Festive Holiday Drinks You Can Make at Home
Winter celebrations are so much more fun with beautiful holiday drinks you can make at home. You’ll love these festive cocktails and warming beverages for guests of every age.
Scroll through our selection of recipes below, and learn how to create:
- Two kinds of punch, one traditional warm version and one frozen thirst quencher
- Luscious hot chocolate served with toppings at a holiday hot chocolate bar
- A historic Kwanzaa drink that was first concocted over a century ago
- A slushie twist on the classic Cosmopolitan for Christmas and Hanukkah
- The original Champagne cocktail to ring in the new year with elegance
Pair these recipes with our blog post on how to set up a drink station for a party [add link once published], and your gatherings will be the ones everyone remembers for years to come!
Holiday Party Classics Upgraded: Warm and Frozen Punch Recipes
Wassail
Wassail isn’t just a warming holiday beverage to serve at your holiday gatherings; it will make your home smell fantastic with its spicy, fruity aromas. While this is a traditional Christmas cider beverage to toast to good health, its flavors go great with Hanukkah latkes too. In fact, many hosts have adopted this warm punch as a seasonal treat, from Winter Solstice to Valentine’s Day.
This recipe has no alcohol in it, so it’s ideal for visitors of all ages and non-drinkers. But those who want to imbibe can add a splash of bourbon or brandy to their cup.
- In a large stock pot, combine 8 cups apple cider, 2 cups pulp-free orange juice, and 2 cups of cranberry juice. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- While the juices heat, slice 2 red apples and 2 navel oranges into thin slices, removing any seeds.
- Press whole cloves (about 1 teaspoon full) into about half of the apple slices.
- Once the mixture has reached a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.
- Add the apple slices with cloves, half the orange slices, 1 cup of fresh cranberries, 4 cinnamon sticks, and 3-4 star anise to the pot.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Use a cheesecloth-lined sieve to strain the wassail into a bowl.
- Pour the strained beverage back into the stock pot, and set heat to low to keep warm.
- Add most of the remaining fruit slices and 1 cup cranberries to the pot, plus a few more cinnamon sticks and star anise. Reserve a few fruit slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks for garnish.
- Serve the wassail from the pot, so it stays warm, or transfer to a pre-warmed slow cooker set on low. Adorn with fruit and cinnamon, and toast to a winter of good health!
If you’re a fan of toasty holiday beverages, be sure to check out our hot chocolate recipe, below. You can also try these winter winners:
Reindeer Punch
Think your Luma Slushie Machine is just for summertime? Think again! Slushie machine recipes can be adapted to the holidays too. Here’s a sweet citrus-y holiday punch adults will love, and if you celebrate winter festivities in a warm climate, you’ll especially appreciate this chilled recipe.
Add the following ingredients to your slushie machine:
- 3 cups chilled cranberry juice
- 2 cups chilled orange juice
- 2 cups ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
- 1-½ cups chilled vodka
- ½ cup maraschino cherry juice
- Juice of 1 large lemon
Use the “Boozy Slush” setting on your Luma, and let the machine do the rest. No ice needed and cleanup is a breeze, since you can use your dishwasher!
Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate for All Ages
Hot Chocolate Bar
Hot chocolate is a great choice for a party with lots of kids in attendance or after outdoor activities like sledding or caroling. You can use your preferred hot chocolate recipe or try this one, which is made in a slow cooker. The rich beverage can slowly come together while you prepare for guests or go ice skating. For quicker preparation, swap out a stock pot on the stove for the slow cooker.
Add these ingredients to your slow cooker:
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 12-oz cans of evaporated milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring at the 60-minute mark to make sure the chocolate chips are well incorporated. If you have a warm setting, use that once everything is heated through and the chocolate has melted. So easy!
To make your hot chocolate more fun, turn it into a DIY bar by adding these toppings and garnishes:
- Marshmallows
- Whipped cream
- Toasted coconut
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate shavings
- Creamy peanut butter
- Candy canes
- Peppermint syrup
- Cookies for dunking
- Toffee bits
- Cinnamon
- Carmel sauce
A Vintage Homage for Kwanzaa
The Stinger
There are many popular drinks for Kwanzaa, which is celebrated annually from December 26 to January 1. But a particular favorite is the Stinger, created by Tom Bullock, the first African American cocktail book author. This recipe is from his 1917 publication The Ideal Bartender and is typically enjoyed as an after-dinner drink.
- Fill a large shaker with bullet ice or nugget ice
- Add 1 jigger of brandy
- Add 1 ounce (a pony) of white creme de menthe
- Shake well and strain into a serving glass
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint
This drink is even easier to make for a crowd if you have plenty of ice on hand. A portable ice maker for holiday drinks is much faster than the built-in mechanism in your kitchen refrigerator, churning out ice in as little as 15 minutes. Plus, you don’t have to worry about making space for bags of mini mart ice in your freezer.
Another Slushie Hit: An Icy Drink for Christmas and Hanukkah
Frozen Cosmo with Sugared Cranberries
This is a year-round favorite cocktail that’s easy to ice up and adorn for holiday parties.
In your Luma Slushie Machine, combine the following ingredients:
- 1 cup vodka (plain or citrus flavored)
- ½ cup triple sec or orange liqueur
- 1 cup cranberry juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ simple syrup or light agave nectar
- 1 cup water
Use the “Boozy Slush” setting on the machine, like with the Reindeer Punch recipe above.
Before serving, garnish each glass with sugared cranberries:
- Whisk ½ cup cane sugar with ½ cup water in a small saucepan to combine.
- Heat on low and bring to a simmer, continuing to whisk until the sugar dissolves.
- Add a scraped vanilla bean pod (optional).
- Take the saucepan off the heat, and add 1 cup fresh cranberries.
- Stir until the cranberries are evenly coated.
- Steep for 10 minutes in the pan with a cover.
- Strain and transfer the cranberries to a sheet of parchment paper over a cooling rack.
- Dry them for 1 hour at room temperature until they’re shiny but not wet.
- Sprinkle about ¼ cup cane sugar on a plate. Roll cranberries in the sugar to coat them.
Pro tip: if you’re making the cranberries ahead of time, store them in a lidded container with a tiny bowl of uncooked rice in the corner to absorb moisture. To freshen any moist cranberries before serving, simply roll them in more cane sugar.
New Year’s Favorite
Champagne Cocktail
Looking for easy New Year’s Eve cocktails? The original Champagne cocktail has been an elegant offering for decades. It’s a sophisticated way to serve up bubbly as one year turns into the next.
- Place a white sugar cube in the bottom of a Champagne flute.
- Douse the cube with a few drops of Angostura bitters.
- Add a splash of brandy or cognac.
- Top with 4-6 ounces of Champagne or a brut sparkling white.
- Garnish with a twist of lemon or orange.
You can make sure your Champagne is always chilled to the perfect temperature by adding a beverage fridge or wine fridge to your bar setup, whether it’s under your kitchen island or in your rec room. If you choose a freestanding model, you can move it around your home as the seasons change to go wherever your guests are.
Even better, a dual zone fridge lets you keep wine, beer, and soda at two different temperatures in the same unit. That way, you can keep drinks ready to serve at their ideal level of chill while storing wine being aged for later at a slightly warmer temperature.
Create Fun, Delicious Holiday Drinks with Help from Newair!
Whether you’re checking out slushie machines and beverage fridges or looking for the best ice maker for parties, it’s all online at Newair. Shop now, so you can enjoy fast delivery and relax before holiday entertaining begins.
You’ll love our two-year warranty and amazing customer service. To get the most out of your compact appliance, remember to register it when it arrives!
