There is something special about Christmas cocktails. It is all the lovely blends of flavours with extra sparkle, warmth and glam. I have recipes for the best Holiday Cocktails for you.

In addition to the ones below, I have on my Ultimate Cocktail Guide, here are some of my recent Christmas creations to add to the collection. They are simple to make, and you do not need any fancy ingredients.

Candy Cane & Chocolate Martini

It is not Christmas without some candy cane and chocolate, right?

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 Mini Candy Canes
• 100ml Vodka
• 100ml Crème de Cacao
• 50ml Cream

Garnish 

• Melted white chocolate (about 1 tbsp worth)
• Crushed Candy cane for garnish 

Pour your vodka into a jar then add in 3-4 candy canes and let this sit for about an hour. The candy canes will melt and you will have this lovely pink vodka (very tempting to just have a sip).

While this is dissolving, garnish your glass. Dip the rim in some melted chocolate followed by crushed candy cane and let this chill in the fridge. Any white chocolate is fine for this and you don’t need a lot. If you do have some extra left over, add it into your cocktail (see next line).

Into a shaker, add in your vodka, crème de cacao or any chocolate liquor you have *, cream and the left-over melted chocolate. Give it all a shake. Now add in ice and shake again. The ice needs to be added after or else the chocolate will solidify and will not blend in properly.

Strain into your prepared glass and garnish with an extra candy cane. 

*If you only have a creamy chocolate liqueur, that is fine. Just skip the cream and use the liqueur instead. If you use a milk or dark chocolate one, your cocktail won’t have the pink tint to it, but it will still taste delicious.

The Grinch Cocktail

This cocktail stands out and the green and red contrast makes it festive.

Ingredients  

• 30ml Vodka
• 30ml Midori/ melon liquor 
• 25ml Lime juice 
• Ginger ale or beer 

Garnish

• Red sprinkles 
• Lime
• Candy Cane

Before squeezing the juice out of lime, coat the rim of your glass with it. Then dip the rim in some red sprinkles or sugar. To make your sugar red, add in a very tiny bit of food colouring and let it dry. Keep your glass aside

In your shaker add in ice, vodka, melon liquor and lime juice. Give it a good shake before pouring it into your prepared glass.

Top with ginger ale or beer. Add an extra candy cane for decoration. 

Mince Pie Martini

This is Christmas in a glass ( if you like mince pies of course). The mincemeat syrup is great to have during the festive period. You can add it to different drinks including coffee.

Ingredients

• 100ml Gin
• 100ml Red Vermouth
• 1 tbsp strained fruit from the mince pie syrup 
• 80ml Mince pie syrup*
• Juice of a tangerine or 1/2 orange

Mince pie syrup

• 100g light brown sugar
• 100g mincemeat
• 200g water 

Garnish

• Orange or Tangerine
• Sugar & Cinnamon (2:1 ratio)

Start by making your mince pie syrup. Simmer the ingredients for 30 minutes then let it cool. Strain into a jar.  Keep the strained mincemeat for the cocktail.

Wet the rim of the glass with your orange/tangerine. Then dip it in the sugar/cinnamon powder.

Shake the ingredients for the cocktail together with some ice. Strain into your prepared glass.

Deluxe Chocolate Martini

This is no ordinary chocolate martini. The chocolate shavings on the glass gives it that extra luxury taste and its divine.  

Ingredients

• 50ml Gin or Vodka 
• 50ml Milk (any will do)
• 50ml Chocolate Liqueur- I went with Mozart but any will do
• Splash of double cream as it’s Christmas 

Garnish 

• Mixed chocolate shavings
• Melted chocolate or ganache 

Thinly slice your chocolate- almost like chocolate shavings. I used whatever leftover chocolate I had lying around. Cover the rim of your glass with some melted chocolate/Nutella or ganache then dip the rim into the chocolate until it is all covered. Next chill the glass.

In the cocktail shaker, combine the ingredients for the chocolate martini with some ice. Give it a good shake then strain this into your prepared glass.

If you can’t get chocolate liqueur, use baileys or equivalent.

Sugar Cookie MartinI 

You can now make those melt in your mouth cookies with almond and vanilla flavours into a cocktail. It’s easy and so delicious.

Ingredients

• 50ml baileys or equivalent 
• 50ml disaronno or any amaretto liqueur
• 25ml vodka 
• 50ml single cream
• splash of vanilla essence 

Garnish

• Buttercream/ butter frosting
• Festive sprinkles and sparkle

Get your glass ready by spread on a thin layer of butter cream then pressing some festive sprinkles onto it.

Shake all the above ingredients with some ice then strain into your prepared glass.

If you prefer the cocktail even stronger, put in 50ml vodka instead of 25ml.

A perfect creamy cocktail to end an evening. 

Smoky cinnamon & apple mocktail

For those who prefer a non alcoholic drink, I got you covered. Apple juice no longer needs to be a standard juice. This mocktail has a smoky glass and elevates the flavours of apple juice with some pepper and lemon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cloudy apple juice 
• 10 ml lemon juice
• cracked black pepper
• cinnamon powder 
• little squeeze of agave syrup 
• ginger beer 

Garnish

• apple slice 
• rosemary sprig 
• cinnamon stick 

Start by creating a smoky flavour in your glass. Burn a cinnamon stick on a heat and fire proof surface then place your glass over it. Leave it there while you make the cocktail. 

In a jar/glass stir together apple juice, lemon juice, black pepper,  cinnamon powder & agave syrup together with some ice. 

Turn over your glass that has been smoking and sieve the mocktail into it. Now top with  with ginger beer. 

Garnish and enjoy. For the fancy garnish, cut a star in the middle of an apple slice then feed a Rosemary sprig through. If you want you can add your cinnamon stick too. 

Neha