10 cocktails for a Christmas drinks party

Our Christmas drinks party guide has everything you need for a next-level celebration, including twists on classic drinks (hello, Christmas spritz), sharing cocktails and plenty of festive fizz. Alongside this we've also got plenty of snack and canapé ideas for you to try.

If you're short on time it's easy to give even simple drinks a festive makeover by using the right garnishes – we love using citrus wheels, whole spices such as cinnamon sticks and star anise and seasonal fruits like cranberries and pomegranates. For extra visual Christmassy appeal, try garnishing drinks with rosemary or mint dusted with icing sugar.

For more festive cocktail inspiration explore our collection of 62 Christmas cocktails, 38 winter cocktails and our favourite Christmas mocktails, plus, check out the best Christmas canapé recipes.

Best Christmas party cocktails

Aperol spritz punch

Punches are perfect for parties and this crowd-pleasing recipe uses all the components of a classic Aperol spritz plus other festive ingredients like cranberry, ginger and pomegranate. Serve alongside Italian-inspired nibbles like crostini, tarrallini and green olives.

Christmas spiced negroni

A negroni lends itself well to a festive makeover as all its component parts – gin, Campari and sweet vermouth – are bold enough to take extra flavourings. The homemade spiced gin in this recipe makes 500ml, so if you also scale up the Campari and sweet vermouth you can save on time and make up a big batch to serve at parties. Serve with our mozzarella sticks with spicy dipping sauce or chunks of good-quality parmesan.

Paloma champagne cocktails

It turns out herbaceous tequila, biscuity champagne and tart grapefruit are a match made in heaven in this easy fizzy aperitif – serve with our spicy jalapeño poppers or roasted chilli corn.

Christmas mojito

A summery mojito gets a Christmas makeover thanks to the addition of cranberry juice, which nicely complements the fragrant mint in the drink. The ingredients are easy to scale up so it's ideal for serving in jugs at a festive gathering. Sip alongside our sweet potato and cranberry fritters.

Christmas spritz

A spritz is a classic summer cocktail but a few simple tweaks can turn it into a delicious Christmas aperitif. We swapped the usual sparkling water for warming ginger beer, and added lots of seasonal garnishes like pomegranate, orange and whole spices. Swap the Aperol for Campari if you'd like a spritz with a more bittersweet character. Match these punchy flavours with equally vibrant snacks, like our deep-fried olives stuffed with ricotta and guindilla chillies.

Sloe gin fizz

This is where that batch of sloe gin you've had infusing away in the cupboard will come in handy (or shop-bought also works beautifully). The rich berry flavours and tart-sweet character of sloe gin balance perfectly with the lemon in this super quaffable cocktail. For an extra decadent twist, try swapping the sparkling water for dry sparkling wine or champagne – it is Christmas, after all. Serve with our fig and goat's cheese puffs.

Cranberry and ginger fizz

Cranberry and ginger are classic festive flavours and work well in this gently tart, pretty pink cocktail. A winner with our turkey, stuffing and cranberry sausage puffs.

Christmas gin cocktail

Campari adds festive colour to this supercharged gin sour cocktail – make sure you garnish with cocktail cherries for extra kitsch factor. Our tangy pickled beetroot mini tacos with goat's cheese would be a great snack pairing.

Poinsettia

If you’re bored of buck’s fizz, try serving this rosy-red fizzy cocktail – it’s just as easy to make and great for groups. Just as straightforward are our classic cheese straws featuring four ingredients.

Mulled port with bay and rosemary

If you can mull wine then port is the natural next choice – there's always lots of the stuff around at Christmas and this recipe is a great way to use it all up. It also works well cooled then served chilled with tonic water or lemonade. Try with these maple-glazed sausage blinis.