20 best Christmas cocktails

Christmas is a time for overindulgence, so these cocktails are rich in every sense of the word. In America, the creamy Eggnog dominates the festive cocktail scene, while in the UK, we have the Snowball, a lighter drink based on advocaat. However, there are a myriad of other tasty Christmas cocktails with which to indulge.

Celebration
Equal parts cognac, vermouth and Campari produces an appropriately named cocktail with a hue to match your Santa costume.

Champagne Snowball
This riff on the classic Snowball uses fino sherry to dry and freshen the drink while champagne lifts and lightens the thick creamy egg yolk.

Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini
Just as the name promises, an Espresso Martini but base on orange-flavoured vodka and with an added hint of rich chocolate liqueur.

Christmas Cosmopolitan (pictured above)
Cranberry sauce with your turkey and cranberry juice in your Cosmo. With falernum adding delicate festive spice.

Christmas Daiquiri
Fruity rum-laced, cleansing citrus with delicate Christmassy spice.

Christmas Margarita
The Cosmopolitan meets the Margarita in this gloriously pink cocktail - I was aiming for a Christmassy red hue.

Christmas Martini
Festive in colour and flavour with vodka-laced orange, ginger, pomegranate, balanced with red wine tannins.

Christmas Negroni
A classic Negroni turned festive with added Christmassy flavours. A proper Christmas cracker!

Christmas Special No. 1
A perfect after-dinner cocktail at any time of year but particularly appropriate over the festive period due to its including Pedro Ximénez sherry (which tastes like English Christmas pudding).

Christmas Pudding & Custard
As the name suggests, this cocktail combines flavours reminiscent of alcoholic custard with Pedro Ximenez sherry, resembling liquid Christmas pudding.

Christmoplitan
A suitably Christmassy, amaretto-influenced Cosmopolitan.

Cinnamon & Pomegranate Margarita

Just as the name promises, a cinnamon and pomegranate-flavoured Margarita.

Elf On The Shelf
Elf (elderflower liqueur), On (orange liqueur), The (tequila), Shelf (sherry) is for naughty elves to share while planning mischievous enactments.

Gingerbread Martini
A wet Vodka Martini with nutty almond and warming gingerbread.

Mulled Negroni
Why sip mulled wine when you can feast on a Negroni.

Port Old-fashioned
Bourbon and maple syrup somewhat overwhelm the headline port wine, though port adds an underlying fruitiness to this balanced and tasty riff on an Old-Fashioned.

Santa Marta Daiquiri
A float of Kirsch eau-de-vie adds wonderfully fruity aromatics to an otherwise classic Natural Daiquiri.

Sloegroni
Lighter in colour and more mellow in flavour than a classic Negroni, with sloe gin adding richness and subtle berry flavours.

White Christmas Martini
Recognisably a crisp, dry, Vodka Martini, but mellowed and made luxuriant with festive flavours.

Winter
"A Jamaican daiquiri with Christmas spices."

More Christmas cocktails