When it’s cold outside, all you can really do is sit at home and drink… right? Well, I suppose you could do more, but going outside brings literal pain so who really wants to? This frigid holiday season does bring some fun too! Party after party after party, there’s a reason they call it Dry January after the nonstop drinking in the end of November and all of December.
With holiday parties galore, not to mention the actual holidays that are cause for celebration/over-indulgence, you’re basically in the perfect position to try some new holiday and winter-themed drinks! Whether you’re crafting these cocktails for a Christmas get-together or just so get ~fancy~ during a night in with your gals, these winter-themed cocktails are perfect for those chilly December nights.
19. Winter Wonderland Cocktail
This all-white cocktail will become your signature winter drink. With vanilla vodka, white creme de cacao, and cream of coconut, you’ll be seeing snow falling outside all while sipping your snow like drink. It’s refreshing and combines all the right flavors.
18. Applejack and Maple Cocktail
This is the type of drink you’ll want to sip after a long day trudging through the snow when you need something a little stronger to take your cares away. Using apple brandy and maple syrup, the flavors are strong in this drink but go together so well they mellow each other out. You’ll totally love it! It’s like a woodsy winter in a glass. Get the recipe here!
17. Winter Bourbon Smash
Do you like bourbon? You’ll never know until you try! In addition to bourbon, you also use raspberry jam to add a light fruit flavor and some texture to the bev. All you need is the bourbon, jam, orange juice, and triple sec. It’s super easy to throw together too and a good introduction to bourbon. Enjoy it at your next winter party!
16. Cranberry Daquiri
Cranberry is the unofficial fruit of winter and Christmas, so why not drink it up in liquid form? This Christmas-y take on the classic daiquiri only has three ingredients. Now, you can make your own cranberry syrup if you’re feeling like Martha Stewart, or you can do it the easy way and buy some. I’d buy it, but to each their own!
15. Nutella Martinis
Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with nutella. *Raises hand* Yeah, pretty sure that’s everyone. This martini combines your two favorite guilty pleasures this holiday season: Nutella and alcohol! Yum! Using a sizable amount of nutella and 3 (!) shots of vodka, you’ll need to do a little more prep to make, but it’ll be worth it. It’s like an adult chocolate milk!
14. Christmas Old-Fashioned
An old-fashioned is a classic drink made usually with a rye whiskey and bitters. This one adds a Christmas twist by using a cranberry syrup so if you made some before (or bought it) for the daquiri, you’re in luck! Yummy sugared cranberries used as a garnish finish off this new twist on a signature drink. Find the recipe here.
13. Crockpot Mulled Wine
Another reason to love your crockpot: You can make winter cocktails in it! This is perfect if you want to throw all the ingredients in and just forget about it for a bit, and who doesn’t? Plus your friends (or just you, no judgement!) can serve themselves straight out of the crockpot. So grab a bottle of merlot, some orange juice, cinnamon sticks, clove, an orange, sugar, and brandy and let that all simmer around to make a deeply flavorful warm wine. Just enjoy!
12. Salted Caramel Eggnog
There are two kinds of people in this world. People who love eggnog and people who can’t stand that damn drink. This salted caramel eggnog will bring those two types of people together as one. For starters, who doesn’t like salted caramel? No one. This ambitious recipe has you making your own eggnog but it’s actually super simple! And then all you have to do is mix in the delicious flavor of salted caramel. It’ll be worth it in the end. Give it a try!
11. Cranberry Margarita
Margaritas are a great drink for warm weather, but should never be neglected in the winter. This is basically a regular margarita with cranberry juice and a cranberry garnish for a seasonal flavor and color. These would be perfect for any party over the holiday season. Maybe you can make a huge batch for those family get togethers. This drink will make them much more fun!
10. Christmas Sangria
Here is another summer drink with a much-needed winter twist: the Christmas sangria. Adding some cranberries and garnishing with rosemary winterizes this traditional sangria. It’s still fruity, sweet, and refreshing. Perfect for large batches and a Christmas movie night with your girls!
9. Jack Frost Cocktail
This blue frozen cocktail is so unique it somehow embodies a tropical fruit flavor combined with winter. Calling for blue curacao, vodka (or rum, depending what you prefer), and pineapple juice, you’ll blend it all with ice for a super awesome adult slushy.
8. Cranberry Gin Fizz
Gin is an acquired taste alcohol but this fizzy drink can either ease you in or make you love it more. Make sure you use a quality gin and a good ginger ale too in order to make it as good as can be. The carbonated quality in this drink will please those who love some bubbles in their beverages and it’s perfect to sip on during after-work drinks with pals.
7. Hot Buttered Rum
Mmm, hot buttered rum… it’s warm, it’s full of spice, and it’s the best in cold weather. This is made in a way you wouldn’t expect. You make a hot butter mix with butter and spices, then add rum, and then hot water to blend it all together. It’s super simple and seriously delicious! Don’t sleep on this recipe this winter!
6. Spiced Vanilla Cocktail
Vanilla is a warm spice used in almost all baking, so it makes sense to use in a winter drink. This warm cocktail may remind you a bit of a chai latte. The alcohol is Baileys Irish cream and bourbon with the warm spices of vanilla, nutmeg, and cinammon. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This is the best cocktail to curl up with in front of a fire.
5. Slow Cooker Kahlua Hot Cocoa
Hot cocoa alone is a great Christmas drink. Add some Kahlua to that and you have a real winner. Best yet, you can make a huge batch in your crockpot! If you don’t have a slow cooker, get one. Not only for these winter cocktails, but just so you can adult at peak levels. All you need to do is throw in some milk, chocolate, and some cinnamon… wait to add the Kahlua until later so that the alcohol doesn’t cook off because then what’s the point? Here are the simple instructions.
4. The Blizzard
This cocktail is easy to make and you can either do bourbon or whiskey. Again, you need the signature fruit of Christmas: cranberries! Lemon juice brightens up this drink and it isn’t too fruity, sweet, or full of alcohol. Basically, it’s great for sipping on all night long because it won’t get you drunk too quickly. (No one wants to be that person at the holiday party, right?)
3. Santa Claus-Mopolitan
This is a holiday twist on a cosmopolitan. Love the name, BTW. It’s super corny but very clever. Garnish the rim with coconut to look like snow and then mix up vodka, triple sec, white cranberry juice, and red cranberry. Pour into your festive glass and enjoy!
2. Christmas Day Prosecco Punch
We love a good punch! A nice fruity punch is the perfect crowd pleaser for a big party. Plus, who doesn’t love prosecco? With prosecco, vodka, clementine juice, and more holiday ingredients, this punch is surprisingly refreshing and will leave you feeling good when you’re opening your presents and eating some holiday ham.
1. White Chocolate Peppermint Martini
This a sweet martini that is visually appealing and super Christmas-y. Peppermint is the candy of winter so why not drink it up in a perfectly mixed alcoholic beverage? Using white chocolate and rum or vodka (or both), this martini is perfect. When making the drink, use good white chocolate — nothing mediocre. It makes all the difference!