Five Holiday Drinks To Sip On This Season
We are only TWELVE days away from the big day now! It’s hard to believe that in less than two weeks, Christmas will have come and gone, and we’ll be onto New Years, and before we know it, it’s going to be 2020. I shudder a bit at the thought that it’s going to be 2020 this year… so crazy! But before I get too ahead of myself, I’m still thinking about all of the cocktails I’m wanting to serve up on Christmas Eve this year, and quite honestly, the ones I’ve already been enjoying for the last couple of weeks. So today, I have for you, a list of my top four holiday drinks for you all to sip on over the next couple of weeks, or at your own holiday parties & get together’s.
Keeping in mind that not everyone loves or chooses to drink alcohol, there are two recipes with alcohol, one non-alcoholic and one that can be done with or without alcohol! Realistically, most of this list can pretty much include or exclude the alcoholic portion of the recipe, but do with it as you will - these are just the ways I prefer to drink them. Much like My Favourite Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes post from a while ago, I don’t exactly follow a certain amount of each ingredient, and generally just eyeball it, but I’ll provide a rough amount for those who need it! So, let’s start with my favourite - Peppermint Vodka & Eggnog:
* Disclaimer: These recipes, unless otherwise stated are for making a single serving.
Peppermint Vodka & Eggnog
Contains Alcohol
I am obsessed with peppermint anything, and if I’m being honest, when I have a cocktail, I usually prefer the vodka kind. Long story short, I saw the peppermint vodka at the liquor store a few years ago, picked it up and then went home and wondered, “Okay… so what exactly am I going to put this in?”. I don’t really drink often, and I’m not a huge fan of cocktails like martinis, so that was off the list. But then I remembered the traditional holiday drink that is beloved by many - rum & eggnog! I’m not a huge rum fan myself, so I thought let’s give peppermint vodka & eggnog a try, and it turns out that I loved it so much, that it’s now my go-to holiday drink. It’s great because it’s super festive, and also extremely simple to make!
Ingredients:
1 or 2oz of Smirnoff Peppermint Vodka (Depending on how strong you like it)
10oz of Eggnog
Ground Cinnamon to Garnish (Optional)
2 or 3 Cubes of Ice
* Suggested Serving Glass: Lowball glass.
Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with 5 or 6 cubes of ice and then measure 10oz of eggnog. Using a jigger or a shot glass, pour in your desire amount of Smirnoff Peppermint Vodka. Put the lid on the cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously to combine.
Add 2 or 3 ice cubes to a lowball glass, and pour eggnog & peppermint vodka mixture over top. Garnish with some ground cinnamon, and enjoy.
Cranberry Juice with Ginger Ale & Gin
Contains Alcohol
Another great flavour that is always featured during the holidays is cranberry. This recipe does call for alcohol, but quite honestly, this one would be just as good without the gin too! This is a great drink to serve to your guests who aren’t fond of eggnog, and believe me, there are a lot of people who aren’t big fans of it!
Ingredients:
6oz of Cranberry Juice
6oz of Ginger Ale
1 or 2oz of Gin
4 or 5 Ice Cubes
Small Handful of Frozen Cranberries to Garnish (Optional)
Mint Leaves to Garnish (Optional)
* Suggested Serving Glass: Stemless wine glass, or cocktail glass.
Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with 5 or 6 ice cubes, and then add in 6oz of cranberry juice and your desired amount of gin. Close the shaker, and shake to combine.
Add about 4 ice cubes to your stemless wine glass, and pour your mixture of cranberry juice & gin over the ice. Top off the mixture with the ginger ale, and stir well to combine.
Garnish with a small handful of frozen cranberries and fresh mint leaves, and enjoy.
Spicy Hot Chocolate
Does Not Contain Alcohol
Not everyone is a fan of the traditional hot chocolate, and really, there are so many options out there to take your hot chocolate to another level. My personal favourite thing is to add some sort of peppermint flavour, sometimes using a candy cane, or peppermint syrup (told you - I love peppermint). But if you’re anything like my boyfriend, who loves everything spicy, he prefers a good spicy hot chocolate.
* Disclaimer: This recipe is from Gimme Some Oven & yields 5 cups. Feel free to make your way over to her blog and check the recipe out there, but I’ve also written out the recipe here as well, and added my own option of adding chopped milk chocolate if you love lots of chocolate, just like me!
* Suggested Serving Glass: 16oz mug.
Ingredients:
4 Cups of Milk
1/4 Cup of Sugar
1/4 Cup of Unsweeted Cocoa Powder
6oz of Milk Chocolate, Chopped (If you want it more chocolatey)
1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1tsp of Cinnamon
1/4tsp of Chili Powder
A pinch of Nutmeg
A pinch of Cayenne Powder
Whipped Cream for Garnish (Optional)
Shaved Chocolate for Garnish (Optional)
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, combine all of the ingredients over medium heat until simmering, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, pour into desired mug & top with whipped cream & shaved chocolate for garnish. Enjoy!
Peppermint Milkshake
Can Be Made With or Without Alcohol
This is definitely more of a holiday treat than a drink, but who can resist a good milkshake? I’m not a massive ice cream person in the winter, but as I mentioned above, anything peppermint flavoured has my name written all over it. A great option to serve kids at your get together this holiday season, of course without the alcohol, but also a super yummy evening treat, maybe with a little bit of peppermint vodka added in to make it a delicious adult treat.
Ingredients:
4 Scoops of Candy Cane or Peppermint Ice Cream
1/2 - 1 Cup of Milk (Depending on how thick you want your milkshake)
1 Crushed Candy Cane (If not already in the ice cream)
3-4 Ice Cubes
2oz of Peppermint Vodka, or Alcohol of Choice (Optional)
Whipped Cream for Garnish (Optional)
Crushed Candy Cane for Garnish (Optional)
Chocolate Shavings for Garnish (Optional)
* Suggested Serving Glass: Highball glass.
Directions:
In a blender, combine ice cream, milk, crushed candy cane, ice cubes and alcohol (if you are adding it). Blend until well combined.
Pour milkshake into your highball style glass. Top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings & crushed candy cane. Add a straw, and enjoy!
Okay, so writing this post has really just made me want to make every single one of these and drink them all in one go, but somehow I feel like my stomach wouldn’t be pleased with me if I did. Leave a comment below if you try any of these drinks this holiday season. See you next week! Xo.
