Easy Holiday Cocktails and Thoughtful Bar Gifts

A short home bar, three drinks you mix when people arrive, and gifts that are a bottle, a homemade kit, or a ready-made box. Measures below are in millilitres.

Your essential holiday cocktail bar

You do not need a back-bar’s worth of bottles. A clear spirit, a whiskey, one orange liqueur, cranberry juice, fresh citrus, and a syrup will carry a whole evening. If shaking and stirring are still new, read the beginner’s guide to cocktail making before you buy a second set of tools.

Base spirits

The bottle is most of the drink. Buy a decent one of each style you will actually pour.

• Vodka. A neutral spirit that takes on cranberry, citrus, and coffee liqueur. A plain vodka distilled from wheat, potato, or grain is the useful bottle. A citrus or vanilla vodka is a shortcut when you only have time for a two-ingredient mix.
• Gin. Juniper and citrus sit happily with cranberry and rosemary. One bottle is enough: a London Dry or a contemporary gin from The Whisky Exchange covers these drinks. Old Tom is a touch sweeter; navy strength is bigger and hotter. Buy those only if you already drink them.
• Rum. Light rum stays soft in a cranberry mojito (muddle a few cranberries with mint). Dark rum brings molasses and oak to eggnog and hot buttered rum. A spiced rum already carries cinnamon and clove if you do not want to make a syrup.
• Whiskey (bourbon or rye). Bourbon is the sweeter, rounder American whiskey, and it is the base of the spiced apple Old Fashioned below. Rye is drier and spicier. Either works in a hot toddy with honey and lemon. The gift kit further down is built on whisky, which may be a different style from bourbon, so read the label.
• Tequila. Blanco is bright and works in a cranberry margarita. Reposado has spent a few months in oak and sits well in spiced apple cider. Añejo is for sipping; it is a luxury extra, not a requirement for this party.

Liqueurs

Use these to add one holiday flavour. You do not need the whole shelf.

• Orange liqueur. The citrus note in the cranberry martini and in a lot of other holiday sours. A dry triple sec keeps the drink bright. A cognac-based orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, tastes richer and heavier. Match the bottle to the recipe.
• Coffee liqueur. The roasted note in the gingerbread White Russian. It likes cream and chocolate. Brands vary from straight coffee to coffee with vanilla or spice.
• Amaretto. Almond, often with a hint of apricot kernel. It suits cranberry, whiskey, and a mug of hot chocolate, and it makes a simple sour with lemon.
• Peppermint schnapps. A strong mint. Use a small measure or it takes over the glass. Clear schnapps stays crisp; creamy schnapps turns the drink into a pudding. Worth it in a chocolate drink, easy to overdo elsewhere.
• Irish cream. Whiskey, cream, and sugar in one bottle. Pour it over ice after dinner, or fold it into coffee. Some bottles lean chocolate or caramel.

Mixers

Freshness matters more here than brand loyalty.

• Cranberry juice. Keep an unsweetened bottle when you want to control the sugar, and a sweetened one for a quick mix. Check the carton for a high cranberry content.
• Lemon and lime. Squeeze them. Bottled citrus tastes flat next to fruit you cut the same day.
• Orange juice. Useful with rum, whiskey, and a festive mimosa. Pulp is a texture choice.
• Apple juice or cloudy cider. The autumn and winter mixer for whiskey, rum, and reposado. Warm it with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves, then take it off the heat before it boils.
• Ginger beer and ginger ale. Ginger beer is hotter and usually drier. Ginger ale is the milder mixer. Either lengthens a holiday mule.
• Soda water and tonic. For gin and tonic with a seasonal garnish, and for spritzes that should stay light. A plain soda is more useful than a flavoured one.
• Cola. A simple long drink with spiced rum or whiskey. Vanilla cola is the festive detour.

Simple syrups

Equal parts sugar and water is the rule. A practical batch is 200 ml water and 200 g caster sugar, stirred over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then cooled. Keep it in the fridge.

• Plain syrup. The default sweetener. Caster or demerara both work; demerara tastes a little richer.
• Cinnamon syrup. Drop a cinnamon stick into the hot syrup, let it cool in the pan, and strain. A pinch of nutmeg or allspice is optional.
• Gingerbread syrup. Off the heat, stir in a spoon of molasses, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, a little ground clove, and a pinch of nutmeg. Taste before you add more clove.
• Cranberry syrup. Simmer fresh cranberries with the sugar and water until they burst. Strain. A rosemary sprig in the pan adds a pine note. The solids are sharp enough to spoon over ice cream, but the drink only needs the liquid.

Easy festive garnishes

A garnish should smell of something when it gets near the glass. One of these is enough.

Citrus

• Orange twist with cloves. Cut a strip of peel with a channel knife, press a few whole cloves into it, and twist it over the drink so the oils land on the surface. It suits spiced whiskey and mulled-wine style drinks.
• Lime wedge with a cranberry. Cut a small slit in a lime wedge and tuck in one cranberry. A cocktail pick stops it falling out.
• Candied orange. Simmer thin slices in syrup until they look translucent, then dry them in a low oven. Store them in an airtight tin. They work on a sparkling drink or a short whiskey.
• Star shapes. Use a small biscuit cutter on a slice of orange, lemon, or lime. A dusting of icing sugar looks like snow if the drink is dark enough to show it.

Sugared cranberries and rosemary

• Sugared cranberries. Toss cranberries in syrup, roll them in caster sugar, and leave them on baking paper until the coating sets. Skewer three, or scatter them on the foam of a fizz.
• Rosemary. A short sprig looks like a tiny tree and smells of pine. Slap it once between your palms before it goes in the glass so the aroma is actually there.
• Skewer. One sprig and two sugared cranberries on a pick is the full festive garnish. Prep a tray of them before anyone arrives.

Edible glitter

A pinch of food-grade edible glitter on a clear or pale drink is plenty. Read the tub: it has to be sold as edible. Glitter meant for cards is not a garnish. Shimmer powder that is made to dissolve gives a softer shine in a creamy drink or a sparkling one. Use less than you think.

Ice

• Herb cubes. Freeze a small rosemary, thyme, or mint sprig in each cube.
• Cranberry cubes. One or two berries per compartment.
• Citrus wheels. A thin wheel frozen in the cube flavours the drink as it melts.
• Edible flowers. Only flowers sold for eating. Freeze them in clear water so the drink stays pretty rather than muddy.

Holiday cocktail gifts

Give one thing they will use: a bottle, a kit you packed yourself, or a box that already has the method inside.

A beginner set you can pack

For someone starting out, pack a bottle of the spirit they already drink (vodka, gin, or a light rum), a small bottle of your plain syrup, a jigger, a bar spoon, three recipe cards, and a handful of dried citrus slices.

If you do not know their favourite spirit, send a cocktail gift set instead of guessing. Cocktail Crates packs the ingredients and the instructions in the box. Choose a set built around a drink they already order.

Two other packs, if you know their drink:

• Margarita. Blanco or reposado tequila, an orange liqueur, a lime juicer, salt, and two margarita glasses.
• Old Fashioned, packed at home. Bourbon or rye, aromatic bitters, demerara syrup or sugar cubes, an orange peeler, and two rocks glasses. If you would rather hand over a finished box, Cocktail Crates sells an Old Fashioned cocktail kit: whisky, orange liqueur, cane sugar, bitters, cherries, and soda, with a method card. That box is their classic Old Fashioned. The spiced-apple recipe further down uses bourbon and a spiced syrup, so the two drinks are different. Read the current contents, and the price in pounds, on their page.

Baking kits with a bottle beside them

These are parcels you assemble from a bottle and a few store-cupboard ingredients.

• Rum and raisin. A bottle of dark rum, raisins, a small jar of mixed spice, and a recipe card.
• Irish cream and chocolate. Irish cream, cocoa, chocolate chips, and a mould or a tin.
• Amaretto biscotti. Amaretto, ground almonds, and a biscotti recipe, plus a tin to send the biscuits back in if you are baking them yourself.

Bar tools

A named shaker, a pair of glasses they do not own yet, or a small tool set (jigger, spoon, strainer) is a sound gift when the bottles are already on the shelf. A recipe book helps if they would rather read than be handed a shopping list. Pick tools you have held, or a maker with a clear returns policy.

Three easy holiday cocktails

Each recipe is one drink. Volumes use 30 ml for each US fluid ounce in the original measures, so 0.75 fl oz is 22 ml and 0.5 fl oz is 15 ml.

For other times of year, the seasonal cocktails guide is the short list beyond this holiday set.

Cranberry bliss martini

• 60 ml vodka
• 30 ml cranberry juice
• 22 ml orange liqueur
• 15 ml fresh lime juice
• Garnish: sugared cranberries and an orange twist

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Use a dry orange liqueur if you want the cranberry to stay sharp. The Whisky Exchange lists these among its fruit liqueurs, orange included. A richer, cognac-based orange liqueur will taste heavier in this glass.

Spiced apple Old Fashioned

• 60 ml bourbon
• 15 ml spiced apple syrup (cinnamon syrup mixed with a spoon of cloudy apple juice, or the cinnamon syrup on its own)
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Garnish: orange peel

Stir with ice and strain over a large cube in a rocks glass. Express the peel over the drink.

Any bourbon you would drink on a cube is the right bottle. The Whisky Exchange’s bourbon range is wide. Choose by the price in pounds and by the style you like. Rye works if you want the drink drier.

Gingerbread White Russian

• 60 ml vodka
• 30 ml coffee liqueur
• 30 ml gingerbread cream (equal parts double cream and gingerbread syrup)
• Garnish: a grate of nutmeg

Build the vodka and coffee liqueur in a rocks glass with ice. Pour the cream slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits on top. Nutmeg last.

Hosting the party

• Batch the still parts. Stir spirit, juice, and syrup in a jug that morning and keep it cold. Add ice, cream, and fizz in the glass. A bottled clarified cocktail is a separate make-ahead project if you want one clear punch beside these shaken drinks.
• One station. Bottles, jigger, ice bucket, garnish tray, and a note of what each jug is. Keep the station away from the kitchen traffic.
• A lighter first round. Start with something shorter and less rich than a cream drink. The pre-dinner aperitif drinks guide is the list for that first glass.
• Ice and garnish in volume. Run out of ice and the batch was wasted. Make the cranberry skewers before guests arrive.
• Self-serve after the first round. Leave the method card by the jug and let people pour once you have made the opening drinks.
• Food. Put something salty and something fresh on the table. The cocktail and food pairing guide matches the weight of the drink to the plate.
• Labels. Name the drink and the allergens: dairy in the cream and the Irish cream, nuts in the amaretto, gluten if any biscuit garnish sneaks in.
• Soft drinks and water. Sparkling water, the cranberry juice on its own, and a jug of the batch with the spirit left out. Offer water with every round.
• Getting home. Tell people the plan before the second drink. Stop pouring while everyone can still leave safely.
• The room. Rosemary in a jar, orange peel on the tray, and a dim lamp do more than another bottle.

How to put a holiday drink together

Allow about 30 minutes before guests arrive for the syrup and the garnish. Mix the drinks when you pour.

1. Choose one spirit path. Buy either a vodka or gin, or a bourbon or rye, plus the matching liqueur for the drink you will actually serve. Leave the rest of the bar list for another party.
2. Make one syrup. Stir equal parts caster sugar and water over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, or make a batch with 200 ml water and 200 g caster sugar. Infuse a cinnamon stick, or add the gingerbread spices, if that is the drink you are making. Cool and refrigerate.
3. Prepare one garnish. Roll cranberries in syrup and then in sugar, or cut orange twists. Keep them covered until you pour.
4. Mix to order, or batch the still ingredients. For one glass, shake or stir the recipe with ice and strain. For a party, combine the spirit, juice, and syrup in a jug that morning, chill it, and add ice and any cream or fizz in the glass.
5. Set a small station. Put out ice, a jigger, the garnish, glassware, and a clearly labelled non-alcoholic option such as the same juice and soda without the spirit.
6. Serve water and stop in good time. Offer water alongside every round. Stop pouring while guests can still get home. Alcohol is for over-18s in the UK.

Common questions

What do I need to buy for these holiday cocktails?

One clear spirit (vodka or gin), one whiskey (bourbon or rye), an orange liqueur, cranberry juice, fresh lemon or lime, and a simple syrup will cover the three drinks in this guide. Rum, tequila, and the other liqueurs are extras for guests who want a second style.

Can I make the drinks before the party?

Shake or stir each drink to order so the ice stays fresh. You can mix the still parts (spirit, juice, and syrup) on the morning of the party, keep that base cold, and add ice, cream floats, and fizz when you pour. Syrups and sugared cranberries keep for several days in the fridge.

What is a fair cocktail gift if I do not want to assemble a kit?

Give one bottle the person already likes, or a ready-made cocktail gift set that includes small bottles and a method card. An assemble-it-yourself kit suits someone who already owns glasses and a jigger.

Which garnish is quickest?

An orange twist, expressed over the glass, or a sugared cranberry with a small rosemary sprig. Prep the cranberries earlier in the day and each drink takes a few seconds to finish.

Are the recipes in UK measures?

Yes. Quantities are in millilitres, at 30 ml to each US fluid ounce from the original recipes. Buy in pounds and check the retailer for the current price.

A small bar and one practised drink will do more for the evening than a crowded shelf. Mix the cranberry martini, the spiced apple Old Fashioned, or the gingerbread White Russian, put water on the table, and leave the rest of the list for the next party.