Holiday Cocktail's for the Naughty and the Nice List
The holidays are upon us! Can you believe it?! You know what that means. Party season is here! As 2023 comes to an end, everyone from Tampa to Miami to Los Angeles to New York to Austin to Atlanta will be throwing parties celebrating the joyful time of year that December brings. Whether it’s a Christmas party, an Ugly Sweater bash, a Hanukkah rendezvous, or a New Year’s celebration, the party people will be ready to celebrate with dancing, gifts, food, and you guessed it- themed holiday cocktails. Everyone’s favorite time of year for delicious drinks! While Starbucks may have started it all with the famed peppermint mocha, they only go as far as coffee drinks, so move over Starbucks! We’ve come up with the tastiest holiday cocktail recipes for those of you on both the naughty and the nice list.
Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini
Buddy’s Jolly Juice
4 oz prosecco
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1 oz San Pellegrino or your favorite sparkling water
1/2 oz simple syrup
Garnish with rosemary sprig (light rosemary for an extra dose of fancy/ yummy smell)
Did you ever wonder how Buddy the Elf was so jolly? Well, we may have an idea! Grab your favorite red wine glass and fill with ice. Add the prosecco (slowly so it doesn’t overflow!), Campari, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. Give it a quick stir, and garnish with rosemary sprig. Light the rosemary for an amazing smell to add to the fancy. Okay, okay, maybe it’s the candy, canes, candy corns, and maple syrup that made Elf jolly. But, we believe this could add to his jolly, or at the very least- your jolly!
Santa’s Smore’s Cocoa
1 hot cocoa packet
1.5 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz crème de cocoa
Hot water/milk
Graham cracker crumble & chocolate rim
Torched mini marshmallows
Whipped cream (optional)
Grab your favorite Christmas mug and rim with chocolate syrup then use syrup to stick graham cracker crumbs around rim. Add hot cocoa packet to your mug with vodka, crème de cocoa, and your hot milk or water. Stir vigorously or until chocolate melts into drink. Add as many mini marshmallows as you wants, and torch them for quick toasted mallows, and top with some whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate for the perfect boozy smores hot cocoa that even Scrooge couldn’t deny. Pro tip: it’s the perfect cozy holiday drink by the fire!
Mrs. Claus’ Gin ‘n Ginger Snow Globe
splash of blue curacao
2 oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
2 oz soda water
Top with ginger beer
Sprinkle of edible glitter
Rosemary sprig garnish
Add lemon juice, gin, and blue curacao into a shaker and shake. Strain into your glass that looks most like a snow globe over ice. Add soda water until almost full before topping with ginger beer. Add a rosemary sprig and edible glitter if you have it for the ultimate snow globe effect! If you’re a snowbird in Florida, it’s the perfect drink to bring you back to that snowy Northern Christmas you once knew, with the benefit of not having to shovel any snow! Win, win!
Christmas Cookies and Milk
1.5 oz vanilla vodka
1.5 oz amaretto
1 oz Irish cream liquor (like Bailey’s)
Sugar rim
nutmeg dash for garnish
fresh baked cookies (Optional)
This one’s for all you Santa impersonators (yes, Dad’s we’re talking to you). Once the little ones go to sleep, replace your ( I mean Santa’s) milk with this creamy adult beverage. Add the ingredients to a shaker and shake shake shake like you’re shaking the snow off your boots! Strain into a martini glass rimmed with sugar and use a dash of nutmeg for garnish. Sip to see what Santa’s drinking after he makes his trip around the globe. Drink with those cookies your kids left for Santa so they know he’s real!!! Someone’s gotta do it, right?
Naughty List Cocktails
The Sour Grinch (Apple Whiskey Sour)
1 oz sour apple pucker
2 oz Jameson
1/2 oz apple juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
top with ginger beer
cherry for garnish
Feeling a little sour this holiday season? Not all of us are cut out to be a jolly little elf, so this one’s for the grinches of the season. Shake all ingredients together besides the ginger beer and pour over ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a cherry or two! Promise you’ll start to feel less grinchy after one of these.
Chocolate Peppermint Espresso Martini
Naughty Peppermint Mocha (Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini)
1 oz espresso
1 oz vodka (vanilla vodka optional for added flavor)
1 oz espresso liquor
½ oz chocolate liquor
½ oz peppermint schnapps or crème de menthe (use green creme de menthe for a festive green cocktail & call it “The Grinch”
Candy cane crumble & chocolate syrup rim
Espresso beans x3 garnish
Not sure about you, but a peppermint mocha is a must for me as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Whether you’re in NYC, Austin, or Tampa, there’s just something about peppermint that makes it feel like the Christmas is here. So, if you’re feeling a bit naughty this year and want to experience that same great taste in adult cocktail form, add these ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake it up! Chill a martini glass, then rim the glass with chocolate syrup, dip the rim into crumbled candy canes, and strain your peppermint mocha espresso martini into the glass. Garnish with 3 espresso beans (for good luck so you’re on the nice list next year) and get ready to take a sip of Christmas morning!
Coal for Christmas (Charcoal Margarita)
2 oz tequila
1/2 oz triple sec
1 activated charcoal capsule (poured out)
garnish with black sea salt
This is for the very bad boys and girls this year. Even though Santa didn’t come through for you, it’s nothing a little tequila can’t fix, am I right? Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice, and strain over ice into your favorite glass rimmed with black sea salt. Drink a few of these, and you’ll want coal next year too!
We know this is a busy time of year for everyone, and we hope these recipes can help take some weight off your shoulders when planning the best holiday party ever this December. Plus, we still have availability if you need to hire a bartender for your holiday party in Tampa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, and New York. We can even add a couple of these Christmas drink recipes to the list if you’d like!
