There’s no better way to celebrate the winter holidays than with a seasonal craft cocktail.

Whether it’s for Christmas dinner or a new year’s bash, the following cocktails will bring the festive cheer. With winter flavors like pomegranate, cinnamon, peppermint and chocolate, these drinks—some warm, some cool and some bubbly—make for the perfect holiday drinks.

Star Kiss

1 oz. Ciroc apple
3/4 oz. pomegranate molasses
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. sparkling wine

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into coupe glass. Top with Sparkling Wine.

Santa’s Sip

2 oz. Bonfire Cinnamon Beach whiskey
1 oz. Mint schnapps
Garnish with a mint sprig and cinnamon stick

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into a glass with ice and garnish.

Winter Wonder

1 oz. Ciroc vodka
2 oz. Eggnog
1/4 oz. Godiva white chocolate liqueur
1/4 oz. Peppermint schnapps

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.

French Quarter

1 oz. Baileys vanilla cinnamon
1 oz. Bulleit bourbon
3 oz. Cold brew coffee

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. 

Cranberry Toddy

1.5 oz. Hangar 1 vodka
3/4 oz. Simple syrup
Mulled cranberry juice*
Garnish with a long clove-spiked orange peel and cinnamon stick.

Add all ingredients in an 8.5 oz. mug , top with hot mulled cranberry juice and garnish.

* Make mulled cranberry juice by adding adding your favorite mulling spices to unsweetened cranberry juice

The Gingerbread Man

1 2/3 oz. La Quintinye Vermouth Royla Rouge
6 oz. Ginger Ale
Garnish with an orange twist

Serve over ice in a highball glass. 

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie

3/4 oz. Partida Blanco tequila
1 oz. Peppermint schnapps
3/4 oz. Godiva liqueur
1.5 oz. Cream
Garnish with chocolate syrup and candy canes

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

NYChai-Tea Toddy

1.5 oz. Maker’s 46
2.5 oz. Harney & Sons Winter white earl grey
1 oz. almond milk (at room temperature)
1/2 oz. Bénédictine
1/2 oz. Honey syrup*
Garnish with nutmeg

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass and pour in a mug. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

*Combine 1 cup local honey and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.

Holiday Crush

2 oz. Zevia grapefruit citrus
1.5 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. St Germain Elderflower liqueur
3 Bar spoons of pomegranate seeds
Grapefruit chunks

Muddle pomegranate seeds and grapefruit with the elderflower liqueur. Add vodka and Zevia grapefruit citrus, top with crushed ice and churn.

All That Glitters

1.5 oz Belvedere Wild Berry
3/4 oz. Lemon juice
1 oz. Simple syrup
1.5 oz. Sparkling wine
Garnish with a starfruit slice

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish.

Hot Sugar toddy

1.4 oz. Sugar Island spice rum
1 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.25 oz. Honey
3.25 oz. Hot water
Garnish with three Cloves and lemon zest 

 In a mixing glass, combine rum, lemon juice and hot water. Slowly add the honey, stirring to combine. Pour the toddy into a mug. Pierce the lemon zest with the cloves and float the studded lemon in the mixture.

 

Jingle Bell on the Rocks

1.75 oz. SIA scotch whisky
½ oz. Sweet vermouth
½ oz. Aperol
¼ oz. Walnut liqueur
¼ oz. Laphroaig 10 yr
2 dashes of Amargo Chuncho bitters

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass with ice cubes and serve.

Help From an Elf

2 oz. CAMUS VSOP Elegance Cognac
4 oz. Half & half
1 oz. Simple syrup
¼ oz. Vanilla extract
Garnish with brown sugar and nutmeg

Rim a chilled martini glass with brown sugar and set aside. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and then strain into garnished martini glass. Top with nutmeg and serve. 

Hot Mentha Mess

1 oz.  Ménage à Trois vodka
1 oz. Branca Menta
6 oz. hot chocolate* (made half and half with water and sweetened condensed milk)
2 pinches cayenne pepper
Garnish with a marshmallow and mint sprig

*Create hot chocolate with water, sweetened condensed milk and half and half.

Pour hot chocolate into a mug and add the spirits. Garnish with the marshmallow, sprinkle of cayenne and fresh mint spring.

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More party drinks…

Peppermint Twist Shots

1.5 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist
Candy cane for rim

Coat rim with crushed candy cane. Shake spirit over ice and strain into a chilled shot glass.

The Lawless Liter (Serves 6)

 

1 Liter Patrón Silver tequila
12.5 oz. Lime juice
4.25 oz. Yellow chartreuse
4.25 oz. Agave nectar
4.25 oz. Velvet falernum
16.5 oz. Chilled water
Peychaud’s Bitters, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, briefly stir with ice, strain out ice, and funnel into an empty, frozen bottle of Patrón 1 Liter. Refrigerate remaining punch for later use. Garnish with long bendy straws. Serves about six.

Rudolph’s Spritzer  (Serves 8)

12 oz. Chilled Zevia lemon lime twist
3 cups Orange juice
1.5 ups Vodka
4 oz. Grenadine
2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
Garnish with lemon slices and fresh rosemary sprigs

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher filled with ice and stir.

 

Source: Observer.com