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Got a bottle of bourbon? Here are the top bourbon Christmas cocktails for entertaining, from the hot toddy to spiked hot chocolate.

Spiked hot chocolate
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Love bourbon for the holidays? There so many fun ideas for Christmas cocktails, but it’s hard to find ideas centered around a specific liquor. Luckily, there are lots of great things to do with a bottle of bourbon if you’re partial to this spirit. Here are all the best bourbon Christmas cocktails for the season! From spiked hot chocolate to hot toddys to signature drinks with seasonal flavors, there’s something for everyone in this list. (In fact, let us know your favorite!)

And now…the top bourbon Christmas cocktails for the season!

More seasonal drinks

Want more drinks for the season? Here are a few more winter cocktail ideas using many types of spirits:

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Bourbon Christmas Cocktails: Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail & More!

Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
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5 from 1 review

This cranberry bourbon cocktail is sweet tart and complex, offset by orange and sweet vermouth. It’s the ideal signature bourbon Christmas cocktail for entertaining!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ ounces* bourbon whiskey
  • 1 ounce sweet red vermouth
  • 2 ounces orange juice
  • 1 ounce 100% unsweetened cranberry juice**
  • ½ ounce simple syrup
  • Ice, for serving (try clear ice!)
  • For the garnish: fresh or frozen cranberries, rosemary sprigs

Instructions

  1. Place the bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange juice, unsweetened cranberry juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake until cold.
  2. Strain the drink into an ice-filled lowball glass. If desired, garnish with fresh or frozen cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
  3. Pitcher variation (8 servings): Add 1 ½ cups bourbon, 1 cup sweet vermouth, 2 cups orange juice, 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice, and ½ cup simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 2 handfuls ice and stir until cold. 

Notes

*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons

**If all you can find is sweetened cranberry juice, cranberry juice blend, or cranberry juice cocktail, omit the simple syrup or add it to taste.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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  1. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!