20 Festive Cocktails to Elevate Christmas

Christmas is not the time for restraint. It is the time when the rules you’ve followed faithfully all year; moderation, hydration, early nights, are quietly placed on a shelf and ignored until January.

Over the years, under the noble pretence of “helping out,” I’ve found myself repeatedly installed as Christmas barman. Sometimes by request, more often by default. The result is a small but well-tested repertoire of drinks that work when the house is full, the fire is on, and everyone is just tipsy enough to be sentimental.

This is not a list of novelty cocktails or Instagram frenzy. There are no flashing lights, no whipped cream beards, no drinks named after elves. These are festive cocktails for grown-ups, rich when they should be rich, sharp when they need to cut through dinner, and always built to be drunk rather than admired.

From properly made fresh Eggnog to Martinis with enough backbone to carry you through Christmas Eve with the in-laws, here are twenty drinks I come back to every December. Some classic, some personal, all tested in the wild (and wildest parties).

Minced Pie Martini

Simple Festive Martini, perfect for after dinner

40ml Red Vermouth
40ml Dry Vermouth
40ml Christmas Pudding Gin
1 full Barspoon of Mincemeat

Mix in a Boston Shaker filled with ice
Double strain into a coupe/martini glass

White Christmas

Decadent, best sipped slowly in front of an open fire, or snow-covered hillside

60ml Vanilla Vodka
15ml Bepe Tosolini Exprè Coffee Liqueur
7.5ml Gingerbread Syrup
30ml pouring cream
1 barspoon of mincemeat

Mix in a Boston Shaker filled with ice
Double strain into a coupe/martini glass

Gingerbread Martini

Christmas in a martini glass

30ml Salted Caramel Vodka
45ml Liqueur de Pain d’Epices
30ml King’s Ginger
30ml Dry Vermouth
7.5ml Amaretto

Mix in a Boston Shaker filled with ice
Double strain into a coupe/martini glass

Natale Italiano

Fresh tasting longer drink

60ml Amaretto
30ml Frangelico
60ml Fresh Cranberry Juice
Splash of Pineapple Juice
Dash of Cranberry Bitters

Shake in a Boston Shaker
Double strain into a Rocks Glass over ice

After Eight Martini

Perfect after dinner

30ml Crème de Menthe
30ml Salted Caramel Vodka
45ml Crème de Cacao
30ml pouring cream
Tiny pinch of salt to balance

Shake in a Boston or Cobbler Shaker
Strain into a Martini Glass

Festive Crème Anglaise

Decadently & festively romantic; dangerously easy to drink

40ml Vanilla Vodka
80ml Advocaat
20ml double cream
20ml Bourbon (optional)
Fresh grated nutmeg

Shake all ingredients, including half the nutmeg (Cobbler or Boston Shaker)
Strain into Coupe or Nick & Nora Glass, grate nutmeg on top

Christmas Apple

Festive mix of sweet & tart

30ml Bourbon
30ml Sour Apple schnapps
30ml Fresh Cranberry Juice
3 cloves

Shake well in a Boston Shaker with plenty of ice
Double strain into a Coupe or small Rocks Glass over ice

Pomander Martini

A festive twist on the classic Vesper martini.

60ml Gin
20ml Absolut Mandarin Vodka
20ml Extra Dry Vermouth
2 strips of orange zest
Whole cloves

Mix the gin, vodka one of the strip of orange zest and half a dozen cloves in the top of a Boston Shaker (or a glass/jug). Leave to infuse for 15-30 minutes.
Strain into the base of the shaker and add the Vermouth and lots of ice.
Shake until very cold, then strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with strips of orange zest studded with a few cloves.

Chocolate Orange Martini

Terry’s favourite Martini

30ml Absolut Mandarin (Orange vodka)
30ml Grand Marnier
30ml Crème de Cacao Blanc
30ml Bepe Tosolini Exprè Coffee Liqueur
Tiny pinch of salt to balance

Shake well in a Boston Shaker with ice
Double strain into a martini glass

Christmopolitan

Festive twist on a Cosmopolitan

60ml Absolut Mandrin
30ml Fresh Cranberry Juice
20ml Amaretto
10ml Fresh Lime Juice
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Dash of Fee Brother’s Cranberry Bitters

Shake well in a Boston Shaker with ice
Double strain into a martini glass

White Christmas Martini

Clear as a Christmas night

60ml Absolut Mandrin
15ml Extra Dry Vermouth
7.5ml Crème de Cacao Blanc
7.5ml Lustau Fino Del Puerto Solera Familiar Sherry
Tiny pinch of salt to balance

Combine in a Shaker (Boston or Cobbler) with plenty of ice.
Shake well to make very cold
Strain into a martini glass

Yuletide Kiss

Citrusy, tart with an underlying heat

30ml Grand Marnier
15ml Kings Ginger
30ml Sweet Vermouth
30ml Fresh Cranberry Juice
15ml Fresh Lime Juice

Shake well in a Boston Shaker with ice
Double strain into a martini glass

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

Indulgent twist on the classic awakener

60ml Salted Caramel Vodka
30ml Bepe Tosolini Exprè Coffee Liqueur
30ml freshly brewed espresso

Fill a Boston Shaker with a lot of ice (so the drink emulsifies well). Allow the shaker to cool down (shake then drain any water)
Add all ingredients & shake very well to emulsify
Double strain into a Martini Glass (double straining will encourage the micro foam)

Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini

British festive twist on an Espresso Martini

60ml Absolut Mandrin Vodka
15ml Bepe Tosolini Exprè Coffee Liqueur
15ml Crème de Cacao dark
30ml freshly brewed espresso

Fill a Boston Shaker with a lot of ice (so the drink emulsifies well). Allow the shaker to cool down (shake, then drain any water)
Add all ingredients & shake very well to emulsify
Double strain into a Martini Glass (double straining will encourage the micro foam)

EggNog

Absolute Christmas staple, make a day in advance

700ml whole milk
240ml double cream
3 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla pod, split in half, seeds removed
Freshly grated nutmeg
5 eggs, separated
130g golden caster sugar
200ml Bourbon

Heat milk, cream, cinnamon, vanilla beans and seeds & nutmeg in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from heat and allow to steep.
Mix egg yolks & sugar, beat until combined into thick ribbons.
Slowly whisk in the warm liquid until combined and smooth
Add the Bourbon & stir. Refrigerate overnight.
Whisk egg whites & fold in before serving to make light & airy. Choose serving glass wisely….(!)

Mulled Wine

The best Mulled Wine you will ever taste!

2 bottles of red wine (I always use Sangiovese)
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Star Anise
120g Caster Sugar
6 Clementines, sliced
150ml Ableforth’s Christmas Mulled Cup

Put 150-200ml of the wine in large pan with Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, Sliced Clementines and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5/10mins to create a syrup.
Add the rest of the wine and the Christmas Mulled Cup. Do not boil this time!
Bring to around 70°C and serve immediately

Christmas Custard Martini

Festive dessert in liquid form

45ml Advocat
30ml Cognac
15ml Lustau Fino Del Puerto Solera Familiar Sherry

Shake well in a Boston Shaker with ice
Strain into a martini or Nick & Nora glass

Breakfast Martini

Not technically festive, but perfect for Christmas morning instead of a ‘Bucks Fizz’

45ml Gin
15ml Cointreau
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice
1 full bar spoon of Fine Cut Orange Marmalade

Pour all the ingredients into the shaker and stir to dissolve the marmalade.
Add ice, shake very well to make very cold and strain into a martini glass.
Shred some orange peel over the top of the drink as a garnish and added aroma

The Velvet Yule

Richly festive, quietly polished.

30ml VSOP Cognac
15ml Aged Tawny Port
15ml Martini Rubino Vermouth
15ml Amaretto
1–2 dashes orange bitters

Stir in a mixing glass to chill.
Serve over a large cube in a rocks glass.
Express orange peel, clove-studded if you’re feeling seasonal.

Amaretto Sour

Again not really overtly festive, but the perfect Christmas dinner digestive to prolong the conversation

60 ml amaretto
20 ml cask-proof bourbon
30 ml lemon juice
5 ml simple syrup (optional – I prefer without)
Dash of Angostura Bitters
1 egg white (to create the foam)
Luxardo Cherries

Combine the liquid in a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice) for 15 seconds – be aware when opening, it will have built pressure.
Add ice and shake again for 15-30 seconds
Double strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass
Add a couple of Luxardo Cherries into the finished glass.

Christmas has a way of encouraging bad decisions. The good news is that most of them are liquid. The trick, as ever, is choosing the right ones.

These drinks aren’t here to perform or taste like melted confectionery. They exist to do a job: wake you up, slow you down, carry a conversation, or get you safely through another hour with people you love — or tolerate.

When the decorations come down and the cupboards feel suddenly bare, the perennial Negroni will still be waiting, stoic and less seasonal. Until then, consider this a permission slip.

Drink well, drink deliberately, and if you find yourself reaching for a festive Negroni appendix late one evening, you’re doing Christmas exactly right.

Merry Christmas!

Of course….if you’d rather your festive cocktails were Negroni flavoured, I can obviously accommodate.

8 Festive Negroni Recipes to Try This Christmas