Holidays are a wonderful time full of family, friends, and parties! Hosting events like a Christmas Office Party or a New Year’s Eve Party is a great opportunity to get creative with your meals and especially with your drinks. From cocktails to mocktails, we’ve got 15 drink ideas for you to serve at your next holiday party!
Wine Drinks
1. Champagne Cocktail
We will start off with a classic for a New Year’s Eve Party: champagne. A champagne cocktail is a bit of a twist on simply having champagne as you toast for the new year. It includes:
- A few dashes of simple syrup or 1 sugar cube
- A few dashes of Angostura bitters
- Champagne
- Lemon twist to garnish
Pour simple syrup (or add a sugar cube for a fizzy effect) into a champagne flute, add the bitters, and fill the glass to the top with champagne. Then, you can add a lemon twist to garnish in time to count down!
2. Confetti Champagne
Another fun twist on champagne is confetti champagne to celebrate the holidays. To make Confetti Champagne, you need:
- 1 shot of Vanilla vodka
- 1 part Champagne
- 1 part Lemon-lime soda
- Butter or frosting for garnish
- Pop Rocks for garnish
First, place pop rocks on a plate and rim glasses of your choice with butter or frosting. Dip the rim of the glasses in pop rocks, and pour the vodka, soda, and champagne into the glass. Then, your party will be set to celebrate the season
3. French 75
A classic and elegant drink to include during your Thanksgiving dinner or New Year’s Eve dinner is a French 75. You will need:
- ½ ounce Simple Syrup
- ¾ ounce Lemon Juice
- 1 shot Gin
- 2 ounces champagne
- Lemon twist to garnish
Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, and gin into a shaker with ice. Shake the contents well and strain it into a champagne flute. Then, pour champagne to the top and add a lemon twist to garnish.
4. Holiday Wine Punch
Holiday parties are a perfect time to make some Holiday Wine Punch to serve a crowd. Pour all of these ingredients into a punch bowl to taste for a crowd-pleaser:
- Red wine
- Cran-apple juice
- Orange juice
- Ginger beer
- Vanilla extract
You can also garnish your punch bowl with lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, fresh cranberries, and whatever your heart desires!
Cocktails
5. Espresso Martini
If you want to keep your guests up till midnight to ring in the new year, an espresso martini is the way to go! You’ll need:
- 2 ounces Vodka
- 1 ounce Coffee Liqueur
- 1 Shot espresso
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Coffee beans to garnish
Pour the liquid ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake it up, and pour into a martini glass. Then, you can garnish with a few coffee beans!
6. Cold Brew Negroni
For those who want a stiffer drink than an espresso martini at your holiday party, you can also use cold-brew-coffee-infused Campari to your advantage! This drink includes:
- 1 part cold-brew-coffee-infused Campari
- 1 part gin
- 1 part Sweet Vermouth
- Orange twist to garnish
Mix the liquid ingredients with ice to make sure it is well chilled. Then, pour it over a large ice cube in an old-fashioned glass.
7. Pomegranate Martini
For a seasonal spin on a classic cocktail, check out the pomegranate martini. Pomegranate juice adds a phenomenal depth and tang to this drink. All you need to make it is:
- 1 ½ ounces vodka
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- ½ ounce lemon or lime juice
- Lemon or lime peel, for garnish
Add all the liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice, shake to your liking, and then pour into a chilled glass. Add some lemon or lime peel as a garnish if you desire.
8. Ginger-Cranberry Whiskey Sour
If you’re more of a whiskey drinker, a ginger-cranberry whiskey sour is a great way to add a little New Year’s flair to your favorite whiskey. To make it, you’ll need:
- 4 ounces ginger ale
- 2 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 ounces whiskey
- 1 ounce lime juice
- Lime wedge
Add the cranberry juice, lime juice, and whiskey to a tall highball glass. Top with ginger ale. Add ice if you like and the lime wedge as garnish.
9. Peppermint Bark Martini
If you love a good dessert cocktail, look no further than the peppermint bark martini! This is the perfect sweet yet crisp cocktail to ring in the new year. Here’s what you need to make it:
- 1 ¼ ounce RumChata liqueur
- 1 ¼ ounce peppermint schnapps
- ¾ ounce white creme de cacao
- 1 ¼ ounce heavy cream or half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon candy canes or peppermints
- Mini candy canes for garnish
For the rim, crush the regular-size candy canes or peppermints in a food storage bag with a rolling pin. Then, melt the white chocolate chips on a plate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each 30 seconds until melted. Dip the rim of your cocktail glass in the melted white chocolate and then the crushed candy canes for a festive and delicious rim.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and then pour the liquid ingredients in. Shake vigorously until the drink is evenly chilled. Then strain into the rimmed glass and add a mini candy cane for garnish.
10. Hot Toddies
A hot toddy is the perfect drink to have with pie at the end of Thanksgiving Day or when you are winding down from ringing in the new year. You will need:
- Boiling water
- 2 ounces of Irish whiskey or dark rum
- ¾ ounces of honey
- 1 lemon peel and/or cinnamon stick to garnish
First, pour the spirit and honey into a mug and fill the mug with boiling water. Mix the ingredients until the honey is dissolved, and add the garnish as you desire. Once it cools down a bit, it’s ready to sip and savor!
Mocktails
11. Sparking Cranberry Kombucha Mocktail
Nothing says ‘tis the season like cranberry! For this drink, you will need:
- 1 part cranberry juice
- 3 parts original or ginger live kombucha
- Thinly sliced ginger and fresh rosemary to garnish
Pour the cranberry juice into a glass of your choice, add some ice, and pour your kombucha on top of the ice for a layering effect. Then, you can add some fresh rosemary and ginger to garnish.
12. French 75 Mocktail
Like the previously mentioned French 75, a French 75 mocktail is a great way for everyone at the event to enjoy this classic drink. You will need:
- 2 ounces lemon juice
- 2 ounces simple syrup
- San Pellegrino Limonata Soda
- Sparkling water
- Lemon twists
Mix the lemon juice and simple syrup with ice, and add half Sanpellegrino Limonata soda and half sparkling water. Give it one more stir, and add a lemon twist to garnish!
13. Mock Winter Sangria
This drink is perfect if you are also looking for drink recipes for Thanksgiving or drink ideas for Christmas. This recipe will serve a crowd! To make a mock sangria, you will need:
- 1 pear, diced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup fresh raspberries
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 1 2-liter bottle of ginger ale
For the true sangria taste, add the fruits, berries, and juices into a large bowl while omitting the ginger ale. Leave the bowl in the fridge for up to 4 hours. Then, right before you are ready to serve, add chilled ginger ale.
14. Virgin Pomegranate and Cranberry Bellinis
This is another recipe perfect for a holiday event. For a punch bowl of holiday delight, here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 ½ cups simple syrup
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
- 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1 bottle of sparkling water, chilled
- 2 sliced limes
- 2 ½ ounces pomegranate seeds for garnish
In a punch bowl with ice, add the simple syrup and juice, and make sure it is stirred to keep it chilled. Then, slowly add in sparking water. Garnish the drink with lime slices and pomegranate seeds. You can also add some fresh mint for some flare.
15. Sparkling Apple Cider Mocktail
With just a few ingredients, you can make a crowd-pleaser that everyone will enjoy. All you need is:
- 4 ounces sparkling apple cider
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- A spritz of fresh lemon juice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Add all the liquid ingredients together with some ice and give a good stir. Then you and your guests are ready to party!
Wrapping Up
Whether you are looking for Thanksgiving party ideas, Christmas party ideas, or ideas for upcoming family celebrations, we hope these recipes sparked your creativity when it comes to cocktails!
If you are looking for New Year’s dinner ideas as well, The Refuge is here to help. With our holiday group dining, you’ll be able to get the best holiday meal without any of the work, no matter the holiday! Check out our menu for the best Christmas party appetizers and the best Thanksgiving sides so you can focus on other fun things like Christmas party outfit ideas since you no longer have to worry about things like New Year’s Eve dinner recipes.
If you are hosting events this holiday season, you don’t have to worry about cooking or going to restaurants – consider our catering options! You no longer have to search for holiday or New Year’s Eve dinner ideas. Visit us online to learn more about how we can meet your holiday and catering needs.