Best Holiday Cocktails
A compilation of the best holiday cocktails with drinks from eggnog to Rum to Bourbon.
I love making cocktails over the holidays; everything about them is festive.
Pretty, red, sparkling and filled with the scents and colors of the season. Cranberry, pomegranate and champagne are balanced with the indulgences we allow ourselves during this season when a warm drink with tequila, hot chocolate or coffee fills the bill perfectly.
I hope you’ll find something in this mix of the Best of Holiday Cocktails to celebrate with…and CHEERS to you and a Very Merry Christmas!
Hot Buttered Rum – The cocktail featured today has been a family favorite for EVER. My family clamors for the cocktail and my friends are never unhappy when a jar of this mix is included in holiday gift baskets.
It’s rich and decadent and absolutely delicious! Not just for Christmas; we usually keep a jar in the freezer all winter long! (Recipe at end of post)
Mandarine Napoléon’s Marengo’s Punch – The perfect party drink with mandarine liqueur, cranberry and citrus juices. Make a whole bowl full!
Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail – The darling of Pinterest is really a wonderful, fresh cocktail filled with the tastes of the season. After all juniper is a major component of gin!
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate with Tequila – What can I say? This is flat out AMAZING!
Kahlua, Eggnog with Jameson Irish Whiskey Cocktail – Need I say more? Definitely pumps up the volume on your eggnog; SO good!
How to Make Cranberry Liqueur and the Perfect Holiday Champagne Cocktail – This is my favorite liqueur. Easy and so gorgeous; perfect for gift giving and YOU!
Mexican Hot Chocolate with Tequila and Cayenne Pepper – Want to warm up a winter drink a bit more? Use tequila!
Lady in Red – Celebrating the Day after Thanksgiving as a time to relax and sip a cocktail; this beauty is a great drink for all season!
Mexican Coffee – I don’t advise this for breakfast (wait…why not?) but this warm and spicy drink would be perfect in front of the fire during the cold of winter.
French 75 Champagne Cocktail – Not just for New Year’s, this elegant champagne cocktail is perfect for a special evening or event.
Plus, look for a new cocktail next week on Friday Cocktails. Made with gin, citrus, cucumber and pomegranate; it is absolutely amazing. And pretty. And AMAZING. 🙂
Have a favorite cocktail you serve during the holidays…link them up below; I’ve shown you mine and would love to see yours!
Now for that Hot Buttered Rum…it’s below ZERO degrees in Denver…BRRRRRRRR!!!
Hot Buttered Rum
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 pound butter
- 1 pound brown sugar
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream softened
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
To Make the Cocktail
- 1 orange; quartered
- Rimming sugar; half granulated and half brown sugar spread on a plate
- 4 oz. boiling water
- 2 oz. rum
- 2-3 Tbsp. hot buttered rum batter
- Whipped cream add a small bit of rum for a rum flavored one
- Nutmeg and/or cinnamon stick for garnish
Instructions
To Make the Batter
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Blend in brown sugar and confectioners’ sugar. Remove from heat, and whisk in the ice cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Pour mixture into container(s), seal, and freeze.
To Serve
- Warm the mugs or glasses to be used by filling with hot water; then empty.
- Rim the edge of the mug or glass with the cut orange and dip the rim in the combination of white and brown sugars.
- Squeeze the juice from a quarter of the orange into the mug.
- Fill the mug with the hot water and then add the rum and the batter.
- Stir, top with a dollop of whipped cream (optional) and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Hi, Karen from the U.K. here, came across this site by accident – anyway here’s a recipe(?) for you that I picked up from a Canadian Officer working in England; it’s called ‘Moose Milk’
1 litre of Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1 litre pack vanilla ice cream
1litre dark rum
Place all ingredients in a large container and mix well until the ice cream has melted. Store, covered, in the fridge, and dig in whenever the mood takes you.
All the best and a happy new year
Karen
They all sound terrific! Wish we lived closer, Barb – you really need a drinking buddy to share all the cocktails you make 😉 Merry Christmas and cheers to the year ahead!
I do Priscilla! The same to you; hope you and yours all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Great collection of drinks! I am pinning this to my “Bar Menu” Pinterest board and following you.
Cheers,
Stephanie
Thanks Stephanie…much appreciated!
Great drink list for the holidays!
Thanks for stopping by Greg; hope you have a chance to try it.
Oh man, all those cocktails are stunning and festive. That hot buttered rum is calling my name! It just sounds smooth and like it would warm me from the inside out.
What a wonderful selection, you really are the cocktail queen! That buttered rum looks so pretty, fabulous photo!
I spent the better part of my life wondering about my existence; to be known as ‘The cocktail Queen’ makes my life’s work all worthwhile. 🙂
I think have literally just drooled on my keyboard! All these recipes are amazing. That Mexican Coffee looks incredible, and that salted caramel hot chocolate OMG! I think I’ve literally just pinned everything on it haha.
Thank you Claire and the two you mention? Lovely surprises for people who only think of tequila with margaritas. The extra heat it brings makes these anything but girly drinks! 🙂
Barbara, another cracker of a beverage and such a delicious round up! Here’s cheers to you and yours… and may your new home come quicker than expected xxo
If I had one of everything I’d be in trouble, right? I think I’d be willing to give it a try. 🙂
I haven’t made Hot Buttered Rum in years! I’ve used several versions in the past, most of them using fewer ingredients than yours. I think yours wins! It looks terrific. As do all the other cocktails. The French 75 is one of my faves – in fact I’ll be doing that next week. 😉
This batter is indeed richer; remove the ice cream and it’s probably closer to a lot of other recipes. But this is good and it’s been a standard in our home over the holidays for, oh, a bazillion years! You’re doing the French 75 too? It’s a lovely drink isn’t it?
A cocktail made with cucumber and pomegranate! Sounds very interesting, looking forward to it. In the meantime, just browsing through all these holiday cocktails is helping to bring on the Christmas spirit (no pun intended). The photo of the Hot Buttered Rum cocktail is really stunning Barb.
P.S. Be sure to take a breather during your hectic weeks ahead to relax and enjoy a drink or two with friends.
I was iffy but boy oh boy did we love it; can’t wait to share. Very pretty and pink and my friends hubs was a bit leary but I believe his words were, ‘Yeah, I think I could down a pitcher of these!’ No breather til it’s over and then I will crash big time. I think I’ll burrow in for a week at least and do nothing but arrange furniture and get the house fixed up. I simply can hardly wait. SO ready. Thanks Paula.
Oh my word, you totally had me at a pound of butter! Love the hot butter rum recipe, and your round up of cocktails is fantastic! It has been awhile since I stopped by and said hello:-) I hope you are doing well! Hugs, Terra
It has been awhile but I’ve not been over to you much either. Dealing with my daughter’s cancer and this whole interim housing crap has been not just time consuming but utterly exhausting. Hoping things will settle a bit after the first of the year; in the meantime have a great holiday Terra.