Holiday & Seasonal · Christmas & Winter
Seven easy Christmas cocktails, from a cranberry rosemary mule and poinsettias to a white Christmas margarita and hot buttered rum, each with a festive zero-proof twin.
The best Christmas cocktails are festive enough to feel like an occasion and easy enough that the host still gets to open presents. These seven cover the whole season: a cranberry rosemary mule for the tree-trimming party, Poinsettias for Christmas morning, a frothy Grinch Punch for the family crowd, and a hot buttered rum for the last cold night by the fire. Every card has a zero-proof twin, so everyone gets something special. Tap 🌿 Mocktails at the top to switch all seven.
This is the one to make first. Cranberry and lime, a touch of rosemary syrup, and spicy ginger beer, built right in a copper mug. It looks like Christmas and takes two minutes.
The sugared cranberries and rosemary take ten minutes and turn a good drink into a centerpiece. Roll them in simple syrup, then in sugar, and let them dry for an hour.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Cranberry, lime, rosemary syrup, and spicy ginger beer.
Garnish: Sugared rosemary sprig and cranberries, lime wheel
Garnish: Sugared rosemary sprig and cranberries, lime wheel
How the swap works: Black tea takes the vodka's place, adding body and a dry finish so the drink isn't just sweet juice and soda.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Your family’s favorite green drink. Pineapple juice and lemon-lime soda get their color and froth from scoops of lime sherbet floated on top. It started life as a kids’ party punch, so here the rum is the optional extra.
Add the sherbet at the very last minute; it foams up dramatically when it hits the soda.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Lime sherbet, pineapple, and fizz, frothy and green.
Garnish: Red sugar rim, one red heart sprinkle
Garnish: Red sugar rim, one red heart sprinkle
How the swap works: This one was born a party punch. The rum is the add-on, so the zero-proof version just adds a little more pineapple.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Christmas morning’s answer to the mimosa: cranberry juice, a splash of orange liqueur, and sparkling wine. It’s pink, it’s bubbly, and it pairs with everything from cinnamon rolls to smoked salmon.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Cranberry, orange liqueur, and sparkling wine.
Garnish: A few cranberries, orange twist
Garnish: A few cranberries, orange twist
How the swap works: Orange juice replaces the orange liqueur; lemon trims the sweetness of sparkling grape juice so it tastes closer to dry bubbles.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Cream of coconut, tequila, and lime shaken until frosty and served in a coupe with a snowy coconut rim. It’s somewhere between a margarita and a piña colada, and it looks like a snow globe.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Tequila, cream of coconut, and lime, with a snowy coconut rim.
Garnish: Shredded coconut rim, rosemary sprig, pomegranate seeds
Garnish: Shredded coconut rim, rosemary sprig, pomegranate seeds
How the swap works: Coconut water lengthens the drink the way tequila does without adding sugar, and salt makes the lime and coconut pop.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Coffee liqueur and vodka under a float of cream whisked with ginger syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It tastes like a gingerbread latte, and a mini cookie on the rim is mandatory.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Vodka, coffee liqueur, and gingerbread-spiced cream.
Garnish: Mini gingerbread cookie on the rim
Garnish: Mini gingerbread cookie on the rim
How the swap works: Cold brew covers both the vodka's length and the coffee liqueur's flavor; extra ginger syrup replaces the liqueur's sugar.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Homemade eggnog is a project. This is the shortcut: good store-bought eggnog shaken hard with bourbon and a splash of dark rum. Shaking makes it lighter and frothier than you’d expect.
Grate the nutmeg fresh over the top. Pre-ground nutmeg tastes like dust by comparison.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Store-bought eggnog shaken with bourbon and a splash of rum.
Garnish: Freshly grated nutmeg
Garnish: Freshly grated nutmeg
How the swap works: Chai's black tea and spice give eggnog the depth and warmth bourbon adds, so it doesn't taste flat.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
The coziest drink there is. A spoonful of butter beaten with brown sugar and spices melts into hot water and dark rum. The zero-proof version melts the same butter into hot apple cider, and it might be even better.
Make a jar of the batter at the start of December; it keeps for two weeks in the fridge.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Dark rum and hot water melted over spiced butter batter.
Garnish: Cinnamon stick
Garnish: Cinnamon stick
How the swap works: Hot cider replaces both the rum's sweetness and the water; a teaspoon of lemon cuts through the butter.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Set cocktails and their twins side by side so nobody has to ask. Batch the mules and poinsettias, keep the eggnog and sparkling wine cold, and put a slow cooker of hot cider out for late evening. Our Christmas batch cocktails show how to scale drinks for a crowd, and New Year’s Eve cocktails are ready for the next party.
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Drinks you can build or batch: the Cranberry Rosemary Mule, the Grinch Punch, and Poinsettias. They're fast, festive, and easy to scale. Save shaken drinks for small groups.
Christmas batch cocktails →The Poinsettia (three ingredients), the Bourbon & Rum Eggnog (three), and the Cranberry Rosemary Mule (five, all build-in-the-glass) are the easiest. None needs a shaker except the eggnog.
Every drink here has a zero-proof twin. Tap Mocktails at the top of the page. The Cranberry Ginger Fizz and Grinch Punch are crowd favorites, and our festive mocktails article has more built alcohol-free from the start.
Festive Christmas mocktails →Yes. Store-bought eggnog is pasteurized and alcohol-free, and shaking it with ice makes it light and frothy. Look for one with real cream and eggs high on the ingredient list.
About 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Scoop it into tablespoon portions before freezing for instant hot buttered drinks.
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