The Best Winter Cocktails to Master This Season

Boozy, bubbly winter cocktails guarantee the holidays will be merry and bright thanks to flavors featuring apples, cranberries, peppermint, and even hot cocoa. From piping hot drinks to seasonal twists on classics, these wintery hits are the perfect addition to the amazing food you’ll inevitably be inhaling during the holidays. 

Enjoy these winter cocktails made for holiday festivities or sipping by the fire. 

Jump to the recipe:

1. Peppermint Bark Mimosas
2. Sugar Cookie Martinis
3. Mistletoe Margaritas
4. Irish Coffee
5. Boozy S’mores Milkshake
6. RumChata Eggnog
7. Hot Toddy
8. Holiday Sangria

Peppermint Bark Mimosas

Let’s be honest, everyone loves a classy mimosa. Instead of the staple orange juice, Delish replaced it with peppermint schnapps because nothing says the holidays have arrived quite like cool peppermint flavors. 

Ingredients & Directions

¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips melted

3 crushed candy canes

6 oz peppermint schnapps

1 bottle champagne or prosecco

6 whole candy canes 

Rim the glass with melted chocolate chips first then dip it into crushed candy canes to coat. Add an ounce of peppermint schnapps to each glass and top with your choice of bubbly. Plop a full candy cane in before serving for a little extra merriment! 

Sugar Cookie Martinis

The dreamy, creamy cocktail will be a fan favorite. Spend your weekend making sugar cookies with the kids whilst having a couple of these or prepare them to kick off a holiday party. 

If you’re feeling extra fancy (and you have time) make sugar cookies of your desired shape to garnish the rim of your winter cocktail. Besides, what’s a holiday season without sugar cookies? 

Ingredients & Directions

½ cup whole milk

¼ cup Baileys

2 oz vanilla vodka 

2 oz amaretto

½ cup vanilla frosting

¼ cup sprinkles 

Ice 

The first step is to prepare the rim of your martini glasses. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting onto the rim, then dip the rims into festive red and green sprinkles. Make sure the rim is fully coated because there is no such thing as too many sprinkles! In a cocktail shaker, combine the milk, Baileys, vodka, and amaretto. Add ice and shake until cold then you’re ready to pour! 

Mistletoe Margaritas

A margarita may seem like an unlikely winter cocktail, but this recipe is so festive and fun that it’s worth giving it a go. If you’re not big on cranberries, Delish has a tasty White Christmas Margarita recipe boasting bold coconut and lime flavors. It’s the perfect blend of a summery taste with a wintery look. 

Ingredients & Directions 

Salt for the rim

2 oz Grand Marnier

1 ½ oz tequila

2 oz white cranberry juice

2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 

1 lime for garnish 

1 oz simple syrup

Fresh cranberries for garnish

Rim each glass with a lime wedge and dip in the coarse salt. In a shaker, add the grand mariner, tequila, cranberry juice, lime juice, and syrup. Shake for 30-60 seconds and pour over the ice. Garnish the finished product with extra limes, fresh cranberries, and a sprig of rosemary if you wish! 

Irish Coffee

Some winter cocktails are very involved but making an Irish coffee is one of the easiest although it’s more than just coffee and a shot of whiskey. For a true Irish experience that’ll make the creator, Joe Sheridan proud, brush up on your barista skills to prepare a strong cup of coffee with care. 

While it’s true that this is the best drink to cozy up to on Christmas morning, pace yourself unless you want to feel like Santa’s sleigh hit you by the afternoon!

Ingredients & Directions

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 ½ oz Irish whiskey

Heavy cream, slightly whipped 

Pour piping hot coffee into a mug or glass of choice until it is about ¾ full. Stir in the brown sugar until it is completely dissolved before blending in your Irish whiskey. Pour the whipped heavy cream gently over the back of the spoon to top off your glass. Enjoy it while it’s hot! 

Boozy S’mores Milkshakes

If chocolate is your love language then this one’s for you. This winter recipe gives you the nostalgia of a good s’more combined with booze to create the ultimate grownup drink. Indulge in your campfire dreams sans the outdoor cold and Instead, cozy up next to a fireplace.

Ingredients & Directions

8 scoops of chocolate ice cream

¼ cup Baileys

2 oz vanilla vodka

½ marshmallow fluff

Crushed graham crackers

Marshmallow bits

Chocolate fudge 

Whipped cream

Chocolate squares

Graham cracker squares 

Begin by blending together the ice cream, Baileys, vanilla vodka, and marshmallow fluff. As you wait on the perfect blend, combine the crushed graham crackers and marshmallow bits on a small plate. Rim your glasses with the fudge and dip into the graham crackers and marshmallows.

Pour your delectable milkshake into the glasses and top with whipped cream, a chocolate square, and graham cracker square. 

RumChata Eggnog

Adding a bit of rumchata will quickly change your opinion about eggnog. The creamy liqueur with a touch of natural cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar is just what your eggnog needs this winter. While the recipe calls for candy cane to garnish, feel free to mix it up and use a cinnamon stick to really play off the flavors in the RumChata. 

This is one of those winter cocktails you’ll fall in love with. You’ll even find the recipe easy enough to throw together for last minute gatherings. 

Ingredients & Directions

2 oz RumChata 

2 oz eggnog

1 oz bourbon or whiskey

½ oz salted caramel liqueur 

1 candy cane

Whipped cream 

Step one includes combining RumChata, bourbon, eggnog, salted caramel liqueur, and heavy cream in a shaker with some ice cubes. Strain into a stemless wine after you shake and top it with whipped cream. Jazz up your final product by adding crushed pieces of a candy cane or a whole one to garnish. Easy peasy! 

Hot Toddy

A Hot Toddy does a seriously good job of warming you up and may be just what the doctor ordered to cure your sore throat. Never deny the healing powers of a Hot Toddy. 

What makes this cocktail recipe so special is how customizable it is. Maker’s Mark and Jameson are popular choices but certainly not your only options. If you’re not a big whiskey fan, you can use bourbon, scotch, brandy, or rum instead.

Ingredients & Directions

¾ cup water

1 ½ oz whiskey

2 or 3 teaspoons honey

2 or 3 teaspoons lemon juice

1 lemon round

1 cinnamon stick

Bring your water to a simmer in a teapot or saucepan and pour into a mug. Add in your whiskey, 2 teaspoons honey, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. You can add more of each depending on your preference. Stir until the honey has completely dissolved. Garnish your drink with a lemon round and cinnamon stick. 

Holiday Sangria 

No holiday would be complete without a sangria. Not to mention, it’s the perfect cocktail to prepare ahead and serve at a party. This winter sangria recipe is the perfect blend of fresh fruit, brandy, grand marnier, and more to create a festive, flavorful drink! 

Ingredients & Directions

2 tablespoons agave nectar

¼ cup grand marnier

¼ cup brandy 

1 orange halved then sliced

1 lime, sliced 

1 pear, sliced

½ cup pomegranate seeds

2 sticks of cinnamon

1 bottle of dry red wine

¾ cup ginger ale 

Add everything but the ginger ale to a pitcher and let it chill for about 2 to 8 hours in the fridge. It’s never a bad thing to let it sit overnight so feel free to make it the evening before! Just before serving, add ginger ale for some bubbly. That’s all there is to it!