21 Fun Cocktails for the Holiday Season

Possibly the most popular holiday cocktail is eggnog!

This traditional holiday drink isn’t for everyone, but for those who enjoy it, it’s always exciting when you can have one. 

Forget about buying the store-bought stuff because you can make your own eggnog, and it will blow your mind.

To craft your own classic eggnog cocktail, whether for your own enjoyment or a holiday party, you’ll need eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg, vanilla, and alcohol. 

A classic eggnog cocktail works with several different liquors, so you can choose rum, whisky, bourbon, brandy, or a combination! 

This decadent holiday cocktail is an excellent choice if you want to have a big batch in your fridge for the holiday season or want to wow your friends and family with a homemade drink.

Mulled wine is a classic holiday cocktail that is warm, cozy, and spicy.

Mulled wines can be a different combination of ingredients, so don’t be afraid to try mulling a new wine or adding some fresh ingredients to create a unique flavor. 

Mulled wine typically features red wine combined with spices like cloves, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon.

People commonly add sweet and fruity ingredients to create a rich combination, such as maple syrup, orange peel, brown sugar, and sometimes raisins! 

When the weather gets cold, a chilled cocktail is not ideal. So try this scrumptious winter cocktail that will warm you inside and out.

Hot buttered rum is another warm cocktail that is the perfect drink for lounging in front of a roaring fireplace.

It features rum, hot water or cider, melted butter, sweetener, and spices.

This combination makes for a creamy drink that has a sweet and decadent flavor. And how many times will you get to drink a cocktail with loads of butter in it?

The spices for this cocktail include holiday staples like nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and whatever other ingredients suit your fancy.

The result of these ingredients is a toasty and velvety smooth drink that warms me from the inside and puts me in the holiday spirit.

A hot toddy is one of the most classic holiday cocktails, and it’s also a popular beverage for when you’re not feeling awesome and need something to soothe your throat and warm your bones. 

The alcohol in a hot toddy is typically whiskey, brandy, or scotch, making for a warm and robust flavor.

Key ingredients include lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon.

This rich combination of ingredients results in a soothing beverage that can relieve your sore throat and put you in a festive spirit.

A hot toddy is a popular drink because it isn’t too sweet or strong, so it’s ideal for a late winter night when I want something steamy and boozy!

Jingle juice is essentially a holiday sangria. It typically uses cranberry juice, candy canes, orange juice, prosecco, vodka, and red wine.

But the recipes can vary widely depending on the flavor profile you want. 

The drink can be a deep red color like a traditional red sangria, or it can be a light pink color, depending on the combination of ingredients.

Another reason I love to make this cocktail is I can customize it to be as strong or as weak as I want. 

Some people load up this recipe with vodka, rum, liqueurs, or a combination, or keep it simple, sticking to mostly juice, sodas, and wine or champagne.

Margaritas may seem like a summer drink, but if you never want the tequila party to end, you can switch up your favorite drink slightly to make it appropriate for the holiday season. 

White Christmas margaritas have almost the same recipe as a traditional margarita, but with the addition of coconut flavors and cranberry. 

Like the Jingle Juice, not every white Christmas margarita recipe is identical. But most of them include coconut milk with either tequila or rum, plus a splash of lime, triple sec, and cranberry juice for an explosion of festive flavors. 

This drink is easy to make in large batches and will entice all your friends and family with its foamy white appearance.

Do you love candy canes? Why not turn your favorite holiday sweet into a boozy cocktail?

I love the candy cane cocktail for an elevated and fancy holiday drink. 

This drink can be made in a handful of ways, but if you want a drink that will taste like a candy cane, try to find candy or peppermint-flavored vodkas and pair this with white chocolate liqueur. 

Other recipes use berry vodkas and grenadine, which achieve the right look but lack the refreshing, sweet flavor of a candy cane.

The final touch that will impress your friends is the crushed candy cane rim that makes the drink extra fun

Instead of the creamy and delicious espresso martini to end your meal, try this delicious gingerbread martini during the holiday season.

Turn your favorite holiday dessert into a creamy drink that’s impossible to resist. 

For a classic gingerbread martini, I use gingerbread syrup or gingerbread liqueur, Irish cream, vanilla vodka, and half and half or vanilla ice cream for a real treat. 

Ice cream makes for a cold, creamy cocktail that hits the spot when you want something sweet and festive.

The drink is best in a martini glass, but it will still taste amazing on a highball glass or rocks glass!

The gingerbread martini is delicious but requires several unorthodox ingredients you likely don’t have around your house. For something more accessible, try making a peppermint white Russian! 

White Russians are a classic cocktail featuring cream or milk, coffee liqueur, and vodka.

To turn this milky cocktail into a holiday treat, all you need to do is add peppermint schnapps!

This concoction is one of the best holiday cocktails for a brunch beverage, but it can also be the perfect nightcap. 

To make the drink extra special, rim the glass with crushed candy canes or chocolate syrup, or drop a whole candy cane into the drink for a festive look!

Christmas punch is similar to jingle juice, but it has a lower alcohol content and is typically easier to drink.

A classic Christmas punch consists of different sodas, juices, and fruit, making for a refreshing beverage. 

People add rum or vodka to the punch, but if you want something closer to sangria, you can opt to add champagne and wine.

Like most punch recipes, you can customize this depending on how bubbly you want the punch, how strong, or how sweet! 

This cocktail is an excellent choice for a Christmas or holiday party where you want to make drinks for a large group.

Classic eggnog is delicious, but if you want something more innovative and modern, you can make an eggnog cocktail. 

An eggnog cocktail has all the same flavors, but it’s even better than classic eggnog!

This cocktail is a bit sweeter and more potent, so don’t have too much, or you may forget some precious holiday memories. 

An eggnog cocktail features amaretto, an Italian liquor with a sweet and robust flavor, making the eggnog flavor stand out even more.

I like to rim the glass with a thick caramel sauce to add to the flavors of this drink. Best of all, you can use store-bought or homemade eggnog!

For a well-balanced cocktail that has the sweetness of holiday flavors with the complex bourbon flavor, make this cranberry bourbon cocktail that has the festive spirit all over it.

Most recipes include different juices, like cranberry and orange juice, along with a squeeze of lemon. 

This cocktail is bright and tart, making it perfect for someone who prefers fresh-flavored drinks rather than heavy, milky holiday cocktails.

With a splash of triple sec and some fresh cranberries, you can make a beautiful cranberry bourbon cocktail with your favorite bourbon. 

And this is another drink I like to customize. You can make it as strong, weak, sweet, or spicy as you want.

Check out other cranberry cocktails for the holidays and beyond.

The cranberry mimosa is likely the easiest holiday cocktail on this list.

All you need is some tasty cranberry juice and your favorite sparkling wine to have the ideal brunch cocktail during the holiday season. But you can always step this up a notch by adding a splash of triple sec or other liqueur. 

Top it with a fresh orange slice or whole cranberries to make it more appealing and festive.

People also love to drop in a fresh lime wedge or add a splash of lime juice to make it more tart and refreshing. You could also garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Keep things simple and delicious this holiday season with a cranberry mimosa!

While the cranberry mimosa is super easy and only requires two ingredients, a champagne cocktail is also a breeze to make for someone who wants a stellar holiday cocktail but doesn’t want to make an overly complex drink. 

For a champagne cocktail, all you need is a sugar cube, champagne, bitters, and citrus fruit.

Most people add an orange peel to this drink, but you can also use lemon if you want something with more of a bite. 

The sugar cube is the traditional sweetener in this cocktail, but I enjoy adding some maple syrup to make a more cozy beverage!

Moscow mules are one of the most popular cocktails, and adding some cranberry can give it that holiday flavor and appearance.

The key to a good mule is having copper mugs that keep the drink icy cold and activate the distinct flavor of the ginger beer. 

To make this drink, I simply combine my favorite vodka with a quality ginger beer, some fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and a splash of cranberry juice. 

If you want to celebrate the holiday season but live in a warm place, you can still get in the spirit with this tasty, ruby-red cocktail.

The holidays and peppermint go hand in hand. It’s just a fact. And if you love everything peppermint, this is the cocktail for you!

The Peppermint Patty is a warm drink that is simply hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps! 

This drink can be as easy or as complex as you want, depending on if you make homemade hot chocolate or use a handy hot chocolate mix. 

When it’s cold outside, and you want to warm up with a boozy drink, the Peppermint Patty is one of the most delicious holiday cocktails.

It’s sweet and toasty with the perfect combination of decadent chocolate and invigorating mint alcohol.

Whether it’s time for apple picking, Christmas presents, or a relaxing evening in front of the fire, nothing is quite as cozy and delectable as a steaming cup of cider. 

Mulled cider is the ideal drink if you don’t love wine but still want the aromatic and spicy experience of mulled wine.

Cider is less acidic and sweeter than mulled wine, so many people prefer this beverage. 

Alcoholic mulled cider typically uses brandy or rum, but this is an easy cocktail to make non-alcoholic for the kiddos or anyone who doesn’t want to drink.

While the minty Peppermint Patty cocktail was mentioned above, there is more room for hot chocolate on this holiday cocktail list!

If mint isn’t your thing, but hot chocolate is, there are plenty of other ways to make spiked hot chocolate. 

Some people spike their hot chocolate with bourbon, vanilla vodka, rum, coffee liqueur, or Irish cream, so there are many options to choose from.

Some people even spike their hot chocolate with tequila for a real fun time! 

Whatever flavors you enjoy with chocolate, you can add them to your piping hot cup of chocolate goodness and help ease any holiday stress you may be feeling.

If gin is your alcohol of choice, you can make a fruity pomegranate gin fizz as a holiday cocktail.

Honestly, this drink is fantastic any time of year, but I think the red color and rich pomegranate flavor are lovely at a holiday party or during Christmas dinner. 

The key to nailing this cocktail is the egg white, which creates a velvety foam on top that makes every sip delightful.

Along with the foamy egg white, the drink uses ginger ale or soda water, gin, pomegranate juice, and lime juice. 

This drink has an enjoyable fizzy texture and bright taste that can work for a Christmas brunch or during late-night holiday festivities.

Here’s one more way to make your hot chocolate boozy and merry! This drink is another easy holiday cocktail I love because I can make it with as few as two ingredients. 

You need a bottle of Rumchata and some store-bought hot cocoa mix to make this happen.

Rumchata is a unique liqueur that has a sweet cinnamon taste and creamy texture. This cocktail is ideal for someone who wants something warm and sweet that doesn’t have too much alcohol in it. 

Top it with toasted marshmallows or a drizzle of chocolate syrup to make this a boozy dessert that your friends and family will love.

The Grinch cocktail is last on the list, but certainly not the least. This melon-flavored cocktail is a bright, shocking shade of green, just like the Grinch. 

You can make this drink with white rum, vodka, or tequila, but vodka is the most popular choice.

The most important ingredient is the melon liqueur, typically Midori. The melon-flavored liqueur is a vivid green color that will catch everyone’s eye.

It has a sweet, fruity flavor you may not expect from a holiday cocktail. But drop a candy cane in the drink, and it will look like the ideal drink for Mr. Grinch himself.