my favorite holiday cocktails

It’s not the holiday season without some good cocktail recipes, so today I’m sharing a few of my favorites that I love making during this time of year!

Apple Cider Mimosa

INGREDIENTS

• Apple cider
• Champagne or dry sparkling wine (such as Prosecco)
• Cinnamon sugar
• Apple slices
• Caramel sauce (optional)
• Caramel vodka (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rub an apple slice onto the rim of your champagne flute, then dip into a shallow bowl of cinnamon sugar to rim your glass.
• Fill your glass halfway with apple cider, then fill the rest of your glass with champagne.
• If you want to make it a caramel apple cider mimosa, add either a drizzle of caramel sauce to your glass, or add a splash of caramel vodka.
• Add a cinnamon stick & apple slices to your glass to make it extra pretty & create a bolder flavor.
• Serve chilled & enjoy!

(The classic ratio for mimosas is 1:1 (1 part juice to 1 part champagne), but I prefer mine a little heavier on the champagne side, so I’ll usually do 1 part juice to 2 parts champagne 😉 I love making this to have on Thanksgiving morning).

Holiday White Sangria (recipe source linked here)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bottles of white wine (my favorite is a dry Riesling)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 large oranges
• 1 large apple (my favorite is Honeycrisp)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
• Plain sparkling water OR sparkling wine (champagne, Prosecco, etc) to top it off

INSTRUCTIONS

• Add the honey to a large pitcher, & add a big splash of wine. Stir until the honey is dissolved.
• Cut the apple into small chunks, & one of the oranges into thin slices.
• Halve the other orange & squeeze the juice from both halves into the pitcher. Add the cranberries, slices from the first orange, apple chunks, & cinnamon sticks into the pitcher. Pour in the remaining wine & stir well. Taste the mixture & add more honey if needed.
• Place in the fridge to infuse all the flavors for a minimum of 4 hours, & up to 24 hours. To serve, pour chilled sangria into wine glasses along with some of the fruit, & top with a bit of sparkling water or sparkling wine.

(This is great to serve for a big crowd on Thanksgiving).

Caramel Apple Hot Toddy (recipe sourced linked here)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup burbon (one of my favorite brands is Old Camp Whiskey…trust me on this one)
• 1/2 gallon apple cider
• 1 1/2 cups caramel vodka
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• Whipped cream to top it off

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine burbon, apple cider, vodka, & cinnamon sticks into a pot. Bring to a simmer.
• Once it’s hot, pour it in a mug, top with whipped cream, & enjoy!

(I love making this on either Christmas Eve or Christmas night. A cup of this by the fire is the best vibe! This is also another recipe that is easy to serve a big crowd).

Silly Willie

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 glass whiskey
• 1/4 glass orange juice
• 1/2 glass 7-UP or Sprite
• Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

• Add whiskey, orange juice, & soda to a shaker (I like adding ice into my shaker as well), & shake well.
• Strain into a glass with ice, garnish with a lime wedge, & enjoy!

(So I don’t have exact measurements for this one, but my dad has made this every single Thanksgiving morning for as long as I can remember, & these are the ratios he gave me, lol! Every year he’s outside frying the turkey with one of these in hand).

Christmas Margarita (recipe source linked here)

INGREDIENTS

• Salt or sugar for rim
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz triple sec
• 2 oz tequila (reposado is my fave)
• Optional garnish: lime slice, orange slice, cranberries, rosemary sprig

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rub the rim of your glass with a lime slice, & dip into salt or sugar.
• Add all ingredients to a shaker (I like adding ice into my shaker as well), & shake well.
• Strain into a glass with ice, garnish, & enjoy!

(I’ve never tried this cocktail before, but you better believe that I’m going to be making this drink a ton this season! I’m a sucker for a good margarita).

If you have any good cocktail recipes, drop them in the comments below, I love trying new drinks 🙂 I unfortunately don’t have any photos of these drinks right now, but I’ll be sure to take some photos & post them to my IG story/add them to this post as soon as we make them!