12 Christmas Cocktails Perfect for Sipping Through the Holidays

A collection of my favourite Christmas cocktails to enjoy all season long.

Are you a cocktail drinker? Brady and I have long been fans to mixing up fancy cocktails. Sure, cracking open a bottle of wine or cold craft beer is so much easier (and still delish), but there’s something special about mixing up a cocktail. Brady tends to favour a more “spirit forward” cocktail like an Old Fashioned or Negroni cocktail, while I like a slightly sweeter, or even sour drink such as a Whiskey Sour or French 75. Of course, we always love to try a new twist on these old faves too – Brady’s favourite right now is adding a smoked flavour to his drink. Whether we’re hosting friends and family, or simply curling up for a cozy night in, we love serving up a new cocktail to try.

Crafting the perfect cocktail is truly an art, one we aren’t near perfecting just yet, but we’ve definitely learned a few tricks along the way.

No matter your alcohol of choice, buying a quality version from a craft distillery makes all the difference!
This goes for bitters as well – Dillons and Token brands tend to be our go-to’s, but we love trying out new flavours from other small craft makers.
A good barware set is a must. We purchased our set from Pottery Barn several years ago now, so it’s no longer available, but this one looks similar. I love that the top pops off of the cocktail shaker for easy pouring – we used to use a cocktail shaker similar to this one and could never seem to get the two halves apart after mixing (despite trying all of the tricks).
Lovely cocktail glasses really elevate the experience. We have several different types – coupes, old fashioned, tall & short cocktail glasses (these plaid ones are a favourite, they’ve got a heavy, solid feel to them that we really love).
Plan ahead. Though there are plenty of simple cocktails to mix up, many cocktail recipes call for specific ingredients – particular fruit juices, bitters, or simple syrups (which are easy to buy or make yourself). If you’re wanting to try out a particular cocktail, like any new recipe, it’s so much easier to plan and shop ahead.

Whether you are entertaining, or simply enjoying a quiet night in, mixing up a delicious drink can be such a special treat to enjoy through the holiday season (and also super easy to mix up an alcohol free version as well, that tastes just as special as any alcohol-full version!). This craft cocktail book has been a go-to for us for a few years now, we’ve tested out many of the recipes and loved them all. While there are plenty of fantastic cocktail recipe books out there, there are also a ton of fantastic recipes available online and today, I thought I’d share a few of the ones that have caught our eye for the holidays.