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12 Festive Holiday Cocktail Recipes We’ll Be Mixing This Season

‘Tis the season for festive holiday cocktail recipes and these are the merry and bright cocktails we’ll be mixing all season long.

It’s the time of year when I love to up my cocktail mixing game! While I always enjoy making something unique and tasty, Christmas cocktails are my jam. These holiday cocktail recipes are exactly what you need!

I’m a firm believer that a good Irish coffee made with homemade Irish cream, boozy eggnog cocktail or mulled wine are always a good choice for the holidays.

That said, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up (literally) with a unique twist on a Moscow mule or a martini like or candy cane martini recipe in December.

If you’re hosting friends, wanting something festive for Christmas brunch or watching your favorite Christmas movie, these are my holiday cocktail recipe picks for what to mix.

Side note: if you’re looking for some holiday wine recommendations, try these Thanksgiving wine pairings or these Christmas wines.

1
Cranberry Gimlet Photo
Cyd Converse
Cranberry Gimlet Recipe
This festive cranberry gimlet recipe lends seasonal sweetness to the classic cocktail. It’s a perfect addition to your next holiday party! If you, like me, have traditionally always paired my cranberry with vodka or if you love a good gin and tonic, give this one a try! The cranberry twist on an otherwise classic cocktail recipe lends just the right festive touch to the holiday season.
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2
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cocktail Photo
Cyd Converse
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cocktail Recipe
Our internet famous cinnamon toast crunch cocktail recipe is a delicious RumChata drink that tastes like your favorite cereal dressed up as a festive drink adults will love. One of the more infamous Rumchata drinks is the cinnamon toast crunch shot. It is a tasty RumChata shot made simply by combining RumChata with Fireball – this is the cocktail version only better.
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3
Cranberry Mule Photo
Alaina Doyle
Cranberry Mule Recipe
As a big fan of a classic Moscow mule, of course I am always down for a fun seasonal twist on the traditional recipe. This cranberry mule recipe screams holiday season, a mix of cranberry vodka and the typical ginger beer along with the addition of loads of fresh mint and lots of lime. It’s not overly sweet while also lending a fresh and festive Christmas twist to a mule.
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4
Raspberry Russian Holiday Cocktail Photo
Lindsay Landis
Raspberry Russian Holiday Cocktail Recipe
If you love a white Russian, like I do, perhaps you know how they taste particularly delicious during the holiday season. I love experimenting with different seasonal white Russian recipes around the holidays and this raspberry Russian holiday cocktail is perfection. This twist on the classic white Russian replaces the traditional coffee liqueur with black raspberry. Add muddled fresh raspberries and you have yourself a raspberry Russian.
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5
Rosemary Yuzu Gin Fizz Photo
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
Rosemary Yuzu Gin Fizz Recipe
This Christmas cocktail recipe is one for the gin lovers! Our rosemary yuzu gin fizz recipe evokes the scent of the woods this Christmas season. Full of rosemary and citrus flavors, it’s a blend of gin and yuzu liqueur with the addition of fresh rosemary. It’s topped with club soda because if citrus and evergreens say winter, then fizz definitely says festive – and we all need a festive cocktail or two up our sleeve during the holiday season.
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6
Cranberry Orange Bourbon Smash Photo
Jennie Phaneuf
Cranberry Orange Bourbon Smash Recipe
With the taste of winter in every sip, our beloved cranberry orange bourbon smash recipe is one for the bourbon drinkers in the crowd. Bourbon, a fresh squeeze of orange juice, cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce, rosemary and ginger ale make one festive drink. All of the ingredients get added to a cocktail shaker and muddled together for what will arguably become your new favorite holiday cocktail recipe.
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7
Horchata Margaritas Photo
Kristan Roland
Horchata Margaritas Recipe
If you love a good margarita recipe and believe they make perfect sipping all year long, you’re not alone because I am with you. Our horchata margarita recipe is the perfect example! With homemade horchata, RumChata and tequila, these margaritas are the perfect drink for celebrating the holidays! Cozy and creamy, you’ll love sipping them fireside.
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8
White Christmas Cocktail Photo
Shanna Schad
White Christmas Cocktail Recipe
While many are all about warm drinks in winter like boozy hot cocoa, a hot toddy or buttered rum, for those that like to stick to cold drinks, don’t miss this white Christmas cocktail recipe. This one is particularly boozy, making it good for sipping, and it’s a bit like donning a sweater – from the inside. Made with vanilla vodke, creme de cacao and Frangelico, this festive cocktail is cream and delicious.
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9
Cranberry Orange Moscow Mule Photo
Tanya Schroeder
Cranberry Orange Moscow Mule Recipe
Another of my favorite Christmas Moscow mule recipes, you can’t miss trying this cranberry orange Moscow mule this holiday season. For one, nothing tastes quite like Christmas in the way that cranberry paired with orange does in my world. The addition of triple sec, fresh cranberries and orange slices along with mint to garnish is both festive and refreshing. Cheers!
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10
Frangelico Hot Chocolate Photo
Susan Palmer
Frangelico Hot Chocolate Recipe
Perfect for a crisp winter evening, this Frangelico hot chocolate recipe is a thick, rich, chocolate dream. Frangelico (or other hazelnut liqueur) is stirred into thick homemade hot chocolate then topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate whiskey marshmallows and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. If you want a cocktail that doubles as a decadent chocolate dessert, this is recipe is the ticket.
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11
Raspberry Mango Bellini Photo
Lisa Grant
Raspberry Mango Bellini Recipe
A traditional bellini is never the wrong answer when searching for a festive cocktail recipe in my estimation. This raspberry mango bellini is a fruity, flavorful take on the classic bellini recipe making it perfect for Christmas brunch or sipping after dinner. This simple but elegant cocktail gets its color from a little sorbet and fresh raspberries. No fancy bartending skills required.
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12
Mexican Hot Chocolate Shots Photo
Urvashee Patel
Mexican Hot Chocolate Shots Recipe
If you’re on the hunt for an especially fun and festive holiday cocktail recipe, you need to make these Mexican hot chocolate shots for your next holiday party! This recipe is the perfect amount of chocolate, cayenne and booze to get everyone warmed up. They make a fun way to greet guests or offer a fun little after dinner treat that’s part dessert and part booze. Win-win!
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