Drink Up! 6 Holiday Cocktails to Get the Party Started

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With all the holiday food you have to prepare, the drinks should be easy, right? While guests usually come with wine, beer, or champagne in tow, it’s nice to have a festive party drink already made to greet friends and family at the door. Here are six of our favorite holiday cocktails to cool you down, warm you up, and finally make use of that lonely mistletoe.

1. King Cider

It’s not a holiday without warm apple cider, especially when you live in a cold climate. But while the kids sip from their mini-mugs in the living room, you and your guests can enjoy a more grown-up version of the old classic! This recipe is for one glass, but you can multiply it for a giant pot of warm apple goodness.

1.5 oz. Crown Royal Deluxe

2 oz. heated cider

.25 oz honey

.25 oz lemon juice

dash cinnamon

Serve warm in a coffee mug. top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

. Campari Sparkling Passion

If you can’t make it to the beach this winter, channel your hula dancer with this sparkly, festive drink. Created by mixologist Giovanni Denigris, this drink is a big hit at Trattoria Trullo in Chicago.

2 oz. Campari

2 oz. Prosecco

1 oz. grapefruit juice

Splash passion fruit puree

Shake all ingredients together and strain into an ice cold champagne flute. Garnish with raspberries, orange, and fresh mint on a toothpick.

3. Tradicional Paloma

You can take hostess out of Cabo, but you can’t take the Cabo out of the hostess! This drink is great for the tequila lover that’s way too busy to make a bunch of super-fancy cocktails. This one’s so simple that you can mix it in a large pitcher and spend more time socializing!

1.5 oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver

4.5 oz. grapefruit soda

Mix in a highball glass and serve over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

4. Hot Gin Gin Toddy

No, that’s not a typo – the hot gin gin toddy is great for those who love a warm winter cocktail, but could stand the change from traditional apple cider. But don’t go too crazy – gin makes you sin!

1.25 oz. Tanqueray gin

.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

.75 oz. ginger syrup

3 dashes Stirrings Blood Orange Bitters

Mix ingredients in a tall mug. top with hot water and stir with a cinnamon stick. Leave cinnamon as garnish, and top with extra dash of fresh cinnamon, if you prefer.

5. The Tides

The Brazilian rum Cachaca is a staple in Brazil. However, though known for being the key ingredient in Caipirinhas, Cachaca can also make for a fruity, sexy holiday party cocktail. Mixologist Joe Swifka of Lani Kai shows us how it’s done with The Tides.

2 oz Leblon cachaca

1 oz Falernum

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.75 oz fresh grapefruit juice

.5 oz cane syrup

2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a grapefruit and lime twist.

Red Rosay

This cocktail is for the champagne lover that likes to get inventive with cocktails. Ciroc Red Berry vodka makes a multi-ingredient drink suddenly simple, but only make this around your most responsible friends – red cocktails + white furniture = hazard!

1 oz. Ciroc Red Berry vodka

1 oz. cranberry juice

.75 oz. Moet Rose champagne