3 Simple & Festive Christmas Cocktails (and Mocktail Alternatives)
The holidays are here! And that means you might want to toast with a special festive beverage. But you need to be careful. Many cordials and liqueurs are made with nuts, so ordering a fancy drink can be a challenge. That’s why I’ve put together these 3 simple and festive Christmas cocktails that are safe nut allergies.
Chambord and Champagne, Candy Cane Cocktails and Maple Bourbon … are perfect cocktails to bring a little holiday cheer to your gatherings. And, if you’re not into alcohol or looking for a holiday beverage for the under-21 set, check out the Sparkling Raspberry Twist and Candy Cane … mocktail options.
(Sorry. I didn’t come up with a mocktail for the bourbon, because I’m a bourbon drinker. So without the bourbon, I say why bother? I’d rather just sip a sparkling water. But there are bunch of bitter and non-alcoholic options available now, like this Ritual zero-proof whiskey alternative. I just haven’t tried them. So I can’t make any recommendation and don’t know if they contain any nut products.)
Chambord and Champagne
This is by far the simplest one of our Christmas cocktails. And no, technically, it’s not a cocktail. But I use a loose interpretation of that word.
All you need is Chambord, a black raspberry liqueur, Cointreau, an orange liqueur and some Champagne. Or Prosecco. Or other sparkling wine. You could even try a sparkling rose if you wanted. Add 1 ounce of Chambord and 1/2 ounce of Coinrteau to a Champagne flute and fill with Champagne. Voilá! Drinks are served.
If you don’t have Cointreau, you could sub Grand mariner or just leave out the orange flavor all together.
Cran-raspberry Twist Mocktail
Want to make it a mocktail? Grab some Cran-raspberry juice, an orange, and some sparkling soda. I like to use berry LaCroix. Fill a Champagne glass about 1/3 of the way full with the cran-raspbery juice, add a splash of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and top off with sparkling water. You could also whip up a big pitcher of these cocktails so guests can serve themselves.
Chambord & Champagne
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 ounce Chambord raspberry liqueur
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau orange liqueur
- 3-4 ounces chilled champagne.
Instructions
- Add Chambord and Cointrau to a Champagne flute. Fill with champagne.
- Serve chilled.
Candy Cane Martini
The second Christmas cocktail is a candy cane martini. If you’ve been reading for a while you know that I am a big fan of peppermint. And not just at Christmas. My “fancy” go to Starbucks drinks is a cafe misto with peppermint all year long. So it’s no surprise that a candy can martini has made the list.
I’m not usually into sweet cocktails, but I do make an exception for Christmas cocktails. This candy cane martini just tastes like Christmas.
For this drink you need whipped cream or vanilla vodka, peppermint schnapps, and a white chocolate liqueur (I used white chocolate Godiva, but there are other options. And if you can’t find white chocolate you could go ahead and use regular Godiva and make a chocolate candy cane martini.
Start by crushing some candy canes and then dipping the rim of your glass in simple syrup. This helps the candy cane stick better than just water.
Add ice and 4 ounces whipped cream vodka (that’s what I had on hand, but vanilla vodka would also work), 2 ounce peppermint schnapps, and 2 ounces white chocolate liqueur to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Then add in half and half and give a gentle shake. Garnish with a candy cane. Makes two cocktails.
Candy Cane Mocktail
Want to make it a mocktail? You’ll need cream soda, half and half, and some peppermint extract. I recommend making this in a pitcher. Stir together 24 ounces of cream soda, 12 ounces of half and half and 1/2-1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Peppermint extract is kind of strong, so start with the lesser amount, taste, and add more as needed.
Use the simple syrup and crushed candy canes to rim the glass and serve with a candy cane.
Candy Cane Martini
Ingredients
- 1 candy cane finely crushed
- simple syrup for rimming the glasses
- Ice
- 4 oz whipped cream vodka
- 2 oz white chocolate liqueur
- 2 oz peppermint schnapps
- 4 oz half-and-half
- Mini candy canes for garnish
Instructions
- Pour some simple syrup into a shallow dish. Pour the crushed candy cane onto another shallow dish. Dip the rim of your martini glasses into the simple syrup and then the candy cane.
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add 4 ounces whipped cream vodka, 2 ounces white chocolate liqueur, and 2 ounces peppermint schnapps. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Add the half-and-half to the cocktail shaker, and shake to combine.
- Divide the cocktail between the two martini glasses, garnish with a mini candy cane and serve.
Maple Bourbon Cocktail
This last Christmas cocktail is a for my fellow bourbon drinkers. Most of the time I’m more than content with a simple bourbon on the rocks. But sometimes, at the holidays, you want something a little more festive.
So I whipped up this maple bourbon cocktail to round out our trio of Christmas cocktails. To make this pretty, sophisticate drink you’ll need to plan ahead.
Maple Cranberry Simple Syrup
First, you need to make the maple cranberry simple syrup. Traditional simple syrup is made by boiling together sugar and water. But for our Christmas cocktail we are going to shake things up and substitute maple syrup for the sugar. You want a good quality maple syrup, local if you have it. Add a half cup of maple syrup to 1/2 cup of water to a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries. Bring to a boil and let the cranberries burst. Strain and store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.
Maple Bourbon Cocktail
When it’s time to make the Christmas cocktails, Add one ounce of maple simple syrup, one and half ounces of bourbon, one ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice, and two ounces of sparkling water to a rocks glass. Give it a stir, add some ice and garnish with fresh cranberries and a rosemary sprig.
Pretty and delicious.
Mocktail option:
I know I said I wasn’t gong to give you a mocktail option, But I lied.
Simply omit the bourbon and add an extra big of cranberry juice. You’ll have a delicious maple infused cranberry juice cut with some sparkling water fo a simple Christmas mocktail.
Maple Bourbon Cocktail
Ingredients
Maple Cranberry Simple Syrup:
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup frozen cranberries
Cocktail:
- 1 ounce maple cranberry simple syrup
- 1 ½ ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
- 2 ounces sparkling water
- Ice
- Rosemary sprigs to garnish
Instructions
Maple Cranberry Simple Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup cranberries to a simmer over medium-high heat until berries begin to burst, about 5 minutes. Strain and let cool. (Makes enough simple syrup for 6 cocktails.)
Cocktail:
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add maple-cranberry simple syrup, bourbon and cranberry juice. Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with rosemary sprigs. Enjoy!
Happy Eating!
PS: The salted caramel apple cider cocktails would also be a delicious Christmas cocktail.
