- Whether you’re raising a glass at an intimate Christmas Eve dinner party or your annual holiday soirée, these craft cocktails from high-end restaurant and bar menus are sure to be a hit.
- You can easily replicate the recipes – including a classic hot toddy, eggnog cocktail, and a spicy, smoky margarita – at home with just a few steps.
- Here are 15 festive cocktails perfect for holiday entertaining.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The cold winter months are finally here, making us want to curl up with a hot toddy or a mug of mulled wine by the fireplace.
While cocktails can make for a cozy night in, it’s also never too early to start planning the drinks menu for your holiday soirée or to make reservations at a restaurant with its own delicious drinks.
From chile-infused concoctions to beverages mixed with dashes of cinnamon and wasabi, these cold-weather cocktails certainly bring the heat. Plus, since many of these recipes come straight from top restaurants and bars across America and Mexico, they’re sure to impress even the pickiest of dinner or holiday party guests.
Here are 15 spicy cocktails perfect for holiday entertaining.
Chocolate lovers, listen up. The After All cocktail is a chocolatey treat with just a hint of spice, featuring Mezcal, Bouvery CV chocolate vodka, Grand Brulot, tangy orange marmalade, and bitters.
The classic combination of chocolate, orange, and a subtle touch of heat makes this cocktail from Bagatelle NYC the perfect holiday drink.
After All Recipe:
1 ounce Mezcal
1 ounce Bouvery CV chocolate vodka
1 ounce Grand Brulot
1 ounce orange marmalade
2 drops Scrappy's firewater
Shake and serve in a martini glass
The Cozy Sweater from 1833 Kitchen & Bar in Aurora, New York, provides a twist on a hot toddy.
This cold-weather drink certainly lives up to its name and pairs perfectly with 1833 Kitchen & Bar's eclectic menu of regional, sustainably sourced cuisine.
Cozy Sweater Recipe:
8 ounces cup of Earl Grey tea
1 shot of Amaretto
Pour the tea into a teacup or a clear, handled glass and mix in Amaretto shot
The Hiroki Sky, from Queensyard in Hudson Yards, New York City, is a spicy cocktail inspired by a book written by Japanese Chef Hiroki Yoshitake.
This cocktail brings the heat with Toki whiskey, sweet wine, white peach soda, lemon extract, and foam. It is served with white chocolate and wasabi ice cream.
Hiroki Sky Recipe:
2 ounces Toki whiskey
1 ounce sweet wine
½ ounce white peach soda
½ ounce lemon juice
An eggnog martini is a more upscale spin on the classic holiday drink.
Making a creamy cocktail with eggnog takes the festive drink to a whole other level. A crowd-pleaser at bars and parties across the country, it's no wonder that eggnog is such a holiday staple.
Eggnog Martini Recipe:
3 ounces eggnog
1 ounce vanilla vodka
1 ounce amaretto liqueur
Sprinkle nutmeg over the finished drink
Inspired by brothel owner Belle Brezing, the Diabla Burdel from Belle’s Cocktail House in Lexington, Kentucky, is a new take on the classic Sazerac cocktail with just the right amount of heat.
The drink infuses Arbol chilis, cinnamon sticks, and orange and chocolate bitters with Herbsaint - a substitute for absinthe - and Corazon Anejo Tequila re-aged in mini barrels, which provides a cooling effect.
Diabla Burdel Recipe:
Corazon Anejo Tequila, re-aged in 5-liter mini-barrels
Arbol chiles and cinnamon sticks
Herbsaint, a substitute for absinthe created in New Orleans in '34
Regan's orange bitters and Aztec chocolate bitters
Shake and stir over ice, serve with an orange peel and chile garnish
Made with tequila, this red and green punch is perfect for lovers of spicy drinks.
This festive tequila punch is perfect for serving to a larger group - and the colors couldn't be more festive.
Tanteo Tequila Cranberry Punch Recipe:
20 ounces Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
20 ounces 100% Cranberry Juice (No sugar added)
10 ounces Fresh Lime Juice
7.5 ounces Agave Nectar
Top with lime slices, fresh cranberries, and jalapeños.
The Burning History can be found at Zuma, an upscale Japanese restaurant in New York and Boston, but cocktail connoisseurs may be able to replicate this smoky drink at home.
This smokey cocktail is a twist on the Penicillin cocktail. Honey, yuzu, and egg whites lend sweet and frothy notes to the drink, while smoke from a wood fire seasons the glass.
Burning History Recipe:
1/2 ounce Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey
1/2 ounce Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce honey water (¼ oz honey + ¼ oz water)
1/2 ounce yuzu juice
1/2 ounce egg white
Plum bitters
Orange peel
Mix equal parts honey and water and heat in a saucepan until honey melts into water. Then combine all ingredients in a tumbler and shake well. Burn a small fire in a wooden plank. Invert snifter and trap smoke inside. Cover snifter with a napkin. Pour cocktail into the snifter. Garnish with orange and enjoy!
Enjoyed best by a roaring fire, hot toddies have just a touch of bitterness, balanced out by a tangy hint of lemon and cinnamon.
This cold-weather favorite pairs well with savory pastries like sausage rolls, pigs in a blanket, and beef wellingtons.
Hot Toddy Recipe:
1 ounce bourbon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup hot water
Cinnamon sticks
Garnish with a lemon slice
The Fire Pit Margarita from West Main Crafting Co. in Lexington, Kentucky, is crafted with Blanco tequila, mezcal, chipotle-pineapple syrup, lime, curaçao, orange bitters, and a smoking thyme sprig.
This smoke-infused margarita has the perfect amount of kick from the chipotle-pineapple syrup, making this flavorful and spicy drink an ideal addition to any holiday party.
Fire Pit Margarita Recipe:
2 dashes orange bitters
1/4 ounce dry curaçao
3/4 ounce chipotle-pineapple syrup (fresh pineapple, 2:1 simple syrup, chipotle peppers, a dash of adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers)
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Fidencio mezcal
1 1/4 ounce Silver tequila
Rim glass with sugar and cracked black pepper and garnish with an orange slice (fresh or dehydrated) and burned thyme.
Guests will love this warm pumpkin pie cocktail inspired by the holiday dessert.
Though pumpkin pie is most often associated with Thanksgiving, people also serve it at their end-of-year holiday parties. So, why not serve it in a cocktail form, like this beverage by the Cookie Rookie?
Pumpkin Pie Cocktail Recipe:
4 cups milk (can substitute with nondairy)
2 cups Cinnamon Vanilla Baileys Irish Cream
1/2 cup pumpkin pie vodka
1 can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Whipped cream
Bring the almond milk, Irish cream, and vodka to a boil in a pot, then stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Garnish with whipped cream.
The Spicy Devil's Margarita, from Panama Jack Resorts Cancun in Mexico, would certainly impress at any festive party.
Don't let the exquisite chile garnish throw you off - this spicy margarita is relatively easy to make at home.
Spicy Devil's Margarita Recipe:
1/2 ounce of tequila
1/2 ounce of triple sec
1/2 ounce of lime juice
1/2 ounce cranberry juice
1/3 ounce jalapeño syrup
Tajin (chili powder)
Ice
Lime wedges
Garnish with chili "horns"
This New Year's Eve, make a toast with a festive sparkling berry champagne cocktail.
Guests are sure to love this festive drink from recipe expert Plated Cravings. You can add whichever fruit you prefer, but raspberries and blackberries work well with dry champagne.
Sparkling Berry Champagne Recipe:
1 1/2 cups vodka
1 1/2 cups raspberry simple syrup
1 750 ml bottle champagne
Garnish with fresh berries, e.g., raspberries, blackberries, and mint leaves
The Wasabi Mule is Zuma Miami's take on a classic Moscow mule with just the right amount of heat and garnished with a lime slice.
This spicy Moscow mule is a new twist on a classic favorite. Although this cocktail is relatively easy to make, the classic copper cups Moscow mules are commonly served in are sure to impress any party guest.
Wasabi Mule Recipe:
1 1/2 ounces Ketel One vodka
4 ounces ginger soda
Lime
Dash of wasabi
Ku Chai Ku Chai Ku from Merriman’s Honolulu, created by master mixologist Jim Lunchick, is a dangerously delicious winter cocktail featuring creamy iced coffee, chai-spiced honey syrup, Licor Cuarenta y Tres, and locally produced Rhum Agricole.
This coffee-infused cocktail makes the perfect nightcap for any holiday party and pairs excellently with desserts.
Ku Chai Ku Chai Ku Recipe:
Chai spices (grind 2 ounces cinnamon sticks, 1 ounce whole star anise pods, 1 ounce whole cardamom pods, 1 ounce ground ginger, 1 ounce ground nutmeg, 1 ounce whole cloves)
1 ounce Kuleana Rum Agricole
1/2 ounce Licor Cuarenta y Tres
1 ounce rounded scoop freshly whipped cream
1 ounce honey-chai syrup (2 tablespoons chai spice in cheesecloth placed in a cooking pot with 12 ounces honey, 12 ounces water, boiled and steeped for 15 minutes, cooled and strained)
5 ounces chilled Kona coffee
Garnish with cinnamon stick and star anise pod
If you can't get enough coffee cocktails, consider serving an espresso martini at your holiday shindig.
When it comes to holiday parties, keeping guests' energy up is important. What better way to keep the party going than with an espresso martini? For an added sweet touch, you can also add chocolate to the rim of every glass, or even a toasted marshmallow for a s'mores flavor.
Espresso Martini Recipe:
1 part Kahlúa
1 part Absolut
1 part espresso
Pour Kahlua, Absolut, and espresso into a shaker. Shake the Kahlúa, Absolut Vodka and espresso together with plenty of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass to get rid of all the small ice chips. Shake for like 10 seconds for optimal frothiness.
- Read more:
- 8 cocktails that seem fancy but are surprisingly easy to make
- 13 strangely delicious food hybrids you need to try in your lifetime
- I'm from Connecticut and lived in the South for 4 years - here are the Southern fast-food chains I miss the most
- The biggest wedding food trends of 2020 include snacks from your childhood