--- title: Classic Holiday Cocktails description: From hot toddies to spiked eggnog, what to serve at your holiday gathering canonical: https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-12T14:10:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:44.975Z og:title: 10 Classic Cocktails to Try This Holiday Season og:description: From hot toddies to spiked eggnog, what to serve at your holiday gathering og:url: https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Classic Cocktails to Try This Holiday Season twitter:description: From hot toddies to spiked eggnog, what to serve at your holiday gathering twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 10 Classic Cocktails You Should Try This Holiday Season by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Dec 12, 2014 2:10 PM UTC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Dec 12, 2014 2:10 PM UTC The holiday season is full of decisions, so when it comes to pouring cocktails, make your life easier and stick with crowd-pleasing standards. ### Hot Toddy  Hot rum toddy Paul —Getty Images Not only a festive choice for winter, but also the unofficial cocktail for people with colds, the hot toddy is the [perfect antidote](http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/honey-bourbon-toddy) to cold-weather blues: hot water, lemon, bourbon, lemon and cinnamon or star anise. ### Spiked Eggnog  Three eggnogs Debbi Smirnoff—Getty Images If you want to get fancy, [make your own](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggnog-recipe2.html) eggnog with eggs, milk and sugar. Otherwise, pop open a carton and simply add your choice of bourbon, brandy or rum. Bonus points for a sprinkling of nutmeg. ### Mulled Wine  Warm Spiced Wine by the Fire Getty Images Whether you call it glühwein, glögg or plain old [mulled wine](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mulled-wine-recipe.html), few drinks can fill your home with as welcoming an aroma as hot red wine, cinnamon, cloves and citrus. ### Brandy Alexander  Brandy Alexander, cocktail Christian Kargl—Getty Images Like a snowball in a glass, a Brandy Alexander is on the simpler end of the spectrum for a shaken cocktail: [just shake](http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017013-brandy-alexander) equal parts brandy, crème de cacao and heavy cream with ice. ### Hot Buttered Rum  Glass Mug of Hot Buttered Rum with Cinnamon Sticks on a Blue Napkin Steve Buchanan—Getty Images Long before Americans started adding butter to their morning cup of joe to make bulletproof coffee, they were melting it in their holiday cocktails to make hot buttered rum. Quickly [simmer](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hot-Buttered-Rum-233820) water, butter and winter spices, then add your favorite rum. ### Gingersnap  BLT Cocktail with lemons on table Phoebe Lapine—Getty Images Match your cocktail to your cookies with this [concoction](http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/bourbon-ginger-snap-0) of lemon, honey, ginger and bourbon. ### Spiked Cider  Hot Apple Cider Janine Lamontagne—Getty Images Give the people what they want: hot apple cider with a hearty splash of bourbon or rum. [Serve](http://www.marthastewart.com/326843/warm-cider-and-rum-punch) punch-style to keep life simple. ### Peppermint Vodka  Studio shot of martini drink with peppermint candy cane Getty Iamges If you prefer on-the-rocks drinks, add holiday cheer to your glass by infusing vodka with peppermint: [just steep](http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/infused-vodka-recipes/) candy canes in decent vodka for half an hour, strain and serve over ice. ### Spiked Hot Chocolate  Hot chocolate on white John E. Kelly—Getty Images Serve dessert in a cocktail glass by adding whiskey to your favorite hot chocolate [recipe](http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-chocolate-hot-chocolate) — for best results, avoid the powdered stuff. ### Classic Champagne Cocktail  champagne cocktail with sugar cube Rob Palmer—Getty Images When it comes time for Auld Lang Syne, most folks want to break out the champagne. [Make it](http://www.marthastewart.com/312637/classic-champagne-cocktail) slightly more festive by adding bitters, sugar and cognac. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/"},"headline":"10 Classic Cocktails You Should Try This Holiday Season","datePublished":"2014-12-12T14:10:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:44.975Z","description":"From hot toddies to spiked eggnog, what to serve at your holiday gathering","url":"https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/","keywords":["Living","Food & Drink","photography","Holidays","Cocktails"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3628183/holiday-cocktails/","name":"10 Classic Cocktails You Should Try This Holiday Season"}}]}] ```