Christmas Cocktails - the perfect drinks for the festive season

Christmas cocktail recipes that you can easily make at home, including mulled white wine, mulled cider and spiked hot chocolate

Christmas Cocktail Recipes

Christmas time means indulging yourself a little more than usual, and it's certainly not too early to start planning your drinks menu - after all, some consider it the most important part of a party! We've put together a list of the very best Christmas cocktail recipes that you can easily make at home, and our delicious ideas are bound to impress. Start planning now with a little help from us, and you can create a menu of Christmas cocktails that rival even the fanciest of bars.

Winter favourites like spiked (and spiced!) hot chocolate and warm butter rum punch are perfect for cosy nights in and relaxing weekends, but go all out for your next soiree with fizzy Champagne cocktails to help you get in the celebratory spirit. What could be more enjoyable than relaxing after a busy week, a Christmas film on in the background and a delicious frosted berry cocktail in hand?

Our pick of Christmas cocktails will work whether you're having a few friends around for a cheeky drink, a big family party with mocktails for the kids or relaxing at home in front of a roaring fire. Why not test them all out, and get feedback from family and friends? It's the best way to ensure everyone wants to be at your house this festive season!

Simple and budget-friendly, all you need for this gorgeous raspberry Kir Royale is sparkling wine and raspberry liqueur. The classic cocktail will work for your champagne breakfast on the big day, an accompaniment to a dinner party menu, or just served alone at a drinks party. And with such a simple cocktail that always impresses, your party is bound to go off with a bang!

Click through to see the rest of our Christmas cocktail recipes, and make your house the centre of everyone's celebrations this festive season...

Mulled White Wine

Mulled white wine makes a change from traditional mulled wine and brings in interesting flavours like rosemary and zingy lemon to offer a lighter alternative for guests who may not enjoy red varieties of grapes as much. Because you flavour the wine with so many aromatics along with a little sugar you don't have to use the most expensive wine, as reasonably priced bottles will taste just as nice once they're all jazzed up.

Mulled Cider

If you're looking for something a bit different this year then mulled cider with bay leaves makes a delicious hot cocktail with lovely festive flavours, and is a bit of a change to mulled wine. Served up in pretty glasses or even teacups this Christmassy drink will impress guests and is budget-friendly, too - so you can make plenty!

Espresso Hops Martini

This espresso martini is thick and frothy, which makes it perfect for Christmas parties. It was created especially for woman&home by Simone Caporale, mixologist at The Artesian Bar and takes the classic espresso martini to the next level - there's even advice for how to garnish it so you can make your cocktails look professional this year.

G & Tea

Be on trend and serve a G & Tea at your Christmas party, made with gin and green tea syrup. And as a bonus, you can keep this in your fridge up to a month. Make up a good batch so you've got a delicious drink to serve people if they turn up announced this year (which family seem to have a habit of doing!). This is perfect in the early evening with a few Christmas canapes.

Saint Lucia Rum Punch

Whip up a big batch of this crowd-pleasing Saint Lucia rum punch for your next festive get-together. Because you can make it in bulk you don't have to worry about taking lots of time (and creating lots of mess) to make everyone individual cocktails. If you have a large mason drinks jar this looks fab in that, and will stop any spillages, too.

The Christmas Duppy

An elegant twist on a classic; rum and ginger bring out the best in each other in the Christmas Duppy. Top with prosecco and serve in a Champagne coupe or flute over ice to make them extra festive. Just remember you're getting a double dose of alcohol in each glass so it might be wise to limit some of your more 'enthusiastic' guests.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Perfect for a family party, mix up these spiced hot chocolates sans alcohol for the little ones and add a shot of gingerbread liqueur for the adults. Everyone will love the idea of warming their hands on little bottles of hot chocolate and they look dinky if served up all together on a pretty tray with some nice, festive straws.

Christmas Wahine

The ingredients in this Christmas Wahine cocktail make a sweet combination, and we like that this is named after the word 'woman' in Maori. It combines amaretto, cassis, lemon juice and fresh strawberry purée to make a gorgeously refreshing cocktail that is perfect for cutting through rich party food.

Frosted Berry

Black pepper and agave nectar lifts up the natural character of blanco tequila in the Frosted Berry cocktail. We like using big ice cubes in this Christmas cocktail, to keep them freezing cold and to minimise diluting the mixture. These are pretty strong so they make a really fun way to kick off a New Year party or big festive bash - just make sure to keep them out of reach of the kids!

Midnight Kiss

This Champagne cocktail aptly named Midnight Kiss, would make a perfect toast for New Year's Eve. The recipe shows you how to make your own strawberry and basil purée which is delicious and will keep for weeks in the fridge - perfect for last minute festivities. Once you've mastered one cocktail syrup you'll be able to make any flavours you fancy - so it really is a skill worth learning.

Christmas Cooler

Sometimes around Christmas time our taste buds can get a bit tired of spice and chocolate and caramel - and all the other lovely things associated with the festive period. Give your guests a refreshing watermelon and rum cocktail with this Christmas Cooler, they won't be expecting it and it'll give them something different to try this year. Because it's quite sweet it goes really well towards the end of an evening.

Rum Butter Punch

Warm your guests up quickly with a hot rum butter punch, it's somewhere between butterbear and a mulled rum - so it goes without saying that's it's absolutely delicious. The tiny amount of butter adds a subtle richness and smooth finish on the palette - once you've tried it you'll be hooked.

China Tang Going Strong

The whisky lovers will enjoy this China Tang Going Strong which begins with a full bouquet of citrus and minty aromas from the garnish and ends with a warm, smoky finish. Serve it up in metal cups for a high end feel or short, cut crystal whiskey glasses for a more traditional feel. Getting in the festive spirit? Take a look at our Christmas recipes.

Winter in Jalisco

If you're a tequila fan, then learning to perfect the Winter in Jalisco is a must. The festive Margarita is made up of 45ml Patrón Silver, 22.5ml Patrón XO Cafe, 15ml Patrón Citrónge Orange liqueur, 22.5ml fresh lemon juice and one barspoon of toasted sesame oil - and it's sure to impress your party guests! To make combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill, then strain over fresh ice into a double old-fashioned glass. Finally, garnish with a slice of fresh kumquat.

Haig Club Winter Spiced Espresso Martini

If you’re a caffeine addict then Dick Bradsell’s Haig Club Winter Spiced Espresso Martini is the cocktail for you. To make the decadent and delightful holiday twist, you’ll need to mix 50ml Haig Club, 50ml Crème de Cacao, 50ml espresso and some cinnamon.