Christmas Cocktails: The Best Festive Drinks and Mixology Trends of 2023

Enjoy the cold season with our top signature serve christmas cocktails with fine aromas and a modern twist

christmas cocktails

One key challenge is christmas time stands for prudence, anticipation, togetherness and enjoyment. adventFine christmas cocktails can bring a private bar feeling or an elegant night-out character to your home. Enjoying the experience, whose seasonal aromas create direct associations with the festive lights, smells and feelings of the Christmas season. Regardless of whether you are at home or away and without or with alcohol - the main thing is that it has a positive effect on a comfortable, happy mood.

From luxurious and bubbly to elegant bitter notes to traditional with a modern twist - discover the tastiest Christmas cocktails here, recipes for a festive atmosphere.

Top 10 Christmas cocktails

  1. The exclusive: Spice 75
  2. The modern: Gin Martini
  3. The classic: mulled wine
  4. The yearning: Hot Aperol
  5. The pick-me-up: Espresso Martini
  6. The innocent: Pony's Neck with Wonderoak
  7. The spicy: Christmas cocktail cinnamon & rum
  8. The bitter sweet: Cranberry Rosemary Bennet
  9. The fig: Fig Thyme Shrub
  10. The strong one: Old Fashioned

1. The exclusive Christmas cocktail: Champagne deux choses

Belongs as a high-end beverage Champagne out of the question is among the most popular ways to celebrate and toast together. The luxury product is synonymous with festivities and therefore deserves a mention on its own. So if you want sparkling elegance this Christmas, you can rely on the classic. And with Krug champagne even with sustainable cultivation.

Champagne pitcher, Grand Cuvée Brut

christmas cocktail champagne

Source & Copyright by Krug Champagne

As a Christmas cocktail, the elegant sparkling wine is given a twist with Christmas aromas and essences. This makes it suitable as a noble welcome drink with a guarantee for a festive atmosphere. Based on its prominent inspiration, the French 75, the Spice 75 consists, of champagne, citrus fruits and a spirit. Refreshing lemon is replaced by orange aromas, gin is replaced by a fruity rum. This is the Christmas version of the classic. A little tip: Alternatively, drinks with champagne can also be prepared as Christmas cocktails with sparkling wine for relaxed evenings.

Spice 75

Ingredients & preparation
  • 60 g icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon allspice
  • 200 ml of rum
  • 90 ml of lime juice
  • 600 ml of champagne
  • Orange zest

Heat the sugar with a little water in a pan and add the allspice (alternative option: ready-made sugar syrup). Simmer the mixture until it becomes liquid. Then let it cool down and pass through a sieve, coffee filter or double-layer kitchen paper. Now the homemade spicy syrup can be mixed in a shaker with rum, lime juice and ice cubes, so that it can be topped up with the champagne of your choice and garnished with an orange zest.

2. The modern: Ginfused Christmas cocktail

The juniper-based spirit has become one of the most popular ingredients for long drinks and cocktails in recent years. No wonder, due to its multifaceted taste, gin can be perfectly combined with a variety of other ingredients. The reason for this is its production - so-called botanicals are added to the gin depending on the preference. Some types of gins taste like juniper, while others have citrus or pepper aromas.

Sustainable and fruity: The Hyke Gin is responsibly produced in England. Fine lemon paired with cocoa notes stimulate the senses and create a cozy atmosphere - as an aperitif for a dinner party or for cozy hours in front of the fireplace.

Hyke Gin Martini

christmas cocktail gin

Source & Copyright by Hyke Gin
Ingredients & preparation
  • 60 ml Hyke Gin
  • 15 ml white cocoa cream
  • 15 ml Amontillado Sherry
  • Lemon zest
  • One green olive

Mix the gin, cocoa cream and sherry with ice cubes and pour into a chilled martini glass. Then squeeze the lemon zest over it and add an olive.

3. The classic: mulled wine

The all time classic and also a favorite among the Christmas cocktails: mulled wine. A hot alcoholic beverage that is conventionally based on red wine. So the key is to find the right wine : best choice is a fruit-intensive and relatively low acid wine. Fresh fruits and spices are being added. There are no limits to creativity - you can even use a white wine. Or a hot and spicy saffron aroma. Why not?

Saffron mulled wine

christmas cocktails mulled wine

Ingredients & preparation
  • 50 g cinnamon powder
  • 15 g of aniseed grains
  • 30 g ginger
  • 15 g galangal
  • 0,5 g Saffron
  • 15 g nutmeg
  • 15 g cardamom
  • 1 liter of red wine

Heat the wine in a saucepan and add the spices. Then add honey and sugar to taste, fill the glasses and decorate with a cinnamon stick.

4. The longing: Christmas cocktail with summer vibes

The number one summer cocktail Aperol Spritz is newly interpreted for the cold season: Hot Aperol. Since the Italian liqueur is a distillate made from rhubarb, cinchona bark, yellow gentian, bitter orange and aromatic herbs, the fruity-bitter note fits in just as well in winter timeHot Aperol is practically a fancy version of mulled wine.

Hot Aperole 

christmas cocktails hot aperol

Ingredients & preparation
  • 1 Orange
  • 1 piece of ginger
  • 4 sprigs of rosemary
  • 500 ml white wine
  • 200 ml orange juice
  • 100 ml pineapple mango juice
  • 150 ml of Aperol
  • ice cubes

First the ornamental and flavor enhancer ingredients can be prepared: cut the oranges and peeled ginger into slices. Then pour white wine, juices and Aperol into a saucepan and heat while stirring. Pour the mixture on top, decorate with oranges, ginger and rosemary - Done.

5. The pick-me-up: coffee Christmas cocktail

Aromatic and stimulating: Christmas cocktails with coffee promise a real sensory explosion. So if you like coffee, you love the espresso martini. It is a very special kind of wake-up call that quickly creates warmth and exuberance on cold winter days. The perfect time for this Christmas cocktail: after the main course or with dessert. It is important, however, to use fair trade coffee .

Classic Espresso Martini

Christmas cocktail

Ingredients & preparation
  • 30 ml of freshly brewed, chilled coffee
  • 45 ml vodka
  • 15 ml coffee liqueur
  • 15 ml sugar syrup
  • ice cubes
  • Coffee beans for garnish

Put all ingredients in a shaker, shake well and pour into a chilled martini glass. Then garnish with coffee beans.

6. The innocent: Christmas cocktail without alcohol

In line with the contemplation of the Christmas season, a new trend is emerging: Mindful Drinking. This aims to ensure that cocktails are not based on the alcohol content. Rather, it is about the multi-layered aromas and aesthetic appearance. This is exactly where a Christmas cocktail without alcohol, a mocktail, can help. And since this is a trend-setting development, more and more brands are offering alcohol-free alternatives.

Siegfried Gin offers sustainable and alcohol-free alternatives to gin and rum: Wonderleaf and Wonderoak. As the first brand worldwide to use this concept, both distillates can replace alcoholic beverages - without having to forego the taste of aromatic long drinks or cocktails. With notes of tonka bean, nutmeg and oak, as well as exotic curacao orange and lime, Wonderoak is perfect for recipes that are usually made with rum. For example for the pony's neck. A warm vanilla Christmas cocktail without alcohol.

Pony's Neck with Wonderoak from Siegfried Gin

christmas-cocktail ponys-neck-2

Source & Copyright by Siegfried Gin; Pony's neck
Ingredients & preparation:
  • 5cl Wondeoak
  • 13 cl ginger ale
  • 2 cl lime juice
  • 2,5 cl vanilla syrup
    • 250 g sugar
    • 250 ml water
    • 2,5 TL vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • ice cubes

Bring the water to a simmer and dissolve the sugar in it - add vanilla extract after 1 minutes. Syrup on top. Done. Then fill a glass with ice cubes, add all the ingredients and garnish with a vanilla pod.

7. The spicy: Christmas cocktail with cinnamon

Cinnamon - one of the most wintry spices. So it's no wonder it's a delicious way to add cinnamon to a Christmas cocktail. Especially with rum, cinnamon becomes a real warmer for body, soul and senses. And that means very clearly: This combination should not be missing from the Christmas cocktail recipes, as it is exactly the right thing for an atmospheric setting in front of the fire or a cozy evening under a comfortably soft blanket made of sustainable textiles .

Christmas cocktail with cinnamon & rum

christmas cocktail cinnamon

Ingredients & preparation:
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of speculoos spice
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 800 ml of milk
  • 100 ml of cream
  • 100 ml of rum
  • 4 EL honey
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • Dried flower mix

First cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and release its pulp. Bring both with cream, milk, rum, honey, a cinnamon stick, sugar and spice biscuits to boil while stirring. Then let the milk cool down and remove the pod and cinnamon stick. Pour the cocktail into a glass and decorate with dried flowers or a cinnamon stick.

8. The bittersweet: Cranberry Rosemary Bennet

Bittersweet - like the year, so is the cocktail at the end of the year. But while the year leaves mixed feelings, the Christmas cocktail will leave an exclusively positive mood. The tangy essence of rosemary brings the aromas of bitter gin and sweet cranberry into harmony. The Cranberry Rosemary Bennet thus offers an extraordinary enjoyment experience for the discerning gourmets.

Cranberry Rosemary Bennet 

christmas cocktails 1

Source & Copyright by Siegfried Gin; Wonderleaf aperitivo
Ingredients & preparation:
  • 4 cl gin
  • 2 cl lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp cranberry rosemary syrup
    • 60 g cane sugar
    • 60 ml water
    • 75 g cranberries
    • 1 branch rosemary
  • 100 ml cranberry juice
  • Soda water to fill up

For the syrup, bring all ingredients to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Then drain through a fine sieve. Now all you have to do is pour gin, lemon juice, syrup and cranberry juice into a chilled long drink glass and top up with soda water if necessary. The main components are suitable as decoration: a sprig of rosemary and cranberries.

9. The fig: Christmas cocktail with a Mediterranean flair

A Harmony with Mediterranean flavors from fig and thyme. With a subtle note of caramel, the fig skilfully plays around the essential spiciness of the medicinal herb, which is why a neutral vodka is the perfect choice to support this interplay. Extra benefit: The antibacterial, antibiotic and expectorant effects of thyme can be particularly effective in the cold season .

Fig Thyme Shrub

winter cocktail fig thyme vodka

Ingredients & preparation:
  • 45 ml vodka
  • 15 ml of lime juice
  • 45 ml fig and thyme syrup
    • 2 cups of diced figs
    • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
    • 10 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 60 ml club soda
  • fresh figs
  • Sprigs of thyme

One day before Cocktail o'Clock, mix the figs, thyme, sugar and apple cider vinegar and let rest overnight. Strain through a fine sieve in the morning and remove pieces. Now the syrup just needs to be mixed with vodka, lime juice and club soda and decorated with figs and twigs.

10. The strong one: Old but gold

Some things just don't go out of style, they always stay in vogue. And in the drinks category, the Old Fashioned definitely belongs to the Hall of Fame of these timeless classics. With its elegant yet strong taste of the finest malts, an old fashioned always tells a long story - tastes of memories and arouses associations of long nights together with friends or family. Suitable for the Christmas season.

Old Fashioned

christmas cocktails old fashioned

Ingredients & preparation:
  • 6 cl whiskey
  • 0,5 cl sugar syrup
  • 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • Zest from the orange
  • ice cubes

For the preparation, ice is poured into a tumbler and topped up with whiskey, syrup and Angostura bitters. The drink is then stirred for a minute and then transferred to a new glass with fresh ice. Spray off with the orange zest and garnish.

Enjoy Advent with Christmas cocktails

This year, the world of Christmas cocktails not only offers delicious flavors, but also a dose of trend and style. From classic favorites to modern creations. Whether served sparkling or surprising with unexpected ingredients, these trendy Christmas cocktails add a special touch to the celebrations and ensure that the festive season is remembered fondly. Cheers and have an enjoyable Christmas time!

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