What makes the perfect holiday drink? That depends on where you are. In Germany, it may look like a steaming hot mug of beer; in New Orleans, it may be pulled from a slushy machine. But one thing they all have in common is the fact that, for their devoted fans, the holidays are not complete without them. Creamy and tropical, or steeped with spices, these six holiday staples from around the world are classics for a reason—so we suggest slotting them into your home bar menus for the season.
Love it or hate it, eggnog is everywhere this time of year. “Eggnog is a drink that effectively transports you to your grandma’s house,” says Max Overstrom-Coleman, a Vermont-based bartender who makes one of our favorite takes on the drink. His version is boozy—made with bourbon, rum and Cognac—but for a nonalcoholic (and easier) option, here are some of our favorite store-bought options.
Coquito is often described as Puerto Rico’s answer to eggnog. But despite its creamy, boozy build, the drink is lighter and incorporates coconut, condensed and evaporated milks. Portland, Maine, bartender LyAnna Sanabria, whose version of coquito is batchable and giftable, describes it as “Christmas in the Caribbean”; it’s “decadent and warming, but you’re still wearing a bikini top.”
The Aperol Spritz has a winter cousin. At Christmas markets across Europe, especially in Germany and Austria, the summer staple gets thrown into a pot, with the bubbles swapped out for white wine, along with apple or orange juice and mulling spices like cinnamon and clove. Like its warmer-weather counterpart, hot Aperol has a flexible template, and variations can include a range of different liqueurs and wines—and, of course, the optional whipped-cream topping.
New Orleans is known for having many homegrown cocktails, from the showstopping Ramos Gin Fizz to the bracing Sazerac. But every winter, there’s one drink that takes the city by storm: the Eggnog Daiquiri. A fixture at walk-up counters and drive-thrus, the Slurpee-fied eggnogs get pulled from frozen-drink machines into Styrofoam cups annually. Bars across the city, like Cuban-inspired Manolito, take a more nuanced approach, blending a bespoke version of eggnog with Demerara rum, sugar, crushed ice and nutmeg for a lighter, brighter mix.
Recipes for sorrel, a Caribbean sweet iced tea made with hibiscus, spices and sugar, differ depending on who’s making it. In Jamaica, the drink is typically made with ginger, while in Trinidad, it’s not; for the Caribbean diaspora in New York, it’s common to steep the drink for several days for a more intense brew. Some add orange slices for brightness, or ferment sorrel to lend a subtle fizz. Uniting many of the different versions of the drink, however, is its pairing with rum, whether the sorrel is simply spiked with the spirit or the tea is used to add color and herbaceousness to rum-forward cocktails.
Sorel Toddy
The Caribbean holiday staple, in hot toddy form.
While Hot Buttered Rum requires a bit of prep work, it’s actually easier to make than you might think. “It’s not a challenging drink, and that’s the beauty of it,” says Andrew Volk, of Hunt + Alpine Club in Portland, Maine, who makes an East Coast-style version with ice cream. Once you’ve got the base down (good quality, unsalted butter emulsified with sugar and spices), you’re ready to riff with your choice of spirits, spices and modifiers.
Stateside drinkers are likely familiar with hot mulled wine and cider, but Germany’s hot mulled beer, glueh kriek (or glühkriek) tends to be more obscure. It’s typically made with amber or sour beer, plus cinnamon, star anise, cloves and orange peel. For years, Portland, Oregon’s now-closed Cascade Brewing made its own interpretation, sweetened with a touch of honey and garnished with an orange slice.
Glueh Kriek
A glühbier recipe that works with sours, stouts, ales and more.
Making Amaro Caldo, Italy’s take on the Hot Toddy, couldn’t be simpler: Take your favorite amaro, and top it with hot water. “Think of it like amaro and soda, but with snow tires,” writes Punch contributor Brad Thomas Parsons. We recommend it with alpine amari like rich and botanical Antico Amaro Noveis or smoky Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro.
Amaro Caldo
This cocktail is about as easy as it gets—just add water.
A hot, spirituous cocktail featured at Italian ski resorts in the winter, Bombardino is typically made by mixing Italian egg liqueur with whiskey, rum or brandy, and sometimes fortified wine. At Quattro Teste, a bar in Lisbon, Portugal, themed around Basque and Italian drinks, the Bombardino gets a Basque twist: The bar makes its own egg liqueur, with txakoli-based vermouth and amontillado sherry, which is then spiked with Scotch and topped with salted cream as well as freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon.
Bombardino
A modern take on the Italian Alps staple.
Typically served chilled and made by the bottle, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ponche de Crème combines milk, eggs, sugar, rum, spices and Angostura bitters. Trinbagonian bartender Chad Lee Loy’s version of the drink kicks it up with fennel and cardamom, and is heated, simmering its aromatics and offering a warm option for enjoying the comforting Christmas cocktail
Drink historian David Wondrich describes the Tom & Jerry, as “just so freaking delicious.” The drink is certainly indulgent; one batch takes a dozen eggs, a pound of sugar and full bottles of Cognac and rum. It originates from the 19th century and was popularized by Jerry Thomas, who is often referred to as the father of American bartending. Today, especially in the Midwest, the drink lives on. Wondrich’s recipe can serve 50 and doubles as a starter for eggnog—just add milk.
In Japan, steaming cups of Campari aren’t necessarily a staple, but, as Julia Momosé of Chicago’s Kumiko puts it, “if you know you know.” Essentially a toddy, the bittersweet botanical cocktail can be made by simply topping the aperitif with hot water. But for an extra-festive drink, Momosé’s take adds kümmel for spice, honey syrup for richness and sudachi shochu for a touch of winter citrus. “I wanted to really lean into this being a wintry cocktail that warms you inside [and] out, just from the aroma,” she says.
Hotto Campari
Campari meets Japan’s Shochu Oyuwari in this warming winter drink.
