The holiday season is all about celebrating with friends and family. Nothing loosens up a small group or crowd more than delicious easy Christmas cocktails. Some of the cocktails below incorporate wintry, festive flavors like cinnamon.
Others are served warm, perfect against the chilly air outside. Many look as good as they taste, with cheery colors from pomegranate, cranberries, mint, and more.
Below, read about 16 easy Christmas cocktails to liven up the next gathering around your tree.
Easy Christmas Cocktails
Green drinks aren’t just for St. Patrick’s Day! This fruity rum cocktail uses citrus juice. It’s green, thanks to Blue Curacao, not food coloring, which is nice.
This recipe serves four, but you can easily multiply it for a party. Just be careful not to add the soda too early, or it will lose carbonation.
This super simple cocktail is nothing more than regular vodka, cranberry juice, grenadine, and lemon-lime soda. It’s Christmasy because of the fun recipe to sugar the rim with a fluffy white powder that looks like snow.
If you prefer less sweetness, leave out the grenadine. You can also use the sugar rim recipe for other drinks.
This decadently sweet, warm cocktail has more sugar than alcohol, though it’s spiked with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
In addition, you’ll add white chocolate chips, caramel sauce, vanilla, and milk. Everything heats and melts together, and you can top it with whipped cream for a cool contrast.
You’ll scarcely be able to resist singing the familiar tune when you sip a Partridge in a Peartree. Made with pear vodka, this clean cocktail combines simple syrup, lemon juice, and a splash of champagne.
You’ll add a rosemary sprig for garnish, which looks like a simple Christmas tree. It also adds a spicy fragrance and flavor that complements the pear perfectly.
Not even Scrooge could resist being as jolly as ‘Ole St. Nick with this beverage. This vodka cocktail combines cranberry juice, fresh lime and mint, and club soda.
You’ll also make a special simple syrup to go with it, which is the only labor-intensive part. You must complete the syrup ahead, which makes it an easy cocktail to make for parties.
We certainly hope Rudolph isn’t sipping this twist on vodka and cranberry before he flies Santa’s sleigh! This cocktail is perfect for a crowd since it can be pre-mixed or quickly made to order.
Make the festive garnish ahead of time—skewer whole cranberries and rosemary sprigs, lime, or something else green.
The secret ingredient in this tangy and sweet drink is the rosemary simple syrup. Its sweetness contrasts vodka and lemon juice.
You’ll make the syrup ahead of time and let it cool, and even that’s easy. Serve it to your party guests in martini glasses with a rosemary garnish.
Bourbon is delightfully warm and spicy, which makes it a lovely choice for a winter cocktail. This twist on a bourbon smash combines it with rosemary simple syrup and lemon juice.
You can substitute other types of liquor if you prefer. Alternatively, swap the simple syrup for maple syrup for an especially wintery flavor.
This might sound like a simple drink, but it’s anything but that. We’d categorize this as a craft cocktail.
The base liquor is rose, but you’ll make homemade cranberry jam syrup to flavor the drink. You can easily make it for a crowd and whip up batches ahead.
Ladies love their whiskey, too! Mrs. Claus’ personal favorite is this cranberry cocktail. Mix your whiskey and cranberry juice with rosemary simple syrup and add a festive garnish to complete the look.
If you’re throwing a more elegant holiday soiree, you need a martini to go with your high-end ambiance. True to an essential martini mix, you’ll combine gin or vodka with Cointreau, unsweetened pure cranberry juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
You can swap the simple syrup for maple, which might taste more wintery. Try both and let us know what you prefer.
We get chilly just looking at this cool blue cocktail! But its looks are deceiving since it tastes similar to a pina colada.
Add a little bit of blue curacao when you blend your cocktail. For the rim, stick shredded coconut with a bit of corn syrup. It will look like fresh snow, especially if you chill the glass.
Minty candy canes just taste like Christmas! This cocktail hearkens to that flavor by combining vodka, creme de menthe, and peppermint schnapps. The sweetness from the liqueurs cuts the harshness of the alcohol.
Finish it with a crushed candy cane rim for the perfect look.
Moscow Mules are a quintessential winter drink, from their frigid namesake to the traditional copper mugs in which they’re served.
Give the Mule a Christmas twist by combining vodka with cranberry juice, other juices, and holiday ingredients.
This gin cocktail couldn’t be more straightforward, and it’s a great combination to cut the bitter flavor of gin. Just pour gin, ginger ale, and a little cranberry juice over ice and enjoy! You can serve it in any type of glass, and it’s easy to make fast, so it’s suitable for parties.
Not everyone likes hard alcohol, so luckily, there’s also a Christmas version of Sangria that they can enjoy during the holidays.
Sangria is also an excellent party drink because you must make it ahead of time. All you need is white wine, wintery fruit like cranberries and apples, and a few other simple ingredients.
Cheers!
The holiday season is hectic enough; you certainly don’t need your cocktail to make things worse! Use these super simple recipes to make an easy Christmas cocktail whenever you want one.
Try them all, and be sure to let us know your favorite in the comments section! Leave a link to your own go-to winter beverages.
16 Easy Christmas Cocktails
Ingredients
- Grinch Drink
- Christmas Vodka Cocktail
- A Winter Snowflake Cocktail
- Partridge in a Pear Tree
- The Jolly 'Ole Christmas Cocktail
- Rudolph's Tipsy Punch
- The Mistletoe Kiss
- Jingle Bell Smash
- Spiced Cranberry Rosé Spritzers
- Mrs. Claus Cranberry Whiskey Cocktail
- The Christmas Martini
- Jack Frost Winter Cocktail
- Candy Cane Martini
- Cranberry Moscow Mule
- Ginger Cranberry Gin Fizz
- White Christmas Sangria
Instructions
- Pick your favorite recipe
- Gather all the needed ingredients
- Prep a summer cocktail in less than 5 minutes
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