57 Christmas cocktails

We also have a super on-trend bottled Christmas drink for you to try, a special olive blend for the festive season. Plus, we've created quick and easy cocktails that will use up the left over booze from the festive season. For more quick and easy festive entertaining, check out our no-cook Christmas entertaining ideas. For fun cocktails which mash up festive flavours, check out our Christmas mash-up recipes.

Best Christmas cocktails recipes

The olive festive cocktail

The ultimate Christmas cocktail from the olive magazine team. Make this easy spiced cocktail recipe with tequila and elderflower for a festive drink to serve friends and family over the Christmas season. Look for vintage bottles and add a pretty ribbon and label to complete the look. Click here for more exciting edible Christmas gifts...

Sloe gin fizz

Although you can buy shop-bought, you could make your own sloe gin in this festive twist on a classic gin fizz.

Christmas spiced negroni

Take your favourite cocktail and give it a festive makeover with homemade spiced gin.

Hot buttered rum

Treat yourself this Christmas to a hot buttered rum, mixing golden rum with soft light brown sugar, unsalted butter and festive spices.

Christmas mojito

Jazz up this minty cocktail with festive flavours – rum is mixed with cranberry juice and soda, then garnished with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Christmas spritz

Mix Aperol, sparkling wine and bitters with ginger beer and garnish with orange, star anise and pomegranate seeds to make this festive spritz.

Cranberry and ginger fizz

Cranberry juice creates a pretty pink hue and brings a hint of tartness to this mocktail.

Mulled old fashioned

Make this mulled old fashioned for a festive twist on a classic cocktail, featuring a homemade syrup infused with cinnamon, orange and cloves.

Gingerbread old fashioned

A spicy spin on the classic whisky cocktail.

PX espresso martini

Swap traditional coffee liqueur for festive pedro ximénez sherry in this classic cocktail – it adds lovely notes of raisins.

Clementine and amaretto sour

This lower-alcohol sour has a fresh, citrussy pep thanks to the clementine juice.

Revolver cocktail

Elevate your festive tipple! Beyond the espresso martini, indulge in a caffeinated Christmas sipper with this unique twist on a Manhattan.

Grasshopper cocktail

Mint chocolate fans, this one’s for you: check out this retro dessert cocktail made of crème de menthe, white crème de cacao and single cream.

Christmas gin cocktail

Giving this drink a proper shake in your cocktail shaker will ensure a lovely, creamy layer of egg white on top of this festive tipple.

Christmas godfather

This is a festive spin on a retro 70s drink that makes an ideal dessert cocktail for Christmas.

Kir royale

This classic celebratory cocktail uses just three ingredients, making it a brilliant drink to make if you’re running short of time.

Cranberry gimlet

Try this easy three-ingredient spin on a gimlet – it's made with cranberries for subtle sharpness and a vivid pink colour.

Sloe sazerac

A seriously punchy whisky cocktail perfect for slow sipping during the winter months. A splash of sloe gin adds a festive twit to this classic.

Baileys cocktail

Baileys and Christmas go hand in hand, so why not give this creamy vodka-based cocktail a go for your next festive drinks party?

Glühwein

The addition of rum to this Christmas market classic works really well – we've added some here to compensate for the evaporation of alcohol during cooking, but it’s not essential, if you prefer your drinks a little less punchy.

Eggnog

Put a rosy glow in your cheeks with this classic winter cocktail, made with egg yolks, sugar, cream, sherry, rum and plenty of fresh nutmeg.

Gingerbread espresso martini cocktail

Shake up your winter drinks party in more ways than one with this gingerbread and espresso martini cocktail. Velvety smooth coffee and festive spice syrup make this the perfect after-dinner warmer. Check out our best ever Christmas dessert recipes to indulge in this Christmas...

Spiced sidecar

A warming, cold-weather cocktail made using homemade spiced brandy. Omit the spices for a classic sidecar cocktail, or try using bourbon if you can’t find cognac.

Christmas mocktail orange and rosemary fizz

If you love starting Christmas Day with a Buck's Fizz, but fancy something non alcoholic this year, try this orange and rosemary fizz. The cinnamon and pomegranate makes it taste like Christmas in a glass. Looking for Christmas day recipes? Check out our must make trimmings recipes here...

Black russian

Make this classic dark cocktail with vodka and coffee liqueur. Serve in an old fashioned glass with ice for an elegant after-dinner drink, or try our festive twist.

Easy dirty gin martini cocktail

This easy Christmas cocktail makes the perfect gift to bring to a festive party – keep chilled in the fridge for emergencies.

Poinsettia cocktail

If you’re bored of buck’s fizz, try serving this rosy red cocktail at your next festive brunch or party – it’s easy to make and great for groups.

Rum negroni

Rum makes this drink a little gentler than a classic gin negroni. Decant into a hip flask for sipping on wintry walks

Spanish bloody mary

Swapping vodka for amontillado sherry makes a lower-ABV, super-savoury take on this brunch classic. Garnish with a gilda – a classic pinto snack.

Sherry sour

Want a simple Christmas cocktail recipe to serve over the festive season? Impress friends and family with our easy-drinking sherry sour. More cocktail recipes here.

Campfire cocktail

Cosy up by the fire and make this campfire cocktail recipe with bourbon and marshmallows for a warming drink over the festive season. It comes from the brilliant team at whisky bar Black Rock just off Finsbury Square, London EC2 and is topped with a toasted marshmallow. We’re sold. Check out other Bonfire Night-inspired cocktails...

Chilled, mulled elderflower wine

Want a change to mulled wine at your Christmas drinks party? Try a frosty twist on a classic with this chilled, mulled elderflower wine. Sweet vanilla pods, cloudy apple juice and elderflower cordial simmer with fresh lemon juice for a festive infusion.

Chai white russian

Ramp up the festive spirit in a classic white Russian with the warming spices of chai. This coffee cocktail is the perfect Christmas drink.

French 75

Jazz up your Christmas morning with this classic champagne cocktail. It's simple to make but looks stunning, perfect for the party season. Check out more of our champagne cocktail recipes here.

Marmalade and mandarin mojito

Marmalade mojitos make a deliciously jammy cocktail, made to look really delicious with mandarin slices and star anise. Try this five-minute cocktail recipe for an easy refresher at Christmas.

Negroni sbagliato

Our negroni sbagliato makes a great festive fizz. Swapping gin for prosecco makes for a lighter negroni and softens the bitterness. This is an ideal aperitif over the festive season for those who find a classic negroni a bit much.

Winter-spiced pear cocktail

This light and spicy cocktail is a delicate early-evening treat. It's warm, silky and the pear syrup has intense in flavour. If you're hosting a Christmas drinks party, these will get your guests right into the festive spirit.

White sparkle

A great sparkling Christmas party cocktail. After you have decorated the Champagne flutes, chill them by putting in the freezer for a short while or filling with ice for a few minutes.

Christmas cake martini

All the flavours of a traditional Christmas cake in liquid form. This is bound to impress your guests over the festive season. Click the link for all of our Christmas baking recipes to pair it with.

Aperol mimosa

This mimosa is fizzy, fruity and has a slight bitter note. It's a great alternative to Buck's Fizz, it's made using only three ingredients and would make a great drink to see the year out with. Check out our best ever Christmass breakfast recipes to have alongside your morning mimosa here.

Sake martini

Swap vermouth for sake in this Japanese-inspired take on the classic cocktail – perfect for a New Year's Eve soirée.

Rhubarb and ginger negroni

This update on the classic negroni using rhubarb and ginger is a great shout for Christmas time. It comes from Black Dice, a 1960s rock 'n' roll inspired bar tucked away beneath Moroccan restaurant MOMO in Mayfair.

Christmas porter flip

We've revived and updated a classic dating back to the 17th century with our recipe for a chocolate porter flip. Serve this hot or cold for an easy festive drink. Check out our indulgent chocolate recipes here...

Pom-Pimms fizz

Looking for a festive cocktail recipe to kick things off this Christmas? You'll need frothy egg white, sugar, chilled pomegranate juice, Pimms, lemons and ginger beer for this beauty.

Mulled beer

What’s more warming on a winter’s day than the glow of an English pub? Recreate that feeling, and better it, by brewing up this mulled beer recipe with cinnamon, cloves and clementine for an easy Christmas drink.

Ginger margarita

This twist on a classic margarita is the perfect thing to serve at a festive drinks party. The recipe comes from Spice Market, a South-east Asian restaurant in the W Hotel, Leicester Square, that serves stylish interpretations of street food.

Mulled cider

Cosy up with this soul-warming winter cocktail, perfect after a crisp winter walk over the festive period. The addition of dark rum, brown sugar and cinnamon sticks provide sweet depth to this warm spiced cocktail.

Blood orange Campari cocktails

Bitter Campari and sweet blood orange combine in festive harmony to make this refreshing aperitif. Campari usually lends its beautiful red colour to the devilishly potent negroni, this lighter cocktail is perfect for those needing a calmer night amidst the busy social season.

Pear-drop bellinis

Like pear drop sweets? Then you'll love this fun way to serve fizz. Great for Christmas time, all it involves is eight pear drops and a bottle of Cava. Simple!

Ron de replay

Want an easy yet impressive cocktail recipe? This cocktail will be sure to impressive festive guests over the winter season, we use Ron Zacapa rum from Guatemala to heat things up a bit.

White Russian cocktails

Round off a Christmas dinner party huddled round the fire with these indulgent cocktails. The perfect sweet finale when you’re too full for a pud. Check out our best ever dinner party mains here.

Elit Christmas

Want a really beautiful split-coloured Champagne cocktail? Check out this festive drink invented by the legendary Salvatore Calabrese. If you can’t find the fraise de bois you could use another liqueur such as crème de cassis.

Bitter orange and cardamom martinis

Want an inventive martini recipe? Martinis are one of our favourite mixed alcoholic drinks. We've added marmalade and lemon juice to this cocktail recipe for an extra kick to your festive cocktails.

Clementine fizz

Can’t wait until sundown for a cocktail? Start your Christmas morning right with our clementine fizz. It’s ready in just 10 minutes, more time-efficient than a bowl of porridge!

How to use forgotten bottles from the drinks cupboard over Christmas

Baileys white Russian cocktail recipe

Mix 3 tbsp Baileys, 1 tbsp Kahlúa and 2 tbsp vodka with 4 tbsp whole milk, then serve over ice in a short glass.

Cherry sling cocktail recipe

Pour 2 tbsp gin, 1 tbsp cherry brandy and ½ tbsp lemon juice over ice in a tall glass.

Finish with soda and a maraschino cherry.

Sancho panza cocktail recipe

Stir 3 tbsp cream sherry, 1½ tbsp Campari and a dash of Angostura bitters in a short glass with ice.