20 easy Christmas cocktails, punches and mocktails

The short answer: easy christmas cocktails set the mood the moment guests walk in. This guide has 20 cocktails, punches and mocktails, plus how much to buy and tips for hosting safely.

• Plan a menu: one warm drink, one sparkling drink, one big-batch drink and one great mocktail
• A 750 ml bottle of wine pours 5 glasses
• Ice: 1 to 2 pounds per guest
• Self-serve bar setup and safe-hosting tips below
• Next step: Plan it with the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99).

Christmas cocktails set the mood the moment guests walk in. A pitcher of cranberry punch on the counter, mulled wine warming in the slow cooker or a tray of sparkling poinsettias says "the party has started." This guide has 20 easy Christmas cocktails and mocktails, from classic eggnog to big-batch punches, plus how much to buy, a simple party bar setup and tips for hosting safely. Every recipe makes one drink unless it says otherwise. You can even match the drinks to one of these holiday party themes. A big-batch punch is an easy fit for an ugly sweater party too.

How to plan a Christmas drinks menu

You don't need a full bar. Three or four drinks cover most parties:

• One warm drink (mulled wine, hot cider or hot buttered rum)
• One sparkling drink (a poinsettia or cranberry mimosa)
• One big-batch drink (Christmas punch or sangria)
• One great mocktail for kids, drivers and anyone not drinking

Batch drinks let you enjoy the party instead of shaking cocktails all night. The same idea works year-round with a pitcher margarita recipe. Our paloma recipe scales to a pitcher for 8 the same way.

Classic Christmas cocktails

1. Cooked eggnog (serves 8)

Whisk 6 egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of warm whole milk, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160°F and coats a spoon. Strain, stir in 1 cup of cream, vanilla and nutmeg, and chill. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of bourbon, rum or brandy just before serving, or leave it out. Britannica describes eggnog as a drink of eggs, milk or cream and sugar that has long been popular at Christmas in the U.S. Cooking the base to 160°F is the safe way to make it, since raw eggs can carry Salmonella.

2. Mulled wine (serves 6)

Warm one bottle of dry red wine with 1 sliced orange, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 2 star anise and 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey. Keep it just below a simmer for 20 minutes. Hold in a slow cooker on warm.

3. Hot buttered rum

Mix 1 tablespoon of softened butter with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add 1.5 ounces of dark rum and top with 4 to 6 ounces of hot water.

4. Hot toddy

Stir 1.5 ounces of whiskey, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 ounce of lemon juice into 6 ounces of hot water. Add a cinnamon stick. For bourbon and spiced versions, see our full hot toddy recipe.

5. Poinsettia

Pour 1/2 ounce of orange liqueur and 1 ounce of cranberry juice into a flute and top with 4 ounces of sparkling wine.

6. Cranberry mimosa

Half sparkling wine, half cranberry juice, with a few cranberries and a rosemary sprig.

7. Cranberry Moscow mule

In a mug with ice, combine 1.5 ounces of vodka, 2 ounces of cranberry juice and 1/2 ounce of lime juice. Top with ginger beer.

8. White Christmas margarita

Shake 1.5 ounces of silver tequila, 2 ounces of coconut milk, 1 ounce of white cranberry juice and 1/2 ounce of lime juice with ice. Serve with a sugar rim.

9. Espresso martini

Shake 1.5 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of coffee liqueur and 1 ounce of fresh espresso hard with ice. Strain and top with three coffee beans. For the classic version, see our espresso martini recipe.

10. Gingerbread white Russian

Stir 1.5 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of coffee liqueur and 1/2 ounce of gingerbread syrup over ice. Float 1 ounce of cream on top.

11. Pomegranate gin fizz

Shake 1.5 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of pomegranate juice and 1/2 ounce of lemon juice with ice. Strain over ice and top with soda water.

12. Old fashioned with orange and clove

Stir 2 ounces of bourbon, 1/4 ounce of maple syrup and 2 dashes of bitters with ice. Garnish with an orange peel studded with a clove.

Christmas punch recipes

13. Cranberry Christmas punch (serves 16)

Combine 4 cups of cranberry juice, 2 cups of orange juice and 1/2 cup of lime juice in a punch bowl. Just before serving, add 1 liter of ginger ale and one bottle of sparkling wine or sparkling water. Float an ice ring frozen with cranberries and orange slices.

14. Christmas sangria (serves 8)

Mix one bottle of red wine, 1 cup of cranberry juice, 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1/4 cup of brandy and chopped apples, oranges and pomegranate seeds. Chill at least 4 hours and top with soda water.

15. Holiday rum punch (serves 12)

Combine 3 cups of pineapple juice, 2 cups of cranberry juice, 1 cup of orange juice, 1/2 cup of lime juice and 2 cups of spiced rum. Serve over ice with nutmeg on top.

Christmas mocktails

16. Cranberry ginger fizz. Cranberry juice, a squeeze of lime and ginger beer over ice.
17. Sparkling apple rosemary spritz. Sparkling apple cider with a rosemary sprig and a cinnamon-sugar rim.
18. Hot spiced cider. Apple cider warmed with orange, cinnamon and cloves. Make it in the slow cooker next to the mulled wine.
19. Pomegranate spritzer. Pomegranate juice, lime and sparkling water.
20. Alcohol-free eggnog. Use the cooked eggnog recipe above and skip the spirits, or add a splash of vanilla and extra nutmeg.

For a nonalcoholic punch, use the Christmas punch recipe and swap the sparkling wine for more ginger ale or sparkling white grape juice. Label each bowl clearly. For more ideas, see our hot cocoa bar guide.

Set up a self-serve Christmas cocktail bar

A small, well-stocked station keeps the party moving and keeps you out of the kitchen:

• Glassware: mugs for warm drinks, flutes for sparkling and rocks glasses for everything else
• Batch drinks: a punch bowl or drink dispenser and a slow cooker for mulled wine or cider
• Tools: a jigger, a long spoon, a shaker and a small cutting board and knife
• Garnishes: cranberries, orange slices and peels, rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks and lime wedges
• Ice: a cooler of ice with a scoop, plus a frozen ice ring for the punch
• Signs: small cards with each drink's name and whether it contains alcohol
• Water and mocktails at the front, not hidden at the back

Set the bar away from the kitchen so guests don't crowd the cook, and refill it every 30 minutes. A small bottle of homemade simple syrup beside the tools lets guests sweeten a drink to taste.

How much to buy for a Christmas party

Plan about one drink per guest per hour, plus extra ice and alcohol-free drinks.

For a three-hour party with 20 guests, that's about 60 drinks. A mix of 2 batches of punch, 6 bottles of wine and plenty of sparkling water and mocktails covers most crowds.

Know what's in the glass

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says a U.S. standard drink has about 14 grams of pure alcohol: 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Many Christmas cocktails pack more than that. An eggnog with 2 ounces of bourbon or a martini with two spirits can be close to two standard drinks. A measured jigger keeps pours consistent.

The CDC's dietary guidance for adults who drink is 2 drinks or fewer a day for men and 1 or fewer for women, and says drinking less is better for health than drinking more. Some people shouldn't drink at all, including anyone under 21 and anyone who is pregnant.

Host safely

• Serve real food. Our list of Christmas appetizers has 40 easy ideas.
• Make the mocktails great. Guests who aren't drinking should have something festive too.
• Set out water. A pitcher with citrus slices on the bar is an easy reminder.
• Close the bar early. Switch to coffee, cocoa and dessert in the last hour.
• Plan rides. NHTSA says about 32 people die in drunk-driving crashes in the U.S. every day, and that every one of those deaths was preventable. Its advice for hosts is to make sure all guests leave with a sober driver. Offer a rideshare, a designated driver or a spare bed, and never let someone who has been drinking drive.

Plan the whole party

Drinks are one part of a bigger list. Our holiday party planning checklist covers the rest, from invitations to cleanup. To keep it on budget, our Christmas Budget and Gift Planner ($4.99) includes printable menu and to-do pages next to its gift and budget pages, and our Meal Planner and Grocery List ($3.99) includes an aisle-sorted grocery list for the big shop. Or get our Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99, was $25.94), which adds a sinking funds tracker, the 100 envelope savings challenge, a bill tracker and a cleaning schedule for getting the house guest-ready. For a warm, alcohol-optional pot that guests can serve themselves, try a slow cooker of wassail. More sips live in our drinks hub. Another crockpot favorite is our mulled wine.

Prefer a whiskey classic? Our old fashioned recipe takes 3 minutes and includes a batch version for parties. For a bourbon drink with a bittersweet edge, try the paper plane cocktail.