The clink of glasses; the aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; the twinkling of lights, the festive sound of holiday tunes we hear once a year, these are some of the joys of the holiday season. Christmas is an exciting time of year, but sometimes it is easy to try to cram in too many events. Finding the right gifts can be stressful. To help alleviate some of that stress we have come up with some Christmas martinis to take the edge off.
This year we have improved upon our Christmas cocktails 2020, by adding several additional holiday cocktails. Further, I decided to add an appetizer and dessert idea to accompany these cocktail recipes. After all, you might get hungry while you ae learning how to make Christmas martinis. Of course, if you are entertaining, you will want some additional finger foods for a party. And no holiday party is complete without this best triple cookie recipe. Try these drink recipes, and let us know what you think. Not sure where to find all the liquor? Total Wine has a large selection at reasonable prices, plus they have a rewards club where you can earn discounts.
As reported in Beverage Daily, Americans double their intake of alcoholic beverages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. With all the parties, family dinners, time off from work, it is hard to resist a few extra cocktails. With that in mind, please make sure to drink responsibly.
The Grinch Martini
This is a variation of an Appletini.
Ingredients for a Grinch
- 1.5 oz. vodka
- 1.5 oz. apple pucker
- 1 oz. Midori
- maraschino cherry
- red sugar
How to make a Grinch
- Mix vodka, apple pucker, and midori with ice in a cocktail shaker
- Then rub the rim of a chilled martini glass with lemon juice or water, and roll rim in red sugar.
- After that, strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Place a cherry in the bottom to garnish.
Holiday cheese spread to serve with Christmas martini recipes
I actually followed some fancy recipe to make this, and after all of that work, I didn’t even like the cheese spread. Therefore, I will leave it up to you to make your favorite cheese spread recipe, or to make it easier, just buy cheese spread from the store. I used an ice cream scoop to portion the spread. However, I am going to recommend a melon baller, to make this on a smaller scale. The problem was that it looked so beautiful, nobody wanted to be the first to dig in. I was left with tons of cheese spread to recycle into other meals.
The best way to portion this is to use this pattern:
x
xx
xxxx
xxx
xxxxx
xx
Then use a cheese spreader to connect the balls into the tree shape. Sprinkle the trunk with chopped nuts. Cut a star from a piece of American cheese for the tree topper. Mix 1/4 cup cream cheese with 2 tbsp milk for garland. Decorate with pimientos and green chilies.
Eggnog Christmas Martinis
Ingredients
- Ginger Vodka 1 oz.
- Frangelico 1 oz.
- ‘Ol Santy Eggnog 1oz.
- whipped cream
- cinnamon
Directions
- Mix vodka, Frangelico, and Eggnog liquor in a cocktail shaker.
- Then pour in a cocktail glass.
- Subsequently, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.
This recipe started off with white rum, but we felt something was missing. If you have followed us on social media you know we did a blind taste test trying 4 different liquors to see which tasted the best prior to writing this post. In conclusion, I thought our homemade ginger infused vodka had the best spice flavor. However, my husband like the Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum a slight bit better. So if you are specifically a ginger fan I recommend that one. On the other hand, if you aren’t a huge ginger fan, go with spiced rum. We also tested Skyy Vanilla Vodka. This had a bit less spice but was a little sweeter. The white rum came in last. In addition, you can serve over ice and leave out the whipped cream and cinnamon.
Christmas espresso martini
Ingredients for Christmas espresso martini
- 1 oz. vodka
- 1 oz. Kahlua
- .5 oz. Merula creme liqueur
- 1 oz. light creme de cacao
- red sugar
How to make a Christmas espresso martini
- Mix liquors in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Then wet rim of cocktail glass. A dab of honey works great for adhering cocktail sugars, but you can use water or simple syrup. Once the rim is dampened, roll in red sugar.
- After that, strain cocktail into glass and serve.
Moreover, to find some great gift ideas for the mixologist in your life click on these sponsored links:
Gingerbread Martini: Christmas martinis with Baileys
Ingredients for gingerbread Christmas cookie cocktail
- 1 oz. Ginger Vodka
- Splash of Fireball
- 1 oz. Hiram Walker Butterscotch Schnapps
- 1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Gingerbread cookie for garnish
Note: You can buy Ginger vodka in the store, but we infused our own. Read this to learn how to infuse liquor.
Directions for gingerbread martini recipe
- Start by filling a cocktail glass with ice.
- Then add liquor and stir.
- Finally, garnish with a gingerbread cookie.
What is the difference between Kahlua and Bailey’s?
Both are coffee flavored liquors. However, Bailey’s is a lighter color and contains cream. Whereas, Kahlua is a dark liquor which is stronger and without the creaminess.
Spiced Orange Christmas Martini
I love baking mini holiday breads to give out as gifts to the neighbors. Some years back, my mailman even started calling me Sara Lee. I got this Christmas martini idea from the flavors of one of those holiday breads: cinnamon, oranges, and cranberries. It is a holiday variation of a screwdriver.
Ingredients for a spiced orange
- 1.5 oz. vodka
- 1.5 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice (fresh always tastes better)
- .5 oz. amaretto
- 3 cranberries
- pinch of cinnamon
- cinnamon stick for garnish
- cinnamon sugar for rim
How to make a spiced orange Christmas martini
- Rub rim of a martini glass with the orange used for juice. Then roll rim in cinnamon sugar. (The remaining juice on the orange skin helps the cinnamon sugar stick to the rim.)
- After that, gently muddle the cranberries in the bottom of the glass to release their juices.
- Then mix vodka, juice, amaretto, and a pinch of cinnamon in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes.
- Once mixed, strain the liquid into the prepared martini glass and garish with a cinnamon stick. Further, the cinnamon stick can be used as a stirrer to mix in the bits of cranberry juice at the bottom of the glass.
Here are some sponsored links for useful items for making these drinks:
Snowflake martini
Ingredients for a snowflake
- 1.5 oz vodka
- 1 oz. Ol’ Santy Egg Nog Liqueur
- 1 oz. light creme de cacao
- silver cake glitter
How to make a snowflake martini
Mix wet ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Then wet the rim of a martini glass with simple syrup or water, and roll rim in silver cake glitter. Likewise, you can use shredded coconut. After that, strain cocktail into glass and enjoy!
Candy Cane Martini: Christmas martinis with vanilla vodka
Ingredients for Christmas martini candy cane
- 1 oz. Skyy Vanilla Vodka
- 1 oz. Marula Cream Liqueur
- 2 oz. peppermint schnapps
- honey
- crushed candy canes
- whipped cream
* If you can’t find Marula Cream Liqueur you can use Irish Cream
Directions
- Prepare your cocktail glass by dipping the rim in honey and likewise in crushed candy cane.
- Subsequently pour liquors in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and mix.
- After that, strain liquid into the prepared cocktail glass.
- Then top with whipped cream and additional crushed candy cane.
- Most importantly, sit back and enjoy the drink while waiting for Santa.
Cinnamon roll Christmas tree for dessert with Christmas martinis
This is a simple dessert recipe to compliment Christmas martini drinks. You can make these homemade, but who has time during the holidays? The easiest way to make this festive dessert is to take packages of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. Cook them according to package directions, but place them in this Christmas tree design prior to cooking. Once they are cooked, transfer them to a serving plate, place candied cherries on top as a garnish, and drizzle with icing to serve. Voila! Instant dessert. This makes a great addition to a Christmas brunch too.
Please let me know how you like the drinks. Follow me on Facebook to stay up to date with our latest cocktails and to give input as to what we should create next.
Donna Emperador is a travel and food blogger and copywriter. Donna believes in learning about different cultures while sharing good food and cocktails. She has lived in South Florida for over 20 years and enjoys spending time exploring the road to find unique places to share with readers. She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Much needed post for upcoming Holidays:)
Thanks.