Holiday Cocktails

Courtesy of Lauren Oster
Photography by INSERTNAME

Season's Greetings Friends,

From classic Christmas quaffs and winter warmers to perfect party punches and mocktails, we’ve got recipes and pro tips for every toast you’ll make this season. Relax by the fire and let us handle the drinks.

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Spiced Pear Sangria With Champagne

This elegant infusion is all about clever (and easy) prep: Throw its spiced-pear mixture together the night before you’re expecting guests to give the fruit time to soak up flavor. Just before party time, top off each serving with a bit of bubbly. Dispense modest “oh, it’s just a little something I had in the fridge!” responses as needed.

GET THE RECIPE: Sangria

Spiked Apple Cider

A dash of maple syrup balances bright apple brandy and lemon juice just beautifully in this celebration of fresh-pressed cider. Garnished with sliver-thin fruit slices and served in coupes you’ve chilled in the freezer (you’re chilling your coupes in the freezer before cocktail hour, right?), this evocative seasonal treat is the perfect welcome drink.

GET THE RECIPE: Spiked Apple Cider Cocktail

Arturo's Positano Winter Sunset

For hot seasonal recipes, there’s a counterpart to that chilling-coupes-in-the-freezer move at the other end of the thermometer. This sunny Italian drink combines coconut rum, crème de cacao and Tia Maria to cultivate a snowbird’s-dessert vibe, but we’d argue that its real genius is in its topping: to garnish a sip like this one without cooling it down, bathe your can of whipped cream in a pan of medium-hot water for three to five minutes.

GET THE RECIPE: Arturo's Positano Winter Sunset Recipe

Peachy Ecuadorian Eggnog

Real talk: Eggnog is a divisive drink, and its supporters and detractors are entrenched. Skip the debate this year and shake up your menu (no pun intended) by deploying this traditional Ecuadorian family recipe that’s also known as Rumpope (pronounced “rom-poe-pay”). It’s a new-to-many-Americans combination of eggs, condensed milk, peaches, vanilla extract and cinnamon — and it might just be the sweet, silky compromise your party needs.

GET THE RECIPE: Rosario's Rumpope (Ecuadorian Holiday Eggnog)

Rosé Lemon Champagne Punch

With delicate citrus notes, rosé champagne and sparkling white wine, this effervescent crowd pleaser is ideal for a Jazz Age-themed holiday cocktail gathering. It’s also a more-than-welcome alternative to a steaming mug of cocoa when the radiator kicks into high gear at an ugly sweater party, and a single batch serves 25(!).

GET THE RECIPE: Rose Lemon Champagne Punch Recipe

Warm Apple Pie

The magic of mixology transforms humble apple cider into an epic dessert in a mug thanks to a splash of Tuaca, an Italian brandy, Mediterranean citrus and vanilla spice liqueur first created in the Renaissance in honor of Lorenzo de Medici. It made its way to America after servicemen stationed in Livorno, Italy fell in love with it during World War II. How’s that for cocktail trivia? Psst: If you want to make this or any hot-cider-based cocktail just a bit zingier, add a bit of tangerine juice before heating.

GET THE RECIPE: Warm Apple Pie Cocktail

Holiday Gin Fizz

From: Kristin Guy

Thanks to rosemary simple syrup and sprigs of the fresh stuff, this vivid cocktail smells fantastic (and by using gin with botanical notes, you can turn that seasonal scent up even higher). The base here is Lambrusco, a sparkling Italian red that just so happens to be the very best wine to drink with pizza — so we’ve taken care of your whole menu, basically.

GET THE RECIPE: Holiday Gin Fizz Cocktail

Caramel Apple Pie

Speaking of pie-adjacent cocktails, can we speak about rimming glasses with crushed graham crackers (as with this deliciously clever, dessert-inspired drink)? In this case, that thoughtful detail will bring out the flavor of the butterscotch schnapps in the recipe. In all cases, it’s a pro-level, fireplace-season nod to summertime classics like margaritas with salted rims.

GET THE RECIPE: Caramel Apple Pie Cocktail

Spiced Cappucini

From: Sam Henderson

Torn between serving a digestif or a hot drink after a holiday meal? Split the difference with this hybrid, a sophisticated concoction created by topping fresh-brewed coffee with Kahlua, slightly-sweet Old Tom gin and Licor 43, an aromatic elixir that’s the most popular liqueur in Spain. (Don’t be shy about contributing a dash of Licor 43 to other hot coffee- and espresso-based drinks; it plays very well with others.)

GET THE RECIPE: Spiced Cappucini Cocktail

Classic Mulled Wine

Take two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from “delightful dinner accompaniment” to “this is the best-smelling house I’ve ever entered and I might sit by the fire with my mug for the rest of my life” with just 10 minutes of simmering with sugar, cloves and cinnamon, then fortification with port and brandy. Want an extra garnish? Float a wee kumquat studded with whole cloves in each glass.

GET THE RECIPE: Mulled Wine

Uncle Billy's Holiday Treat

Essentially dessert in a glass, serve up this after-dinner drink instead of pie, cookies or cheesecake. The pudding-like texture will satisfy their sweet tooth while the combo of Kahlua and Frangelico delivers a coffee + chocolate one-two punch.

GET THE RECIPE: Uncle Billy's Holiday Treat

"Hot Butt" Rum

This mischievous holiday mainstay from San Francisco’s Elixir is popular all year long, and we’re confident it’ll be an MVP at your place as well. Create its batter — which can be stored in your freezer indefinitely — by whisking or blending together 2 pounds of dark brown sugar; 1 pound of softened, unsalted butter; 4 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg; 1 teaspoon each of allspice, cardamom and vanilla extract; and 1 quart of vanilla ice cream. When cocktail hour is nigh, pre-heat a mug with hot water, then combine 2 heaping tablespoons of batter with 2 teaspoons of aged rum, then top with 4 to 6 ounces of hot water and stir.

READ MORE: Hot Buttered Rum

Butterscotch Bedtime Warmer

The most comforting things are often the simplest: warm milk in a stovetop pan or the microwave, stir in butterscotch schnapps (or butterscotch syrup) and honey, then settle your brain for a long winter’s nap. Let’s make this the year holiday pajama parties become a thing, yes?

GET THE RECIPE: Butterscotch Bedtime Warmer

Cheers...

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Live well,
Yvonne