mugs. Optionally, garnish with additional cinnamon sticks.
White Christmas
Ingredients:
• 2 oz white chocolate liqueur
• 2 oz vanilla flavored vodka
• 1 oz half and half
• 1 oz white crème de cacao
• Honey
• Coarse sugar
Directions
• Place honey on a shallow plate or dish. Do the same with the sugar on a separate shallow plate.
• Dip a martini glass in the honey, and then in the sugar to coat the rim thoroughly.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add white chocolate liqueur, vodka, half and half, and crème de cacao.
• Seal the shaker and shake well to combine all ingredients. Shake for about 30 seconds or until completely chilled and cold throughout.
• Strain the drink into the coated martini glass.
• Serve immediately before the drink has a chance to get too warm.
Jack Frost
Ingredients:
• 1 cup champagne or sparkling white wine
• 1 cup vodka, any variety
• ½ cup lemonade
• ½ cup blue Curacao
• Lemon wedge
• White coarse sugar
• 6 cups ice
Directions
• Add 6 cups ice to a blender.
• Pour over champagne, vodka, lemonade, and Curacao.
• Blend well until everything is combined and smooth, or to the desired consistency for serving.
• Rim each of four cocktail glasses with the lemon wedge, and then dip into the coarse sugar to coat.
• Pour drink into the prepared glasses and serve cold.
Mulled Wine
Ingredients:
• 4 cups very high-quality apple cider
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 bottle red wine of your preference; dry is best, but anything will work
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tbsp cloves, kept whole
• 10 star anise, and more for garnish if desired
• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 1 additional peeled orange
Directions
• In a small saucepan over low heat, combine cider, brown sugar, wine, cinnamon sticks, cloves, 10 star anise, orange juice, and orange zest. Optionally, add half of the peel from the peeled orange to the mulling mixture as well.
• Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Be very careful to never let the liquid boil, as this will burn the spices and ruin the flavor of the drink.
• When finished simmering, pour evenly between four mugs.
• Garnish each mug with a little orange peel and one star anise per mug.
• Serve warm.
Cranberry Mimosa
Ingredients:
• 1 lime, cut in half
• 1 cup cranberry juice (sweetened is best, but if you like a very sour drink, go for unsweetened)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 bottle champagne or sparkling white wine of your choice
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 12 fresh cranberries (if you can’t find fresh, frozen cranberries will do, as long as they are kept whole)
• Toothpick
Directions
• Use the lime to run around the rims of four champagne flutes.
• Spread the sugar onto a shallow plate and dip the champagne flutes into the sugar to coat the rims.
• Divide the cranberry juice into equal ¼-cup servings. Add ¼ cup cranberry juice to each of four prepared champagne flutes.
• Top the glasses with champagne or sparkling white wine to finish off the drink. Be sure to leave about a half-inch or so of space between the drink and the rim of the glass for garnishing.
• Using the toothpick, poke holes through all of the cranberries.
• Thread three cranberries onto each of the fresh rosemary sprigs to create garnishes.
• Serve the drinks immediately, topped with these wintery garnishes.
Christmas is the perfect holiday to kick back and celebrate with a few unique and delicious cocktails. We hope we’ve inspired your menu planning a little bit with some of our favorite choices listed above. Don’t be afraid to get creative and try some substitutions if you want to make these recipes a little more customized to your tastes, too. And be sure to give yourself a chance to practice making them ahead of time for best results! Try a sample or two a few days before your guests arrive to ensure you’ve mastered the drink you choose for your next big holiday party. The results are sure to please!