More than 50% of employees dread the office Christmas party. But that doesn’t mean they have to dread the parties thrown by their friends and family.
Plus, if you pull out all the stops when it comes to food and drink, how could they? One of the best parts of the holidays is indulging in delicious, treats and festive holiday drinks while having fun with the people you care about.
If you’re still wondering what to serve at your holiday party this year, check out our list of classic holiday drinks to really spike the cheer!
Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is one of the best holiday drinks to serve at a party because you can make a lot of it all at once. Plus, it doesn’t take that much effort from you!
With a few ingredients like warm spices and a hint of fruit, you can whip up some mulled wine in no time. Toss it all in a pot and let it simmer for a while, giving all those flavors time to come together. Not only will you have a marvelous, warming drink at the end of it, but your house will also smell amazing!
A crucial point to remember: when making mulled wine, always opt for fresh, whole spices. They give off all that delicious flavor without making the wine grainy or otherwise changing the consistency. Some of the best spice options are cloves, cinnamon, and star anise.
When it comes to choosing a wine, pick a red with a slightly higher alcohol content. It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy or expensive, but it does have to be a wine that you would drink on its own.
Classic Eggnog
Regardless of your opinion on whether eggnog is delicious or the strangest drink you’ve ever heard of, it’s undeniably a classic holiday drink. Made from eggs, milk, cream, and a dash of your favorite liquor, traditional eggnog dates back hundreds of years.
When it comes to choosing a liquor to spike your eggnog, rum, whiskey, brandy, or bourbon are always good choices. One of the reasons this is one of those great festive holiday drinks, though, is that you can personalize it. You can even mix multiple liquors together to create a spiked eggnog to your tastes.
With such a rich and creamy base, it’s hard to go wrong in spicing it up a little.
You can add the alcohol to the full batch when you’re making it or leave it to be added to individual glasses. If you’re thinking of this as one of your drinks to serve at a party, you could set up an eggnog station, where everyone could spike their own glasses!
Peppermint Martini
For a festive take on a real classic drink, whip up a peppermint-flavored martini. With such a simple base of either gin or vodka and vermouth, the classic martini is a great blank canvas to explore new flavors. Take advantage of it for the holidays!
When it comes to this peppermint version, vodka will be the better option. With a more neutral flavor profile, vodka will let the minty freshness of the peppermint shine. Or you could pick a vodka that has some complementary flavors infused, like Blue Rhino liqueur, made with notes of vanilla and cinnamon.
Adding a dash of chocolate liqueur brings this whole drink together. If you want to step up your game, dip the rim of your glass in crushed peppermint candies!
Holiday Punch
Just like the mulled wine, holiday punch is one of the best holiday drinks because you can make it in a big batch. Not only that, but you can also let your creative, festive spirit run wild and put your own twist on it!
It’s another holiday drink option that’s easy to put together because it’s just a matter of pouring all of your ingredients into a bowl. If you’re adding fruit to your punch, you can put it all together a few hours in advance to let the fresh fruit lend all its delicious flavor to the mixture.
Most punches also have some sort of sparkling component, like soda or sparkling wine. It’s best to pour this in right before serving so that you don’t lose all the bubbles.
Rum and vodka are both great liquor options, but you should go with what you like best!
If you need to keep your punch cold, either put the whole bowl on ice or chill the ingredients separately before combining them. Adding ice to the punch itself can dilute it and water down the flavors.
Hot Buttered Rum
This is another of those festive holiday drinks that, like eggnog, has been around for centuries. Given it’s been around so long, plenty of people have gone ahead and put their own spin on it. But really, nothing beats the classic.
Hot buttered rum is perfect for chilly winter nights because it warms you up in more ways than one. It’s served hot, but it’s also chock full of warming spices like cinnamon and allspice, and it’s just the right amount of boozy with a solid, dark rum.
To make this classic holiday drink, you first make a sort of spiced butter. Then, you add a little bit of that spiced butter to your hot rum, and there you have it!
Hot Toddy
Believe it or not, this drink was first used to try and cure the common cold! A warming mixture of bourbon, rum, or brandy with lemon and honey will quickly make you feel cozy all over.
Some versions of this drink use tea as a base, but the simplest way to make it is with hot water. The liquor, spices, and honey will give it all the flavor it needs.
Spike Your Party With These Classic Holiday Drinks
Now that you have a better idea of some of the most classic holiday drinks, pick a few to serve at your next holiday party. They’ll be sure to lend a festive spirit to the whole event and put a smile on your guests’ faces.
If you enjoyed this article, check out some of our other Home blog posts for more tips and tricks to make your house entertainment ready!
