Cocktails

15 Festive Gin Cocktails for Christmas and the Holiday Season

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or enjoying a cozy night at home, these festive gin cocktails will help put you in the spirit of the holiday season.

By 

Meyme Nakash

 |  November 20, 2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means the most festive gin cocktails are in order. While hot cocktails like spiked eggnog and winter tequila cocktails are certainly appropriate for this time of year, seasonal spins on the best gin cocktails are also festive and fun. Gin’s juniper, spice, and citrus notes bode beautifully with seasonal ingredients, such as cranberry, pear, and apple — making it the perfect base for holiday-themed cocktails. Here, we round up our favorite drinks to sip during the joyful season, including large-batch cocktails to enjoy with loved ones. 

Sugar Plum Sour

Sugar plums are a key component of holiday fruit cake, and this festive gin cocktail channels this treat. The herbal quality of Empress 1908 gin nicely complements the sweet and tart flavor of plum wine. Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Then, strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass over fresh ice. Garnish with plum slices and whole cloves. 

Ingredients

1½ oz Empress 1908 Gin
¾ oz plum wine
½ oz cinnamon and clove syrup
½ oz lemon juice
Plum slices and whole cloves for garnish

French 75

A French 75 is a classic gin cocktail comprising gin, lemon juice, sugar or simple syrup, and Champagne. Since there’s nothing more festive than a glass of bubbles, we love sipping this elegant drink around the holidays. Add all the ingredients, except the Champagne, to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into one of our favorite Champagne glasses and top it off with the Champagne of your choice. We recommend using non-vintage Champagne, a blend of wines from different years, such as Veuve Clicquot. That way, you don’t squander vintages from the best Champagne brands by masking their flavors with cocktail ingredients. Garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy. 

Ingredients

1 oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
3 oz Champagne
Lemon twist for garnish

Pie Spiced Negroni 

A Negroni is a classic Italian cocktail that calls for equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. This version, by Monkey 47 — one of the best luxury gin brands — swaps sweet vermouth for pumpkin pie mulled wine. First, add all the pumpkin pie mulled wine ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Second, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, and then let the mixture chill in the fridge. Once the mulled wine is ready, put your cocktail ingredients in a glass with ice and stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with an orange twist and cinnamon stick.

Ingredients 

1½ oz Monkey 47
1 oz pumpkin pie mulled wine
¾ oz Campari
Orange twist and cinnamon stick for garnish

For the pumpkin pie mulled wine:
4 c apple cider
Red wine of choice
¼ c honey
¼ c brandy
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
3 whole star anises
3 orange slices

Pear Bellini

A Bellini is a cocktail traditionally made with peach puree, but this recipe from The Maybourne Beverly Hills showcases the buttery and citrus-like flavors of pear instead. It also integrates ginger and gunpowder green tea syrup, which is made simply by boiling the two ingredients in water with sugar. Once the syrup is chilled and ready, add it to a mixing glass with gin and pear puree. Stir and strain the mixture into a cocktail glass, and then add Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon peel. 

Ingredients

1 oz ginger and gunpowder green tea syrup
½ oz Fords Gin
1½ oz pear puree
3 oz Prosecco
Lemon peel for garnish

For ginger and gunpowder green tea syrup:
3 bags gunpowder green tea
1 knob ginger, peeled
½ c sugar
½ c water 

Cranberry Collins

The Cranberry Collins requires few ingredients but is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. This festive gin cocktail is from Tavern on the Green, a famous restaurant in Central Park in New York City frequented by celebrities like John Lennon. To make this A-list-worthy drink, add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a glass with fresh ice. Top it off with Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and cranberries. You could also substitute the sparkling apple cider for a sparkling white wine. 

Ingredients

¾ oz cranberry juice
1½ oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider
Rosemary sprig and cranberries for garnish 

Roses and Poinsettias

Roses and Poinsettias is a cocktail that not only pleases the eye, it’s also delicious and filled with fruity flavors. It highlights the floral flavors in Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin, giving it a soft, herbal quality that balances the sweetness of cranberry juice and orange liqueur. First, add all the ingredients, except the sparkling wine, to a mixing glass with ice. Second, stir the liquid before straining it into a champagne flute. Finally, top it with the sparkling wine of your choice and garnish with a rosemary sprig. 

Ingredients 

1 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin
1½ oz cranberry juice
¾ oz orange liqueur
Sparkling wine
Rosemary sprig for garnish

Orchard Martinez

The Orchard Martinez is an autumn-coded drink that’s lovely to serve at a holiday meal. It calls for Roku Japanese Craft gin, which is made of six botanicals in addition to juniper berries and cardamom, giving it a subtle sweetness. The pear in this festive gin cocktail takes it to the next level, making it perfect for various occasions. First, add the gin and pear to a mixing glass and muddle gently to release the fruit’s flavor. Second, add the sweet vermouth and ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain the mixture into a glass and garnish with a lemon twist. 

Ingredients

1 oz Roku Japanese Craft Gin
3 slices fresh pear
1 oz sweet vermouth
Lemon twist for garnish

Cinnamon 75

This festive gin cocktail is a rendition of the classic French 75. It incorporates cinnamon and maple syrup, which draws out the earthiness of Empress 1908 gin. Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a chilled Champagne flute, and top it off with sparkling wine. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Ingredients 

½ oz cinnamon syrup
1 tsp maple syrup
1½ oz Empress 1908 Gin
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Sparkling wine
Cinnamon stick for garnish

Gin and Brusco

A Gin and Brusco celebrates gin and Lambrusco, a sparkling Italian red wine (learn more about the best sparkling wines from around the world). It has crisp, fruity flavors that create a beautiful harmony with the bitter, earthy notes in Cocci Americano, an Italian aperitif. To make this recipe from New York-based Bar Primi, shake all the ingredients, except for the Lambrusco, in a cocktail shaker. Shake the mixture and strain it into a chilled glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and lemon peel.

Ingredients

2 oz Avaline Lambrusco
¾ oz Cocchi Americano
¾ oz London Dry Gin
½ oz rosemary syrup
3 dashes Bittermans Hellfire Shrub Bitters
Rosemary sprig and lemon peel for garnish 

Big Sur Sunset

This cocktail is named after the beautiful sunsets of Big Sur, California, because of its vibrant, orange-red color. The colors are also perfect for holiday cheer. It’s a sweet-and-sour combination of lemon juice and raspberry syrup, with an optional frothy foam that will impress guests at your next get-together. To make the Big Sur Sunset, add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake. Then, fill the shaker with ice and shake again before straining it into a chilled cocktail glass and garnishing it with raspberries. If you prefer no foam, exclude the egg white.

Ingredients

2 oz Gray Whale Gin
1 oz lemon juice
¾ oz raspberry syrup
½ oz orgeat
1 egg white (optional)
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Rojo, Eso Si Que E

This festive gin cocktail from Zurito, a Basque restaurant in Boston, is sweet and spicy with ginger liqueur. It’s a fabulous after-dinner drink that’s friendly for beginner mixologists. First, add all the ingredients to a shaker. Second, shake vigorously before adding ice and shaking again. Double-strain the mixture into a cocktail glass and top it off with Peychaud bitters. 

Ingredients

1 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
¾ oz gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
1 egg white
3 dots Peychaud bitters

Fireside Figroni 

The Fireside Figroni is a unique take on the original Negroni featuring vanilla, fig, and Campari flavors. This recipe is from Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, a boutique hotel along the Oregon Rogue River. Its warm and citrus palate makes it one of the best cozy cocktails for fall and winter, perfect for sipping on chilly nights. First, prepare your vanilla and fig syrup by combining those ingredients in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. After letting it simmer for 10 minutes on low heat, pour the mixture into a mixing glass and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Finally, combine your cocktail ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of blood orange and fig.

Ingredients

1 oz vanilla and fig syrup
½ oz Campari
1½ gin
1 oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
Dehydrated blood orange for garnish

For the vanilla and fig syrup:
6 figs, halved and stems removed
½ c sugar
½ c water
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or seeds from one vanilla bean)

California Cornucopia

The California Cornucopia is a bright and refreshing drink with a touch of spice. It’s great for anyone who wants to stray away from traditional seasonal flavors, as it focuses on fruit and citrus flavors. To make this cocktail, combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake, add ice to the shaker, and shake again. Strain into a rocks glass with no ice. Garnish with ground cinnamon and a star anise. 

Ingredients

2 oz Gray Whale Gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz cranberry juice
¾ oz honey syrup
1 egg white
Ground cinnamon powder and star anise for garnish 

Salty Dog

Winter means that grapefruit is finally in season, a wonderful citrus cocktail base. This large-batch recipe is easy to make, requiring few ingredients, and guests will love it. Just combine the gin and grapefruit juice in a pitcher and stir. Rim your glasses in water and then salt, adding ice before you set them next to your pitcher. You can also serve alongside a bottle of chilled club soda if people want to add some sparkle to the Salty Dog. Enjoy!

Ingredients

(serves 10)
6 c grapefruit juice
½ c gin
Salt to rim glasses
Club soda (optional)

Spiced Holiday Punch

Since playing bartender at a dinner party can be exhausting and distract you from spending quality time with loved ones, it’s good to have a large-batch cocktail recipe on hand. This recipe for Spiced Holiday Punch from New York Times Cooking is the perfect solution, with citrus and brown sugar flavors. 

First, you’ll need to prepare the punch base by peeling four lemons and placing the peels in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt to the peels and muddle them. Then, in a skillet over medium heat, add the cloves, allspice berries, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and peppercorns; mix often so the spices don’t burn. When they’re toasted and fragrant, add them to the mixing bowl with the lemon peels, along with the tea leaves. Muddle until the spices are crushed and then set aside for at least eight hours. After this period, add the hot water, orange juice, and freshly squeezed juice from the remaining lemons to the mixing bowl and stir. Fine-strain the mixture and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Before your guests arrive, build all the punch ingredients in glasses with ice, stir gently with a bar spoon, and garnish with a lemon wheel and cinnamon stick. We recommend laying your drinks out on a tray so they can help themselves. 

Ingredients

(serves 10)
For the base:
6 to 8 lemons
½ c brown sugar
1 tsp flaky sea salt
4 whole cloves
4 allspice berries
2 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp loose-leaf oolong, black or green tea leaves
¼ c hot water
¼ c fresh orange juice

For the punch:
1 oz punch base
1 oz gin
3 to 4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz club soda
2 oz dry sparkling wine
Lemon wheel and cinnamon stick for garnish

Second Sip Spiked Hot Cocoa 

Sipping hot cocoa by the fireside is a nostalgic experience for many. There’s no reason we need to let go of that comforting feeling from our childhood. This version incorporates gin and amaro, a bittersweet Italian liqueur, creating a soothing balance of sweet chocolate and floral, citrus, and herbal undertones. Prepare by pouring the gin and bitters into a mug with hot chocolate. Garnish with whipped cream for the ultimate holiday treat.

Ingredients

¾ oz Second Sip low-ABV Gin
1 oz Fernet Branca
Hot chocolate base

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