23 Festive Christmas Cocktails To Drink This Holiday Season

Season cheer is in the air…and in your cocktail. Billie Keithley is bringing on the holiday spirit with 23 hand-crafted cocktails.

HOLIDAY HIGHBALL

Holiday Highball
1-1/2 Breckenridge High Proof Bourbon Whiskey (Buy Now)
Soda
Cranberry Collins Cube*

Garnish: Cranberries

Place Collins cube into Collins glass, add Breckenridge High Proof and top with soda. Make sure all ingredients are COLD.

*Cranberry Collins cube: freeze cranberries into Collins cube mold.

WINTER WONDERLAND

Winter Wonderland
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Pear Vodka (Buy Now)
3 oz pear juice
¾ oz mace simple syrup* (mace is the shell of nutmeg)
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
½ tsp white Brew Glitter 

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain and serve up. 

*Mace simple syrup: over medium heat add 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and ½ cup whole mace. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let rest 20 minutes, cool, strain, bottle and refrigerate. 

WHISKEY MULLED WINE

Whiskey Mulled Wine
Batched, serves 6-7 guests
6 oz Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey (Buy Now)
1 bottle Cabernet
1 oz honey
1 oz Turbinado sugar
1 tbsp cardamom seeds, muddled
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
Peels from two oranges
1 lemon, sliced 

Over low-med heat, add all ingredients. Stir to incorporate. Keep on this heat for 20 minutes. Then turn to low and cover for 30 minutes. Strain when you have the balance you like. Return to low heat and serve garnished with orange, cinnamon stick, star anise. 

SUGAR PLUM FAIRY

Sugar Plum Fairy
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey (Buy Now)
Spiced Plum Tea

In a tempered mug, add Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey and top with hot spiced plum tea. 

Garnish: Gum drops 

CANDY CANE FOREST

Candy Cane Forest
1-1/2 oz Candy Cane infused Breckenridge Vodka* (Buy Now)
2 oz white chocolate liqueur
2 dashes Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters
Whipped cream 

Shake top three ingredients with ice. Strain and serve up. Top with whip cream. 

Garnish: mini candy canes 

*Candy Cane Breck Vodka: pour 8 ounces Breckenridge Vodka into a mason jar and 4 ounces candy canes slightly broken. Seal, shake and let rest a few hours. Strain and return to mason jar and refrigerate. 

  

COTTON HEADED NINNY-MUGGINS

Cotton Headed Ninny-Muggins
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon (Buy Now)
3/4 oz maple syrup
Top with ginger beer

Incorporate ingredients with crushed ice.

Garnish: cotton candy, candy canes and candy corn.

MR. GRINCH

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Gin (Buy Now)
1 oz wintergreen tea syrup*
1 oz lime juice
Top with Fever Tree Tonic Water
1/4 tsp green pearl dust

Shake top 3 ingredients with ice. Strain over ice. Add tonic and dust and stir to incorporate.

Garnish: mint bouquet

*Wintergreen tea simple syrup: over medium heat add 1 cup of brewed mint green tea and 1 cup sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate.

RUMCRACKER

Rumcracker
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Rum Cask Finish (Buy Now)
3 oz chai
2 oz vanilla almond milk
2 dashes Fee Brothers Toasted Nut Bitters

Shake first 3 ingredients with ice. Strain and serve with crushed ice. Add bitters.

Garnish: cracked nuts

OHHH FFFFUDGE!! (Christmas Story)

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey (Buy Now)
1 oz Irish cream
Top with hot cocoa and whip cream.

Garnish: mini fudge squares

SILVER AND GOLD

Silver and Gold
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Vodka (Buy Now)
5 oz white cranberry juice
Splash of Prosecco
1/4 tsp silver pearl dust

Stir all ingredients with ice.

Garnish: red edible flower.

THE GRINCH’S GARDEN

The Grinch’s Garden
1 oz Breckenridge Gin (Buy Now)
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
Soda water

Dry shake top 5 ingredients for 30 seconds. Add a large cube and shake another 30 seconds. Double strain into a Collins glass. Slowly top with soda.

PASSION FOR WINTER

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Pear Vodka (Buy Now)
1 oz Perfect Puree EL Corazon
Top with sparkling water

Stir ingredients with ice.

Garnish: blood oranges cut into quarter wheels with pomegranate seeds.

FA, LA, LA, LA NOG

Fa, La, La, La Nog
2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon (Buy Now)
4 oz egg nog
1/2 oz vanilla liqueur
3 dashes walnut bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice. Served up.

Garnish: sprinkle of vanilla bean sugar.

MERRY FLIPMAS

Merry Flipmas
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey (Buy Now)
1/2 oz nut liqueur
1 oz creme of coconut
1 oz toasted almond milk
1 egg

Shake all ingredients with ice well. Strain over ice.

Garnish: grated nutmeg and cardamom sugar

Muletide

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Pear Vodka (Buy Now)
1 oz cranberry juice
1/2 oz Colorado honey simple syrup*
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes cranberry bitters
Top with ginger beer

Garnish: lime and cranberries

*Honey simple syrup: over medium heat, add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup honey & 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until dissolved.

SANTA’S LIL HELPER

Santa’s Lil Helper
2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon (Buy Now)/brown butter/Christmas cookie wash*

Pour over large ice ball, sip and enjoy the slight nuances of a sugar Christmas cookie in this spirit forward Breckenridge Bourbon libation.

*Breckenridge Bourbon wash: add 1 stick of butter to a skillet on medium-low heat. Let it melt until it turns a caramel color and nutty aroma comes forth. Add 5 muddled sugar cookies. Stir. Pour the skillet and 375 ml of Breckenridge Bourbon into a plastic container. Let rest about an hour at room temp. (You’ll see the butter separating). Put into the freezer 4 hours. Take out of the freezer and pull the butter layer off. (Can use this delicious butter for a spread). Strain the rest into a bottle.

Spiced Sleigh Bells

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Gin (Buy Now)
1-1/2 oz cranberry/habanero/cinnamon syrup*
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Serve over ice.

Garnish: cranberries and sliced habanero

*Cranberry, habanero and cinnamon simple syrup: over medium heat add 8 oz cranberry juice, 8 oz sugar, 4 oz cranberries muddled with 1 tablespoon chopped habanero pepper and pinch of ground cinnamon. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and strain. Refrigerate.

BILLIE’S HOT BUTTERED RUM

Billie’s Hot Buttered Rum
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Rum (Buy Now)
1 generous tablespoon hot buttered rum batter*
Top with hot water.

Add ingredients into a mug. Give it a little stir.

Garnish: churros and fresh ground cinnamon

*Hot buttered rum batter: add one stick of softened butter, 1 pint of churro ice cream (substitute your favorite decadent ice cream if you desire), 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into a blender. Blend until a it becomes a very thick milkshake consistency. Transfer to a covered container and keep in the freezer.

BLITZEN GROG

2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Rum (Buy Now)
1 oz blackberry syrup
Eggnog

Shake Breckenridge spiced rum and nog with ice. Layer over 1oz blackberry syrup.

Garnish: blackberries and freshly grated nutmeg.

TIS THE SEASON FIZZ

Tis the Season Fizz
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Pear Vodka (Buy Now)
1 oz cranberry, pomegranate, blackberry shrub
Top with soda

Garnish: cranberries

*Cranberry/Blackberry/Pomegranate shrub: over medium heat add 8 oz cranberry juice, 6 oz sugar, 1 oz cider vinegar, 2 oz cranberries, 2 oz pomegranate seeds, 2 oz blackberries muddled. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let rest 2 hours. Strain & bottle.

BLOOD ORANGE BLISS

Blood Orange Bliss
1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Vodka (Buy Now)
1 oz blood orange juice
1/2 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz lime juice
1 dash cranberry bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain and serve over crushed ice.

Garnish: blood orange slice and mint

DEER SANTA

1-1/2 oz Breckenridge Bourbon (Buy Now)
1/2 oz nut liquor
Fill with hot cocoa

Top with butterscotch whip cream and sprinkles

SPICED WHISKEY CIDER SOUR

2 oz Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey (Buy Now)
1 oz cold, unfiltered apple cider
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain and serve up.

Garnish: traditional fruit cake square with a flame.

Looking for more cocktail inspiration?

Check out our Thanksgiving cocktail and dish pairings, winter cocktails and summer cocktails.

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