Festive Cocktails
Explore 193 Festive cocktail recipes.
Festive cocktails do double duty — they have to look like an occasion and taste like a drink at the same time. They tend to lean on sparkling wine, bright colours, and the small theatrical moves (a coloured liqueur slowly settling, a long lemon spiral, a sugared rim) that signal that something is being celebrated. The Limoncello Spritz works the formula at its simplest: limoncello, prosecco and soda over ice, bright yellow against a clear glass, the kind of drink that gets ordered by the round.
The Negroni Sbagliato swaps the gin of a Negroni for prosecco, lightening the bitter spine without losing the structure. The Bronx pulls in three different citrus juices over gin and vermouth, and the Champagne Snowball stretches eggnog logic into something paler and lighter. What ties this list together is the visual element doing equal work to the flavour.
Festive cocktails are made to be seen as much as drunk. Most use sparkling wine somewhere in the build, most run lighter on alcohol than they look, and most reward a nice glass over a regular one. They're also forgiving of being made in batches — most of these scale up cleanly to a punch bowl or a jug, which makes them the right answer when there are more guests than there is shaking arm.
Our top Festive cocktail
Banderilla
Apricot brandy, Tequila blanco, Mezcal, Aperol, Succo di lime
More top Festive cocktails
Sugar Cookie Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Amaretto, Bailey's, Latte
Limoncello Spritz
Liquore al limone, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water
Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Tequila blanco, Cointreau, Succo di lime, Succo di limone, Purea di zucca
Winter pimms punch
Brandy, Pimm's No. 1, Apple juice, Orange, Apple, Cinnamon
Santa's Stiff Hot Chocolate
Dark rum, Miele, Latte, Essenza di vaniglia, Zucchero, Cannella, Hot chocolate
Hot Cross Bun Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Calvados, Sciroppo di cannella, Caffè
Claret Cup
Apricot brandy, Vino rosso, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water, Succo di pompelmo, Zucchero, Water, Arancia, Limone, Ananas, Water
Mince pie martini
Dark rum, Gin, Red vermouth, Sugar, Mincemeat
Mistletoe Margarita
Tequila blanco, Orange liqueur, Grand Marnier, Succo di mirtillo rosso, Succo di lime, Zucchero / sciroppo semplice
Champagne Snowball
Advocaat, Champagne / prosecco, Sherry (dry), Lime cordial
Christmas Cake Martini
Cherry brandy, Whiskey, Cognac, Sugar / simple syrup, Lime juice, Almond extract
Winter Whisky Sour
Bourbon, Sugar / simple syrup, Lemon juice, Orange juice
Sugar Cookie Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Amaretto, Bailey's, Latte
Limoncello Spritz
Liquore al limone, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water
Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Tequila blanco, Cointreau, Succo di lime, Succo di limone, Purea di zucca
Winter pimms punch
Brandy, Pimm's No. 1, Apple juice, Orange, Apple, Cinnamon
Santa's Stiff Hot Chocolate
Dark rum, Miele, Latte, Essenza di vaniglia, Zucchero, Cannella, Hot chocolate
Hot Cross Bun Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Calvados, Sciroppo di cannella, Caffè
Claret Cup
Apricot brandy, Vino rosso, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water, Succo di pompelmo, Zucchero, Water, Arancia, Limone, Ananas, Water
Mince pie martini
Dark rum, Gin, Red vermouth, Sugar, Mincemeat
Mistletoe Margarita
Tequila blanco, Orange liqueur, Grand Marnier, Succo di mirtillo rosso, Succo di lime, Zucchero / sciroppo semplice
Champagne Snowball
Advocaat, Champagne / prosecco, Sherry (dry), Lime cordial
Christmas Cake Martini
Cherry brandy, Whiskey, Cognac, Sugar / simple syrup, Lime juice, Almond extract
Winter Whisky Sour
Bourbon, Sugar / simple syrup, Lemon juice, Orange juice
More top Festive cocktails
Sugar Cookie Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Amaretto, Bailey's, Latte
Limoncello Spritz
Liquore al limone, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water
Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Tequila blanco, Cointreau, Succo di lime, Succo di limone, Purea di zucca
Winter pimms punch
Brandy, Pimm's No. 1, Apple juice, Orange, Apple, Cinnamon
Santa's Stiff Hot Chocolate
Dark rum, Miele, Latte, Essenza di vaniglia, Zucchero, Cannella, Hot chocolate
Hot Cross Bun Martini
Vodka alla vaniglia, Calvados, Sciroppo di cannella, Caffè
Claret Cup
Apricot brandy, Vino rosso, Champagne / prosecco, Soda water, Succo di pompelmo, Zucchero, Water, Arancia, Limone, Ananas, Water
Mince pie martini
Dark rum, Gin, Red vermouth, Sugar, Mincemeat
Mistletoe Margarita
Tequila blanco, Orange liqueur, Grand Marnier, Succo di mirtillo rosso, Succo di lime, Zucchero / sciroppo semplice
Champagne Snowball
Advocaat, Champagne / prosecco, Sherry (dry), Lime cordial
Christmas Cake Martini
Cherry brandy, Whiskey, Cognac, Sugar / simple syrup, Lime juice, Almond extract
Winter Whisky Sour
Bourbon, Sugar / simple syrup, Lemon juice, Orange juice
Explore every Festive cocktail
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Browse all Festive cocktails