Eggnog

You won’t go back to store-bought after trying this delicious recipe with your choice of rum, bourbon, or brandy. Beating the egg yolks and whites separately before recombining them makes for an extra-luscious texture.

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 Boozy Hot Chocolate

When hot chocolate cravings strike, skip the powdered stuff and make this recipe with high-quality semisweet chocolate and milk. Spike with your spirit of choice (we recommend aged spirits like a dark rum or añejo tequila).

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 Cranberry-Ginger Mimosa

This simple recipe might become your go-to drink for Christmas brunch. Just top cranberry juice and ginger beer with Champagne, then garnish with sugared cranberries.

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 Brandy Alexander

This decadent classic combines cognac, dark creme de cacao, and cream. Serve with—or in lieu of—dessert.

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 Coquito

Similar to Eggnog, rum-based Coquito calls for cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk. It’s often made for sharing, and this version of the classic Puerto Rican recipe, from bartender Giuseppe González, serves at least 16.

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 Hot Buttered Rum

Our recipe for this winter classic has an unexpected ingredient: softened vanilla ice cream. Combined with butter, sugar, and spices, the ice cream creates a smooth batter that won’t become lumpy when you blend it with rum and boiling water.

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 Irish Coffee

The ultimate after-dinner drink might also be the simplest. Top Irish whiskey and two teaspoons of brown sugar with freshly brewed coffee, then garnish with freshly whipped cream.

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 Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule

If you already have Moscow Mule supplies on hand, you don’t need much for this seasonal upgrade. Just add cran-apple juice to the classic combination of vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer, then garnish with fresh cranberries and an apple slice.

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 Glögg

Try Scandinavia’s answer to mulled wine with this warming big-batch drink. Dried figs and raisins add nutty complexity to a mix of red wine, port, vodka, light brown sugar, oranges, and holiday spices.

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 Hot Toddy

A Hot Toddy is traditionally made with whiskey, but any brown spirit can work, including añejo tequila and dark rum. The simple and warming classic also includes hot water, lemon juice, sugar, and spices.

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 Espresso Martini

Make this eternal crowd-pleaser for your holiday parties or gatherings with vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, and simple syrup. Cold brew concentrate is a good substitute if you don’t have an espresso machine.

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 Naughty or Nice

Let your guests decide. This inventive punch from Seattle bar pro Jamie Boudreau serves two. The combination of London dry gin, maraschino liqueur, chardonnay, pinot noir, and ginger ale can also be scaled up or down in volume as you please.

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 Pear Tree Martini

This refreshing drink includes spiced pear vodka, St-Germain liqueur, lime juice, and Angostura bitters. Christmas carols optional.

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 Wassail

This rich and nutty take on the Christmas classic from bartender Chantal Tseng calls for a base of brown ale and oloroso sherry. The big-batch drink for a crowd of 10–12 also includes apples, lemon zest, brown sugar, and plenty of warming holiday spices.

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 Tom & Jerry

This classic recipe dates to 1820s England, but its cozy appeal has lasted well into the 21st century. The irresistible drink combines a rich batter made from eggs, dark rum, and vanilla extract with boiling water, dark rum, cognac, and whole milk.

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 Christmas Punch

This fruit-forward and spicy drink combines light rum, cranberry and tart cherry juices, ginger ale, rich simple syrup, fresh ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Make a batch for the kid’s table: It’s equally flavorful without the booze.

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 Golden Cadillac

Cap off a special meal with this retro drink. Equal parts anise-flavored Galliano liqueur, white creme de cacao, and heavy cream create a rich, herbaceous, and timeless cocktail.

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 Chocolate Martini

Shake together vodka, chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, and heavy cream and you have a drinkable dessert. Looking for a more festive drink? Rim the glass with chocolate syrup and crushed-up candy canes.

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 Stranger in the Alps

Consider this drink a Christmas tree Negroni. A juniper-forward gin and an alpine amaro add piney and herbaceous notes to the classic mix of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. For added depth, the glass is rinsed with a special fir brandy.

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 Pink Squirrel

Fans of the Brandy Alexander or Grasshopper might find a new favorite in the Pink Squirrel, which combines almond-flavored creme de noyaux, white creme de cacao, and heavy cream. In a pinch you can substitute amaretto for the creme de noyaux, though you won’t get the signature pink hue.

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 Rosemary-Pomegranate Soda

This drink is spirit-free, but it will bring plenty of holiday spirit, thanks to an herbaceous rosemary simple syrup, pomegranate juice, and soda water. If you also want to serve a traditional cocktail, you can use the homemade syrup for a Rosemary Paloma.

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 The Nice List

Making one of these may be the easiest way to gain a spot on the nice list. A spiced cranberry syrup adds festive notes to this Cosmopolitan-esque mixture of vodka, peach mead, and Cointreau.

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 Bring Me Back Something French

Add an ounce of absinthe to homemade hot chocolate for a grown-up twist on the classic. Vanilla whipped cream, sprinkles, and Pocky garnish keep things playful.

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 Spiced Eggnog

Bar pro Jeffrey Morgenthaler of our 2023 Best New Bar Pacific Standard loves all Eggnog, “even the crappy stuff from the grocery store,” he says. There’s nothing crappy about his upgraded version, which he makes in a blender with eggs, brandy, spiced rum, whole milk, heavy cream, and superfine sugar.

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 Porto Flip

Port is often consumed as an after-dinner drink, but this festive flip cocktail from bar pro Allen Katz is an even more special option. He combines ruby port, cognac, heavy cream, and a whole egg, then tops the drink with a barspoon of Yellow Chartreuse for herbaceous notes.

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 Under the Mistletoe

Gin drinkers will embrace this cocktail, which also includes muddled cranberries and oranges, cranberry juice, and soda water. It makes a festive alternative to typical cranberry-juice drinks like the Cape Codder.

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 Tea & Krampus

Make this holiday-themed cocktail for tropical-drink fans. The recipe from Martin Cate of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco includes two rums, blackberry liqueur, allspice dram, lime and pineapple juices, vanilla syrup, and Angostura bitters.

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 Love & Murder

For a loose take on a red-and-green cocktail, mix up this herbaceous combination of Campari, Green Chartreuse (or one of our favorite substitutes), fresh lime juice, and simple syrup from Porchlight bar director Nick Bennett. The secret ingredient: a touch of salt.

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 Bourbon Milk Punch

Craving the richness of Eggnog but short on time? You can make this New Orleans classic right in the shaker with bourbon, whole milk, simple syrup, and vanilla extract.

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 Ponche Navideño

This fragrant and warming punch is a Christmas staple in Mexico. Wherever you are in the world, bring its flavors home with a list of ingredients that includes light rum, apples, pears, tamarind paste, piloncillo, spices, raisins, and dried hibiscus flowers.