Christmas Cocktail Vodka

Maybe you're winding down from a day of Christmas shopping, hosting the in-laws, or bringing drinks to your office party. No matter the occasion, the variety of cozy, festive holiday drinks is nearly infinite! You can take a classic like a White Russian and doll it up with candy stripes. You can shake seasonal fruits into a gimlet or vodka tonic. For a quick and easy dash of holiday cheer, stir some winter spices into your Moscow mule!

Here are a few of our favorite Christmas vodka cocktails you can whip up in just a few minutes. We’ve hand-selected cocktail recipes that feature fun and funky vodkas to give your drinks real character. If you want to be everybody's favorite guest, you can quadruple the recipes into a batch. When you show up with a jug of peppermint martinis ready to pour, you're doing Santa's work. Beard and red suit not required.

Peppermint White Russian

Vodka: Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

A year-round favorite for many drinkers, here the creamy White Russian gets a holiday twist. You’ll love the zing of peppermint vodka and peppermint schnapps. Few drinks are both this simple and this dazzling!

You can't help but stir this drink between sips, so a candy cane garnish is a must.

Ingredients:

  • ½ ounce peppermint schnapps
  • 1½ ounces Smirnoff Peppermint Twist vodka
  • 1-ounce coffee liqueur
  • 1-ounce heavy cream (or milk)
  • 1 candy cane, for garnish

Directions
Combine the Smirnoff Peppermint Twist vodka, peppermint schnapps, and coffee liqueur in a rocks glass. Fill it with ice. Top with the cream or milk and stir until cold. Garnish with a candy cane or a sprig of mint!

Peppermint White Russian

 

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Vodka: Absolut Pear

With the popularity of cream and sugar around the holiday season—both in and out of your glass—we thought we’d include a lighter cocktail. This Partridge in a Pear Tree is perfect! It’s a refreshing and chic pear vodka drink that will delight every drinker. 

For maximum elegance, use a champagne flute or glass with a unique design.

Ingredients :

  • 2 ounces Absolut Pear vodka
  • ½ ounce lemon juice (fresh is best!)
  • ½ ounce simple syrup
  • Champagne or sparkling wine, to top
  • Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Directions
Combine the Absolut Pear vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker packed with ice. Shake well. Add a sprig of rosemary to your glass and pour the drink through a strainer until the glass is half full. Top with sparkling wine or champagne.

Partridge In a Pear Tree

Peppermint Martini

Vodka: Smirnoff Peppermint Twist & Smirnoff Vanilla

This deliciously creamy drink is a martini in name only, but you can still serve it in a martini glass! Your guests will be happy to hear that the recipe calls for not one but two different vodkas.

If you have a little extra time on your hands, you can crush three or four candy canes into peppermint powder to rim the glasses. Thankfully, it's an easy recipe, because your friends will be coming back for more.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ ounces peppermint vodka
  • 1 ½ ounces vanilla vodka
  • 1-ounce creme de menthe
  • Candy canes or peppermints, for garnish, and the glass rims

Directions
Chill your glass either in a freezer or by filling it with ice. If you want to crush up the hard candies, you can use a plastic sandwich bag and a pan or cookie roller to pound them into a powder. This is a mess-free crushing method.

Combine peppermint vodka, vanilla vodka, and crème de menthe in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with large chunks of ice. Shake for at least twenty seconds.

If you're chilling the gas with ice cubes, dump those out before pouring the drink. Like all martinis, this drink is served "straight up."

If you want to rim the glass with crushed peppermint, spread the powder onto a small plate or cutting board and then dip the chilled glass gently into it. Keep your fingers on the stem so you don't smudge the frost that forms on the glass. Garnish with a candy cane, if you wish!

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​​White Christmas Martini

Vodka: Absolut Vanilla

A stunning cocktail suitable for old Hollywood glamour, this drink will have the whole house singing together. For a garnish, this White Christmas Martini calls for sanding sugar. Not every bar cart stocks sanding sugar, but it's certainly worth a trip to the baking aisle of your grocery store. Sanding sugar is great for decorating cookies, cakes, and holiday drinks. That’s because the sugar crystals are large enough to sparkle!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces Absolut Vanilla vodka
  • 2 ounces white chocolate liqueur
  • 1-ounce white creme de cacao
  • 1-ounce half-and-half (or cream)
  • Honey
  • Coarse sanding sugar

Directions
Start with chilling your martini glasses. Either set them in the freezer for twenty minutes or fill them with ice while you gather the other ingredients.

You'll need two shallow dishes; one for the honey and one for the sanding sugar. Once the glasses are chilled, dump out the ice and carefully dip the rims in the honey first. Then dip the rims into the sanding sugar. Be sure to evenly coat the rims. And hold the glasses by the stem to preserve the frost.

Combine the Absolut Vanilla vodka, white chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, and half-and-half in a shaker. Set two large ice cubes into the shaker. Shake for at least twenty seconds to make sure the cream blends with the spirits. Strain into the glasses and serve.

White Christmas Martini

Grinch Martini

Vodka: Grey Goose La Vanille

Here's a head-turning cocktail for the mischievous among us. It’s a bright splash of green to balance out all the many white and red cocktails on this list. The Grinch Martini blends the sweetness of white chocolate with the minty freshness of ice cream.

If you want to capture the vibrant green, it's worth it to grab some food coloring to enhance the visual spectacle. It's a tasty beverage and it will inspire you to have the song in your head all night. It's boozy, so when people ask what you're drinking you can say, "It's a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of Grey Goose La Vanille vodka
  • 1 ounce green crème de menthe
  • 1-ounce white chocolate liqueur
  • 2 drops electric green gel food coloring

Directions
Squeeze two drops of food coloring into your vodka and stir until the color blends. Combine the vodka, crème de menthe, and white chocolate liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Add two large ice cubes. Shake for at least twenty seconds. Strain over a chilled martini glass.

Grinch Martini

Rubies on Ice

Vodka: Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka

A zinger of a drink, this cocktail takes some prep work but will stun your guests with its complexity. If you want to impress, this is the cocktail for you! Be aware, this drink requires a little advance preparation, so read the directions carefully.

Ginger, pomegranate, lime, and cinnamon swirl together in a refreshing, unexpected holiday drink. It brings together the spices of autumn and the sweetness of Christmas desserts. Pomegranate seeds frozen into ice cubes give this drink its name. It's a perfect opportunity to show off your fancy stemware or rocks glasses. Rubies on Ice is as visually compelling as it is delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (to be frozen in ice cubes)
  • 4 ounces Hard Truth Cinnamon vodka
  • 4 tablespoons pomegranate syrup
  • 3 tablespoons sweetened ginger syrup
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best!)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Club soda, chilled
  • Lime slices, optional (for garnish)
  • 1 to 4 teaspoons pomegranate seeds (for garnish)

Directions
Spread pomegranate seeds into an ice cube tray. You can add as many as you like! Fill with water and freeze.

Combine Hard Truth Cinnamon vodka, pomegranate syrup, ginger syrup, lime juice, and the cinnamon stick into a cocktail shaker or tall glass. Let steep for 15 minutes; longer if time allows. Stir well and strain into your favorite glass. The cocktail mixture should take up about half of your glass. Discard the cinnamon stick. Add a few pomegranate ice cubes, but don’t fill it all the way to the top. Top off with chilled club soda. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and lime.

Rubies on Ice

Rosemary Fizz

Vodka: Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka

Here's an herbal, effervescent cocktail that feels like walking through a Christmas tree farm. The Rosemary Fizz has been designed for the appreciators of subtle flavors and aromas.

It's a perfect cocktail to make if you have a bottle of Deep Eddy Lemon vodka and fresh rosemary on hand. The simplicity of the recipe allows the fragrance of the herbs and lemon to stand out.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces Deep Eddy Lemon vodka
  • 1 ounce of lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce rosemary simple syrup
  • 2 ounces of soda water

Directions
You can easily infuse your own rosemary with simple syrup. Or, if you don't have time, just use a full sprig of rosemary as a garnish to maximize the flavor.

Fill your favorite highball glass with ice. Pour in the vodka, rosemary syrup, and lemon juice and stir for at least twenty seconds. Top with soda water. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and lemon wheel.

Rosemary Fizz Cocktail

Cranberry Moscow Mule

Vodka: Stolichnaya Cranberi Vodka

There are few drinks as refreshing as a Moscow Mule. When you're cruising into the holiday season sometimes you want to play it safe with an old favorite. This simple twist on the classic is sure to brighten the room.

An unbeatable cocktail for entertaining, you can batch a whole pitcher in no time. The pomegranate seeds floating in the bubbling ginger beer create a beautiful centerpiece in a crystal decanter. 

And don't forget the copper mugs!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of Stolichnaya Cranberi vodka
  • 2 ounces of natural cranberry juice
  • ½ ounce lime juice (fresh is best!)
  • 3 ounces of ginger beer
  • Lime wedges and pomegranate seeds (for garnish)

Directions
Combine Stolichnaya Cranberi vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add two large chunks of ice. Stir or shake for at least twenty seconds. Add fresh ice to a copper mug or rocks glass. Strain the cocktail into your serving glass; discard the old ice. Top with ginger beer.  Garnish with a lime wedge and pomegranate seeds.

Cranberry Moscow Mule

Butterscotch Martinis

Vodka: Pinnacle Butterscotch Vodka

A wild, voluptuous spin on the martini, this drink is not for the faint of heart. Butterscotch schnapps, chocolate chips, creme de cacao, and butterscotch candy make this more of a dessert than a cocktail.

If you have a sweet tooth, you won't ever be able to drink a dry martini again!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces clear creme de cacao
  • 2 ounces creme de cacao
  • 1 ½ ounce Pinnacle Butterscotch vodka
  • 1 ½ ounce butterscotch schnapps liqueur
  • 6 semisweet chocolate chips
  • Soft butterscotch candies, for garnish

Directions     
Combine the creme de cacao, Pinnacle Butterscotch vodka, and schnapps. Add two large chunks of ice. Shake for at least twenty seconds. Drop three chocolate chips into the bottom of each glass. Strain the drink into the glasses.

For garnish, microwave the butterscotch candies for five seconds and suspend them across the rim on a skewer.

Butterscotch Martinis