Spirits of the Season | Cocktail Recipes for the Holidays
The time has come once again to gather safely and celebrate the good feelings of the season. Whether you are hosting an elevated holiday get-together or are planning on a small and intimate celebration this year, every holiday party with guests who imbibe needs a few cocktails. We've asked our agents and staff to share some of their favorite seasonal recipes for crowd-pleasing punches, warm winter concoctions, and toast-worthy tipples to fit every kind of holiday event. Check out their festive recipes below!
Crowd Pleasers | Batch + Serve
Apple Pie A La Mode
Submitted by Bryan Johnson - Photography by XOXOBella
Ingredients
1.25 oz Captain Morgan Rum
0.5 oz Cinnamon Schnapps
3oz Apple Cider
1.5 oz Honey Simple Syrup
2 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
Crushed ice
Garnish: Cinnamon Sprinkle
Instructions
Combine rum, Schnapps, apple cider, and honey simple syrup into glass and stir to combine. Fill glass with crushed iced and top off with ice cream, garnishing with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Holiday G+T
Submitted by Alyssa Lindbloom / @alyssakayl
Photography by SuperCall
Ingredients
1.2 oz Gin
2 oz Apple Cider
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
Simple Syrup (to taste)
1 oz. (+/-) Tonic
Garnish: Lemon Wheel + Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
Add gin, apple cider, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker with ice and shake well. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass or mason jar and top with tonic. Garnish accordingly.
White Christmas
Recipe + Photography by How Sweet Eats
Ingredients
10 oz Silver Tequila
8 oz Grand Marnier
8 oz Lime Juice
8 oz Coconut Water
8 oz Canned Coconut Milk
6 oz Coconut Cream
6 oz Coconut Rum
6 oz Simple Syrup
1 tsp Coconut Extract, if desired
Garnish: Rosemary Sprigs, Fresh Cranberries
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except garnish) into large bowl with ice and whisk to combine. To serve, dispense into fresh ice-filled glasses and garnish accordingly.
Winter Warmers | Cozy Up With A Hot Cocktail
Cranberry Spiced Hot Toddy
Recipe and Photography by A Beautiful Mess
Ingredients
1.5 oz Bourbon
.75 oz Cranberry Spiced Honey Syrup
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
Top off with Hot Water
Garnish: Orange Wedge, Cloves, and Cranberries
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except garnish) into a heat-proof mug and stir to combine. Top off with hot water and garish accordingly.
Hot Buttered Rum
Recipe and Photography by The Modern Proper
Ingredients
2 cups Butter (4 sticks)
2 cups Dark brown sugar
2 cups Powdered sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon, ground
1 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Coconut flavoring, optional
1 (1/2 gallon) Vanilla ice cream, softened
Dark rum for serving (1 oz per drink)
Instructions
Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the dark brown sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and coconut flavor, if using. Stir until just combined.
Remove the pot from heat, and whisk in the vanilla ice cream. If the Ice cream is not soft enough, place it back over the heat and heat just until every thing is melted together and smooth. Remove from heat.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then pour the hot buttered rum batter into a freezer-safe container, seal, and freeze.
To make 1 serving of Hot Buttered Rum cocktail: Scoop 1/4 cup of frozen hot buttered rum batter into a mug. Add one ounce of rum, and top it all off with ½ cup of boiling water. Stir until well mixed, and finish with a dusting of nutmeg if desired.
Mulled Wine
Recipe and Photography by Brit + Co
Ingredients
1.5 Liter (Magnum) bottle of Red Wine
1 bottle Apple Cider
4 Whole cloves
3 Cinnamon sticks
4 Star anise
Instructions
Add ingredients to saucepan and bring to a boil, thensimmer for an hour. Strain wine into heat-proof mug and garnish with citrus if desired.
Toast-Worthy Tipples | Say “Cheers!”
Jingle Juice
Recipe by Jill Hare / @jillhare_chicago
Ingredients
1.5 cups Strawberry vodka
0.75 cups Grand Marnier
6 pints Berries (Frozen strawberries and raspberries recommended)
1 cup Lemon Juice
1.5 cups Simple Syrup
1 bottle Sparkling wine (extra dry)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except sparkling wine) into large mixing bowl filled with ice and whisk to combine. Dispense into fresh ice-filled punch cups and top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with cranberries or orange wheels if desired.
Pomegranate French 75
Recipe and Photography by A Cultivated Home
Ingredients
1.5 oz Gin
1 oz Simple Syrup
Top off with Champagne
Garnish: Rosemary Sprig, Pomegranate Seeds
Instructions
In an ice-filled mixing beaker, stir gin and simple syrup for 30 seconds. Strain into coupe glass and top off with Champagne. Garnish accordingly.
Kir Royale
Recipe and Photography by The Kitchn
Ingredients
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis
3 oz French Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Garnish: Blackberries
Instructions
Add Crème de Cassis to flute glass and top off with chilled Champagne. Garnish accordingly.