15 Holiday Cocktails That Go Way Harder Than Your Elf On The Shelf
Taffer’s - Mint Condition
Holiday cocktails are by far my favorite genre of seasonal sips. As much as I love a ghoulish martini on Halloween or a romantic dessert cocktail on Valentine’s Day, holiday drinks are where it’s at. And by “holiday,” I pretty much mean all the weeks in between November 1 and about mid-January. So she is a lengthy season to say the last.
With many holiday parties only days away, I’ve already had friends hit me up about cocktail recommendations. The great thing about this time of year is that the options really are endless. You can go full-on fruity with a boozy punch, get decadent with a dessert inspired-sip or keep it classy with a festive twist on a classic cocktail. To ensure that your holiday shindigs go on without a hitch, I’ve compiled a list of well over a dozen cocktails that are suitable for all tastes. I even included a mocktail recipe!
Cheers! And I hope you all have the most amazing of holidays! And, I mean, in case anyone’s wondering, I love Sephora, candle warmers, cozy socks, lip gloss, RTDs and $1,000,000.
Mint Condition
Ingredients
1.5 oz Taffer's Browned Butter Bourbon
1 oz Crème de Menthe
1 oz Crème de Cacao
1 oz Heavy Cream
Dark Chocolate
Directions
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass or tin with ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into glassware. Grate dark chocolate on top.
Evil Slide
Foley Family Wines & Spirits
Ingredients
1.5 oz. Two Stacks Double Irish Cream Liqueur
1.5 oz. Evil Bean Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
.75 oz. Two Stacks Double Barrel Single Grain
.5 oz. Chocolate Sauce
8 oz. of ice
Directions
Drizzle chocolate sauce inside a highball glass. Blend all remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into the pre-drizzled glass, dust with cocoa powder, and serve with a straw.
Peanut Butter Eggnog Espresso Martini
Skrewball Whiskey
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Skrewball Whiskey
1 ½ oz Coffee Liqueur
1 ½ oz Espresso
5 oz Eggnog
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously & strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Apple Bourbon Twist
Rabbit Hole
Ingredients
2 oz Rabbit Hole Cavehill four-grain bourbon
2 oz apple cider
1 tsp maple syrup
2–3 drops aromatic bitters
Orange peel, apple slices, and cinnamon stick for garnish
Directions
Combine the bourbon, apple cider, maple syrup, and bitters in a glass and stir. Add ice. Cut a coin of orange peel, rub it along the rim. Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
He Sees You When You’re Sipping
Available at Adventure Time Bar – Denver, CO
Adventure Time Bar
Ingredients
1.5 oz Vodka
0.75 oz Fig liqueur
0.75 oz Lime
2 dashes Vanilla extract
3 oz Ginger beer
Directions
Build in the mug. Mix vodka, fig liqueur, lime, and vanilla extract with ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a nice big sprig of rosemary, slap it a couple times to express the oils.
The Mommy Grasshopper
Available at The Mothership – Milwaukee, WI
The Mothership
Ingredients
0.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
1.5 oz Soy Creamer
1 oz Green Creme de Menthe
0.5 oz Amaretto
0.5 oz Creme de Cacao
Directions
Whip shake with crushed ice and open pour into a 14-oz Collins Glass. Fill with more crushed ice and float 1/2 oz of Overproof Rum (such as Planteray OFTD Rum) and garnish with a cherry.
Bacardi Coquito
Bacardi
Ingredients
1 L Bottle BACARDÍ Superior Rum
15 oz Cream of Coconut
14 oz Condensed Milk
12 oz Evaporated Milk
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon to taste
Directions
Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cinnamon stick.
Santa Pants
Pantalones
Ingredients
2 oz Pantalones Organic Reposado Tequila
2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Top with Ginger Beer
Cranberry and Rosemary (Garnish)
Directions
Start off with ice in your shaker, Pantalones Organic Reposado Tequila, cranberry juice and lime juice. Shake and pour into a Rocks glass. filled with ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with cranberries and rosemary.
Fireside Fling
1800 Tequila
Ingredients
2 oz 1800 Reposado
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Lime twist and dark maraschino cherries
Directions
Add the tequila, sweet vermouth and orange bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist and dark maraschino cherries.
1800 Holiday Punch
Serves 8-10 people
1800 Tequila
Ingredients
12 oz 1800 Añejo
1 bottle of Red Wine
12 oz Clementine Juice
12 oz Cranberry Juice
6 oz Lime Juice
6 oz Agave Syrup
Garnish: Cranberries, Mint Sprigs, Lime Wheels, and Cinnamon Sticks
Directions
Build in a pitcher with ice. Stir to combine.
Sparkling Winter Gimlet
NOLET’S
Ingredients
3 oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
1.5 oz. Blood Orange Juice
1 oz. Brut Champagne
2 sprigs of Rosemary
Directions
In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients except Champagne with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Pour into 2 chilled Coupe glasses and top with Champagne and a sprig of rosemary.
Mellow And Merry Mule
Four Roses
Ingredients
1 ½ oz. Four Roses Small Batch
2 oz. Cranberry juice
4 oz. Ginger beer
Splash - Lime juice
Garnish - Cranberries, rosemary sprig
Directions
Fill a glass with ice. Add Small Batch & cranberry juice. Add a splash of lime and ginger beer. Garnish.
Redbreast 12 Tree Top Sour
Redbreast
Ingredients
50ml Redbreast 12-Year-Old 20ml
20ml Fresh Lemon Juice
20ml 1:1 Sugar Syrup
15ml Egg White
2 Orange Bitters
Directions
Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake without ice for 5 seconds. Add ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupette glass and garnish with discarded lemon coin & grated nutmeg.
Cranberry Mule
Halfday
Ingredients
2 oz ginger beer
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz vodka
Halfday Cranberry Tea
Directions
Build all ingredients in a Highball glass with ice. Top off with Halfday Cranberry Tea. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
Dam Winter Punch (Non-Alcoholic)
Damrak
Ingredients
2 parts Damrak Virgin
2 parts Fresh OJ
2 parts Cinnamon tea
5 parts Apple Cider
1 part Honey syrup or ½ part honey
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Garnish with seasonal spices: star anise, cloves, cinnamon, orange zest
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a pitcher, best to let rest for 1 hour before serving.