Holiday Cocktails: Drinks for Thanksgiving Through New Year's
Recipes · 2026-08-07 · 10 min read · by Jake
Holiday cocktails need to do two things: taste festive and serve a crowd. Nobody wants to be shaking individual drinks for 20 people on Christmas Eve. The best holiday drinks are either batch-able (make a big pitcher) or simple enough that guests can make their own.
Here are drinks for every holiday moment — from Thanksgiving dinner to Christmas morning to New Year's Eve midnight.
Thanksgiving: Cranberry Bourbon Smash
Bourbon, fresh cranberry syrup, lemon juice, and a splash of orange juice. It's tart, festive, and the deep red color looks gorgeous on a Thanksgiving table.
Cranberry syrup: simmer fresh cranberries with sugar and water until they pop, strain. It keeps for weeks and works in dozens of cocktails.
2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz cranberry syrup, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, splash of orange juice. Shake, strain over ice. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
Christmas Eve: Mulled Wine
One bottle of red wine, brandy, honey, oranges, cinnamon, cloves, star anise. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Serve in mugs. The whole house smells incredible.
Make it in a slow cooker on low and leave it going all evening. Guests can ladle their own. It's the easiest way to serve warm cocktails to a crowd.
Christmas Morning: Mimosa Bar
Set up bottles of Prosecco with 3-4 juices: orange, grapefruit, cranberry, and peach nectar. Let people mix their own. Add a bottle of St-Germain for anyone who wants an upgrade.
Buy twice as much sparkling wine as you think you need. Christmas morning Mimosas always go faster than expected.
Christmas Dinner: Eggnog (Batch)
Per 8 servings: 6 eggs (separated), 1 cup sugar, 2 cups bourbon (or rum, or mix), 4 cups whole milk, 2 cups heavy cream. Whisk yolks with sugar, add spirits and dairy, fold in whipped whites. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Make it the day before — eggnog actually improves overnight as the flavors meld. Grate fresh nutmeg on each serving.
New Year's Eve: French 75 (Batch)
The most elegant NYE cocktail. Batch the gin-lemon-sugar base in advance, then top individual glasses with Champagne at midnight.
For 8 servings: 12 oz gin, 6 oz fresh lemon juice, 4 oz simple syrup, 4 oz water. Mix and refrigerate. At midnight: pour 2 oz of the base into each flute, top with 3 oz Champagne.
New Year's Day: Bloody Mary Bar
The morning-after cure. Set up a Bloody Mary station: vodka, tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, horseradish, celery salt, black pepper, lemon wedges. Let people build their own to their spice tolerance.
Garnish station: celery stalks, pickles, olives, bacon strips, shrimp, cheese cubes. A good Bloody Mary bar is half the brunch.
Universal Holiday Punch
Works for any holiday gathering: 1 bottle bourbon, 8 oz fresh lemon juice, 6 oz honey syrup, 4 oz pomegranate juice, 1 bottle sparkling wine (added just before serving). Serves 12-15.
Make the base (everything except sparkling wine) up to a day ahead. Add the sparkling wine and a large ice block right before guests arrive. Ladle into cups with a lemon wheel.