Baby, it’s cold outside! What better way to warm up than with a Christmas drink or two? COWGIRL has selected ten of our all-time favorite Christmas cocktails for you to serve your family and friends this holiday season.

Sugar Cookie White Russians

Photo and recipe courtesy of The Sweetest Occasion.

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 ounces Tito’s Handmade vodka
  • 1-1/2 ounces coffee liqueur
  • 4 ounces milk
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 sugar cookie
  • ⅓ cup whipped cream
  • Red and green sprinkles (Optional!)

Instructions:

  1. Remove the frosting from one sugar cookie and crush into small crumbles onto a small plate.
  2. Prepare a tall cocktail glass by spreading a bit of whipped cream around the rim and then rolling gently in the cookie crumbs. Fill glass to the brim with ice.
  3. Next, add vodka, coffee liqueur, vanilla extract and milk to a cocktail shaker.
  4. Shake vigorously until frothy then pour over into your cocktail glass over ice.
  5. Top with the remaining whipped cream, then sprinkle with additional cookie crumbs and seasonal sprinkles.
  6. Add a straw, sip and enjoy!

Christmas Snowstorm Margarita

Photo and recipe courtesy of Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey or granulated sugar, adding more or less to taste
  • 2 ounces silver tequila
  • 1/2 ounce coconut rum
  • 1/2 ounce orange liquor
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • fresh mint, for serving
  • sugared cranberries, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Bring the coconut milk and sugar to a simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan. Simmer 1 minute, then remove from the heat and let cool. To quickly chill, add a of couple ice cubes.
  2. Fill a cocktail glass with ice.
  3. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, coconut rum, orange liquor, lime juice, and coconut milk. Shake to mix. Strain into your prepared glass. Top with sugared cranberries and mint.

Note: If you are using canned coconut milk, when you pour it over ice it will curdle up a bit if not stirred. It’s still delicious, but you need to give it a stir before drinking to mix everything around again. And if you make the the pitcher margarita, just be sure to give the batch a good stirring before you serve. The coconut milk can separate from the liquors as it chills.

Cherry Amaretto Cocktail

Photo and recipe courtesy of Inspired By Charm.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ounce cherry brandy
  • 1 ounce amaretto
  • 2 ounces half-and-half
  • Dipped cherries for garnish

Instructions: 

  1. Add the liqueurs to a tumbler filled with ice. Top with half-and-half. Stir to mix; then garnish with a chocolate dipped cherry.

Cranberry Gin Fizz

Photo and recipe courtesy of Country Living.

Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Syrup:
  • 1/2 cup cranberries
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
For the Cocktail:
  • 2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounces Cranberry Syrup
  • 3/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounces elderflower liquor
  • club soda
  • fresh cranberries, to garnish
  • 2 sprig fresh thyme, to garnish

Instructions:

  1. Make the Cranberry Syrup: Simmer cranberries, granulated sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and cranberries break down, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 4 sprigs fresh thyme. Cool to room temperature. Strain; discard solids.
  2. Make the Cocktail: Combine gin, Cranberry Syrup, fresh lemon juice, elderflower liquor, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled; strain into 2 glasses. Top with ice and club soda. Garnish each drink with fresh cranberries and 1 sprig fresh thyme.

Old-Fashioned Eggnog

Photo and recipe courtesy of Country Living.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cinnamon sticks, broken
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
  • 4 cups whole milk, divided
  • 8 large eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup to 1 cup dark rum, bourbon, or cognac

Instructions:

  1. Combine heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 cups milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until tiny bubbles begin to appear around the edge of the pot (do not let it boil), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar and salt. Increase speed to high and beat until thick and very pale in color, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Strain spiced cream mixture, discarding solids; return liquid to pot. Slowly beat 1 cup warm cream mixture into yolk mixture on low speed. Return to pot with cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until mixture coats the back of the spatula, 9 to 10 minutes.
  4. Place the pot over a large bowl filled with ice water and let cool, stirring occasionally, until chilled, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in rum, bourbon, or cognac and remaining 2 cups milk.
  5. Just before serving, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes; fold into eggnog. Serve topped with grated nutmeg.

Christmas Prosecco Punch

Photo and recipe courtesy of Kitchen Sanctuary.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 quarts cranberry juice
  • 3 cups pomegranate juice
  • 2 cups clementine juice (you can use orange juice if you can’t find clementine juice!)
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 3 limes sliced
  • 3 clementines sliced
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • seeds from 1 pomegranate
  • 1 bottle of prosecco
  • 1 1/4 cups vodka
  • small bunch of mint leaves

Instructions:

  1. Pour the cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, clementine juice and juice of 2 limes into a large punch bowl and stir. Add the lime slices, clementine slices, cranberries and pomegranate seeds. If you’re making the punch ahead, you can cover and place the punch in the fridge at this point for 2-3 hours.
  2. When ready to serve, add ice to the punch, then pour in the prosecco and vodka. Stir and sprinkle on fresh mint leaves.

Spicy Pomegranate Moscow Mule

Photo and recipe courtesy of Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • juice from 1/2 lime juice
  • juice from 1/4 of a small grapefruit, plus grapefruit slices for serving
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1-2 jalapeño slices
  • ginger beer, for topping
  • pomegranate arils, and fresh mint, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Fill a cocktail glass with ice.
  2. Combine the vodka, lime juice, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, and jalapeños in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until combined, about 1 minute. Strain into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish as desired.

Cranberry Apple Sangria

Photo and recipe courtesy of Damn Delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cranberry apple juice cocktail, divided
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 oranges, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup halved fresh cranberries
  • 2 (5-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
  • 3 star anise pods
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 2 cups sliced small apples
  • 1 (750-mml) bottle pinot grigio, chilled

Instructions:

  1. Combine 2 cups cranberry apple juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Stir in oranges, cranberries, rosemary, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves. Let stand 30 minutes; remove and discard rosemary and cloves.
  3. In a large pitcher, whisk together orange mixture, apples and remaining 1 cup cranberry apple juice.
  4. Let chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
  5. Serve over ice with pinot grigio.

Kahlua Hot Chocolate

Photo and recipe courtesy of Damn Delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 ounce Kahlúa coffee liqueur
  • Mini marshmallows, for serving
  • Salted caramel, for serving
  • Chocolate syrup, for serving

Instructions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium heat until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Kahlúa.
  2. Serve immediately, garnished with mini marshmallows, salted caramel and chocolate syrup, if desired.

The North Pole

Photo and recipe courtesy of Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces vodka
  • 2 ounces Kahlúa or more to taste
  • 4 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoons molasses
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
  • whipped cream candy canes and gingerbread cookies, for serving (optional!)

Instructions:

  1. In a cocktail shaker combine the vodka, Kahlúa, chocolate syrup, vanilla, molasses, and ginger. Shake until well combined. Add ice and shake again. Strain into 4 glasses. Top off each glass with heavy cream. Dollop with whipped cream and garnish as desired.

Cowgirl Hotlist

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  |