The Best 8 Christmas Drinks for Enjoying the Holidays

Christmas sweets come in a wide range of delicious flavors like peppermint, cocoa, and caramel, all of which work perfectly as delectable holiday cocktails. Perfect your bartending skills before your holiday get-togethers and you’ll be the friend that keeps infusing the season with heaps of cheer and plenty of flavor.

Read on to get inspired by our top eight Christmas cocktails, and once you’ve mastered your favorites, put your spin on them. 

1. Eggnog

Let’s start off with one of the most classic holiday drinks around: eggnog. It’s a culinary treat that only comes around once a year, so make sure you take advantage of it. You can make DIY ‘nog at home with eggs and cream, but you’ll have a much easier time of it if you buy the prepared version and simply add in a shot of spiced or dark rum or bourbon. Top with cinnamon and whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick. With holiday drink recipes, visuals are everything.

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2. Peppermintini

The secret to being a great bartender? Being able to make a cocktail that looks and tastes good. A peppermintini is wintery pink with a glittery, sugary rim and a candy cane garnish. It is one of the best homemade drinks with peppermint schnapps, and tastes just like candy, but with a kick. And it’s much classier and tastier than peppermint shots. To prepare, mix crushed candy canes and melted chocolate together on a plate and dip the rim of a martini glass in the mixture to coat. Pour any remaining melted chocolate into the bottom of the glasses and transfer them to the freezer as you mix the drink itself. Combine white chocolate liqueur, vodka, peppermint schnapps, heavy cream, and ice in a cocktail shaker, shake, then strain into the chilled glasses and serve.

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3. Naughty but Nice 

If you like cocktails with cranberries, look no further. This refined but boozy cocktail can be made with bourbon, vodka, or rye whiskey, meaning everyone at the Christmas party can choose their favorite. Combine four ounces of the spirit of your choice with two ounces of orange juice, two ounces of ginger syrup, and four ounces of cranberry juice in a shaker full of crushed ice. Strain the liquid into two glasses. Top the drink off with club soda and garnish with fresh cranberries and orange slices.

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4. Santa Clausmopolitans

Leave a little something special out for Santa’s drink this year instead of just your average Christmas cookies. Make this rosy-cheek red beverage by sugaring the rim of a martini glass before pouring in a shaken mix of vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec, and fresh lime juice. Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh cranberries. 

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5. Christmas Shots 

Put on your favorite holiday playlist because it’s time to rock around the Christmas tree. Perhaps the only thing more irreverent than regular shots are Jell-O shots, and these peppermint ones not only taste deceptively great, but add to your festive look. They pair well with any of our Christmas cocktails to spice up your holiday party. You’ll be making two layers of Jell-O filling – one red, one white – and layering them in a loaf pan. For the white Jell-O, you’ll need one cup of vodka, two gelatin packets, one cup of boiling water, and one can of sweetened condensed milk. Pour this into the pan and let it freeze for about twenty minutes before adding the next layer. For the red Jell-O, you’ll need two packages of cherry Jell-O, 1 ½ cup of boiling water, and half a cup of vodka. Once both layers are frozen, cut the finished Jell-O “loaf” into little cubes and garnish with crushed candy canes.

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6. Yule Mule

Here’s a Christmas vodka cocktail that’s a fresh take on a classic. The Moscow mule gets revamped as a “Yule Mule” with a touch of red berries and forest green garnish. Combine four ounces of vodka, 1 ½ ounces of fresh-squeezed lime juice, and four ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice in a shaker. Pour the mixture into Moscow mule glasses filled with ice and top with six ounces of ginger beer. Garnish with cranberries and rosemary. This festive drink is so tasty it was even named one of the top 10 holiday cocktails in recent years.

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7. Gingerbread Martini

Why eat dessert when you can drink it, too? This creamy martini with cookie crumble at the rim may not be the most traditional cocktail, but go ahead: make your own traditions. First, line the rim of two martini glasses with syrup – a simple syrup works well, or a gingerbread syrup – and then dip in crushed gingerbread cookies. Then, shake and strain a mixture of one ounce of vodka, two ounces of Irish cream (like Bailey’s), one ounce of gingerbread syrup, four ounces of half-and-half, and ½ cup crushed ice. Pour the mixture into the rimmed glasses and enjoy. 

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8. Hot Cocoa 

It’s a good idea to keep a few of your Christmas drinks non-alcoholic so that there is something for the little ones and any guests that don’t consume alcohol to enjoy. Hot cocoa makes a great mocktail; it’s warm, cozy, and garnished with candy canes or mini marshmallows. Even the grinch would enjoy a chance to warm up with this festive drink. There are plenty of great mixes out there, but if you want to make your own hot cocoa, combine ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ cup of granulated sugar, ⅓ cup of hot water, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and four cups of milk of your choice (including dairy-free alternatives) in a saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, reduce the temperature, swirl in one teaspoon of vanilla extract, garnish, and enjoy. To make it a holiday cocktail in place of mocktail, add some Bailey's, peppermint schnapps, or chocolate liqueur.

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If you’re all out of peppermint schnapps or you never had any in the first place, Gopuff is here to help. You can order everything you need for a festive round of holiday cocktails and have it delivered to your door in a matter of minutes.