Mixing Cocktails on Christmas Eve became somewhat of a tradition in our family. If you, too, want to shake up some drinks this year and perhaps start a new tradition, you've come to the right place.
This list of our favorite Christmas Cocktails holds something for everyone: Dessert cocktails with traditional Christmas flavors and spices and fruity classics with a festive twist. So get your shaker ready to mix some fabulous Christmas cocktails.
1. Flip that Cobbler
The Flip that Cobbler is a beautiful creation by Matthias Soberon (@servedbysoberon) for the festive season. It combines two classics, the Flip and the Cobbler - the clue is pretty much in the title. Egg yolk, which usually is imperative in Flips, is added via the medium of Dutch Advocaat.
And in cobbler-style, you serve this Christmas Cocktail in a goblet with heaps of crushed ice and a straw.
Ingredients
1.5 oz The Dutch Advocaat
1.5 oz medium-dry Madeira
0.33 oz nut liqueur
two dashes of nut bitters
nuts for garnish
Add all ingredients into your cocktail shaker and shake with plenty of ice cubes. Then strain in your glass over crushed ice. Now garnish with the nuts and serve with a reusable straw.
2. Christmas Rye Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned cocktail does a brilliant job of highlighting a quality spirit. The classic recipe only calls for sugar or syrup and a dash of bitters to enhance the taste of your base spirit.
With our festive Rye Old Fashioned, you add some flavor in form of homemade cranberry syrup.
Ingredients
2 oz Rye Whiskey
0.75 oz Homemade Cranberry syrup
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
3-5 Fresh cranberries
Sugared cranberries (garnish)
Sugar for rim (optional)
Rim a chilled Old Fashioned glass with sugar and set it aside. Add the fresh cranberries into your mixing glass and gently crush or muddle them.
Then add Rye Whiskey, cranberry syrup, Angostura bitters, and ice. Stir the drink until it's well-chilled and strain it over ice into the prepared glass.
For a festive touch, garnish the drink with sugared cranberries skewered on a cocktail pick.
3. Negroni Sour
A good Negroni is a fantastic way to counterbalance a lavish Dinner on Christmas Eve.
The Negroni Sour from @supreme_chef is a little less bitter than a regular Negroni, making it super approachable and easy to drink. The chamomile aroma from the Gin also adds a nice twist.
Ingredients
1.5 oz chamomile-infused Gin
1.5 oz Campari
1.5 oz Sweet White Vermouth
1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
0.5 oz orange-infused syrup
Orange peel for garnish
one egg-white for the foam
To infuse Gin with chamomile, pour a more neutral Gin (e.g., Beefeater) into a glass, add a bag of chamomile tea, and let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the individual taste.
Add all ingredients into your shaker, including the egg white, and dry shake (no ice yet) for at least 15sec. Then add the ice and shake again until your shaker feels ice cold.
If you prefer to leave the egg white off, add all ingredients plus the ice into your shaker, and shake until the contents are well chilled.
Then strain over ice into your glass and garnish with an orange peel.
4. Mezcal Hot Chocolate
If you're looking for a hot drink instead, this Hot Christmas Mezcal cocktail is the perfect fit.
It is based on homemade hot chocolate and spiked with Mezcal, coffee liqueur, and chocolate liqueur. A rich and creamy drink topped with heavy cream and garnished with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick.
Ingredients
1 oz Mezcal Joven
1 oz Dark chocolate & salt liqueur
0.5 oz Coffee liqueur
3 dashes Orange bitters
4 oz Hot chocolate
0.75 oz Heavy cream
Make hot chocolate by slowly heating up milk (4 oz) and dark chocolate (3 tbs). You can find more detailed instructions in the Mezcal Hot Chocolate Recipe.
Then pour Mezcal, the liqueurs, and the orange bitters into your glass and stir until combined. Add the hot chocolate and stir again before topping the cocktail with heavy cream.
For the final touches, sprinkle it with grated nutmeg and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
5. The Black Brew
The Black Brew from Georgi (@justshakeorstir) is a chocolaty, cozy, yet elegant winter drink. The flavor combination of nuts, chocolate, and coffee is classic. Mixing that with Bourbon makes for a gorgeous Christmas Cocktail.
The Black Brew is perfect after dinner on Christmas Eve, but the flavors also work fantastic on a festive family afternoon. Drink it with some biscuits at tea time, put Jingle Bells on, lean back, and enjoy.
Ingredients
2 oz Coffee Liqueur
0.75 oz Mozart Dark Chocolate Liqueur
0.75 oz Frangelico Liqueur
0.75 oz Bourbon
2 oz Espresso
Chocolate Wafer Roll for Garnish
Add all the ingredients together with lots of ice to your shaker. Shake until the cocktail shaker feels well chilled, then double strain into your glass.
For the final touch, garnish the drink with the chocolate wafer roll.
6. Christmas Rum Sour
Our Christmas Rum Sour is a fabulous cocktail for everyone who loves a classic Sour.
The flavors of Rum and lemon are still very pronounced, but the festive twist is the star of the show. It's a float of mulled wine that carries subtle notes of cinnamon, anise, and cloves.
The egg white gives some texture and makes this version of a Rum Sour a perfect Christmas delight.
Ingredients
2 oz Havana Club Añejo Especial
0.75 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 oz homemade Christmas syrup
one egg white
Cinnamon stick, dried orange wheel, and star anise for garnish
Put all ingredients, including the egg white, in your shaker and dry shake (no ice) for 15 seconds. Make sure to close the shaker tightly as, without ice, it could pop open. Then, add ice and shake again.
Now, strain the cocktail over ice into the chilled glass, and garnish it with a cinnamon stick, star anise, and dried orange.
7. Trumpet of Joy
The Trumpet of Joy by Micky (@veermasterberlin) features many of our favorite Christmas flavors: cinnamon, ginger, apple, and vanilla. And they work together beautifully.
It's a unique combination of flavors in cocktails, but it is absolutely delicious and surely a drink your guests will remember.
Ingredients
1.5 oz Rum (Wood Stork Spiced Rum)
0.75 oz Hibiscus Cinnamon syrup
0.33 oz Ginger infused Aperol
0.5 oz Apple Vanilla liqueur
0.75 oz fresh Lime juice
2-3 drops Angostura Bitters
one egg white
edible flowers for garnish
Put all the ingredients in your cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice yet). Make sure to close the shaker tightly. After about 15 seconds, add ice and shake again.
Double-strain the drink into your cocktail glass and garnish with edible flowers.
For making the Hibiscus Cinnamon Syrup, you can use our hibiscus syrup recipe and add two cinnamon sticks per cup of water.
8. Delight of the night
The Delight of the Night by Joshua (@a_few_drinks_behind) perfectly combines the smooth notes of Bourbon with the sweet and spicy flavors of homemade coffee syrup and chai tea.
The cocktail consists of only three ingredients, and each must be homemade. So it comes with lots of love but requires a bit of prep time - however, that can be done the day before your Christmas party.
Ingredients
2 oz Toasted Marshmallow infused Bourbon
2.5 oz Chai Tea Half n Half
0.75 oz Cold Brew Brown Sugar Syrup
Toasted Marshmallows for garnish
To infuse the Bourbon, fill a 16oz (500ml) canning jar halfway with toasted marshmallows, then fill it 3/4 up with Bourbon. Seal it airtight and let it sit at 130°F (50°C) for about an hour until the marshmallows fully dissolve.
Then, double-strain the mix into a freezer-safe vessel, let it cool down, and strain again.
For the chai half and half, let two bags of chai tea sit overnight in 8oz (250ml) half n half. -it should be about 8h.
To make the cold brew syrup, use equal parts cold brew concentrate and brown sugar. Heat the mix until the sugar is fully dissolved, then double-strain into a glass or bottle.
