Hi everyone! I’m sorry I didn’t have a post for you yesterday, but I’ve been super sick over the past couple of days with a really bad cold. When my head isn’t pounding, it feels like I am in a bit of a fog, so I haven’t been my usual, inspired self. I am hoping to kick this crummy cold by the end of the week. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this fun post from our archive with some crowd-pleasing holiday cocktail recipes!

With Christmas just a few days away, you may be in search of the perfect holiday cocktail with which to dazzle your guests. Even if you aren’t hosting, you can serve as the mixologist extraordinaire at your family’s gathering by serving up some fun cocktails either in place of or along with a great bottle of wine. I have gathered a few of  my favorite holiday recipes made with ingredients that are easy to find– even at the last minute. You’ll find that these drinks are not only festive and delicious, they are also quite pretty. After all, presentation is everything!

{What is more festive than bubbles? | Poinsettia with Prosecco by Nigella Lawson | Image via Suvi Sur Le Vif}

Ingredients:

750-ml bottle Prosecco, or other fizzy dry wine, chilled

1/2 cup (125 mL) Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec, chilled

2 cups (500 mL) cranberry juice, chilled

Directions:

Mix the Prosecco or other fizzy wine with the Cointreau (or Grand Marnier or Triple Sec) and cranberry juice in a large pitcher.

Pour into wineglasses or champagne flutes.

{This pretty drink just looks like Christmas in a glass! | Image and Recipe via Ring Finger Tan Line}

Ingredients:

3 oz Pomegrante Juice (or cranberry)

2 oz Gin

1 oz Simple Syrup

Juice from 2 Lime Wedges

A Few Fresh Mint Leaves

Pomegranate Seeds and Lime Wheels for Garnish

Directions:

Muddle Lime Leaves and Simple Syrup at the bottom of a pitcher. Add ice, gin, pomegranate juice, and lime juice. Stir and garnish as pictured.

{The Flavors and Scents of the Season in a Delicious Drink | Image and Recipe via Bakeaholic Mama}

Ingredients:

1 bottle of dry white wine

3/4 cup pomegranate arils

4 springs of fresh rosemary

1/4 cup simple syrup

the juice of 1 lemon

the juice of 1 orange

1/3 cup Triple Sec  

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a large pitcher and stir gently. Refrigerate for 24 hours to allow flavors to marry. Serve over ice.

{I usually gravitate to gin-based cocktails with mint, lime, and cucumber, so this refreshing and festive drink is just my speed! | Image and Recipe via Beth Knows Her Cocktails}

Ingredients:

Thyme Fizz Cocktail

1 ounce white wine

1 ounce gin

3/4 ounce Thyme Lime Herbal Syrup

1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

4 ounces sparkling water

couple dashes of lime bitters

garnish of 5 or so cucumber slices and a sprig of fresh thyme

Thyme Lime Herbal Syrup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup organic cane sugar

grated zest of one lime (grate the zest from the lime before you squeeze it for the juice)

1/2 cup fresh thyme sprigs

1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan and stir while heating over medium heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove the pan from the heat. Try not to let it boil. Let the syrup cool and infuse for an hour or so. Strain into a glass jar and refrigerate.

To make the Thyme Lime Fizz Cocktail, place all of the cocktail ingredients in your tall serving glass, and mix lightly. Leave some room for some ice cubes, and enjoy.

{For the guys averse to “girly” drinks or the drink snob in your circle, this take on the classic Negroni uses Tequila instead, hence the name, Tegroni. | Recipe by Ina Garten’s Friend, Bobby Liberman | Image via the Barefoot Contessa}

Ingredients:

4 ounces Silver Tequila

4 ounces Cinzano Sweet Vermouth

4 ounces Campari

Grapefruit Peels for Garnish

Directions:

Pour the tequila, vermouth and Campari into a pitcher. Squeeze a grapefruit peel in each of four rocks glasses and divide the alcohol mixture among the glasses. Fill each glass with ice and serve.

{This drink is appropriate for everyone and works all year-round, but when you add festive, striped straws, it feels perfect for the holidays! | Recipe and Image via Juls’ Kitchen}

Ingredients:

4 organic lemons

2 cm Fresh Ginger

6 tbsp Sugar

Water and Ice Cubes

Fresh Mint Leaves for Garnish

Directions:

Squeeze the lemons into a bowl so as to collect all the juice, then grate the fresh ginger and add it to the lemon juice.

Strain the lemon juice and the grated ginger, pressing the pulp into the strainer with the back of a spoon to extract the essence of ginger.

Pour the lemon juice into a pitcher, add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then water it down with cold water. The amount of water will depend on how intense you like it: I usually use ⅓ of lemon juice and sugar and ⅔ of water.

Serve the ginger lemonade with ice cubes and a few sprigs of fresh mint.