10 Best Martini Recipes for This Holiday Season

November 04, 2022 by Sonja Edridge

If you’re home for the holidays this year, double down with a staycation party and our list of festive and tasty holiday martinis! It’s the ultimate antidote after a crazy year. Start compiling your best Christmas playlist, and invite your friends and family to join in the fun. Get creative with the best holiday martinis and enjoy the holiday cheer. Cheers!

1. Eggnog Martini

Nothing says holiday season more than eggnog! So first on the list is one for the eggnog fans. Introducing the Eggnog Martini! We get it, eggnog is an acquired taste, but you can’t go wrong with a festive holiday martini that tastes just like Christmas! This spiced sip is the most comforting mix of vanilla vodka (yum!), amaretto liqueur, spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep your festive entertaining effortless and serve it as a dessert or enjoy this rich, sweet sip around the Christmas tree (while sneakily looking for gifts that have your name on them).

Festive dessert in a glass: Play Cat and Mouse with our Tom and Jerry Cocktail

2. Cranberry Martini

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a little cranberry—and falling in love with our Cranberry Martini recipe is easy! We all love a knockout cocktail that’s effortless to shake up, looks sophisticated (more so than a martini should) and will totally impress. Cranberry juice adds a zingy bite of sweetness to balance the fresh lemon juice and bittersweet Grand Marnier. For all the glitter and sparkle Christmas demands, brush the side of your chilled martini glass with a cut lemon and roll it in a saucer of sugar mixed with a little edible gold dust. Feel the fancy.

3. Peppermint Vodka Martini

Our Peppermint Martini is a real crowd-pleaser and if you’re looking for an easy dessert alternative, we’ve got you! And who wouldn’t like a sweet and creamy cocktail that’s minty and fresh? A delicious swirl of crème de menthe, SKYY Vodka, crème de cacao and heavy cream. Pour this festive delight into a chilled martini glass. And if you’re looking for extra festive flair, paint the edge of the martini glass with a little grenadine and dip it in crushed candy cane. Christmas has arrived.

Give more thanks: The Best Thanksgiving Cocktails For a Festive Feast

4. Holiday Cosmo

We’re giving our delicious classic Cosmopolitan a new name! All hail the Holiday Cosmo! Since it’s already made with classic festive ingredients, it would be a travesty to exclude it from this list. This sophisticated mix of cranberry and lime juice, Grand Marnier, and vodka should only be sipped with your favorite people (and Carry Bradshaw would agree). Haul out your holiday martini glasses and chill them for extra delight. Merry, merry!

5. Mistletoe Christmas Martini

Put on your fave Christmas playlist. We’re guessing you’ll want to break into song as you mix up this holiday martini. A Mistletoe Christmas Martini is one of the simplest holiday martini recipes to master. To make one, you’ll need 2 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of cherry brandy (regular will do, just add a dash of cherry juice), 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice, and ½ ounce of simple syrup. For all the festive feels, skewer three raspberries onto a cocktail stick to balance over your chilled martini glass, along with a sprig of rosemary.

Brandy love: 8 Apple Brandy Cocktail Recipes to Get You in the Mood for Fall

6. Candy Corn Martini

We’re loving all the nostalgia this over-the-top sweet Candy Corn cocktail delivers. We’re talking neon-colored candy corn kernels soaked in vodka. The fun really starts when you mix up the Candy Corn-infused vodka with fresh sweet pineapple juice and heavy cream! Time to get your festive on, ignore the chores and make this cheeky holiday martini. You’d be doing your country a favor: America produces 35 million pounds of the stuff annually!

Candy love: Trendy Candy Cocktails for the Ultimate Sugar Rush

7. Pear Martini

Strictly speaking, to follow the seasons, a Pear Martini is a fall cocktail. But who’s keeping track if you love it as much as we do? It may just become a permanent fixture in your repertoire as the signature drink over the holidays. Let this irresistible sip be the delight of your holiday feasts. It’s easy to make and only requires four ingredients, and the combination of elderflower and pear is utterly delicious. A quick ice shake blends it all into something magical. It’s the perfect combination to restore calm after hours of prep in the kitchen.

More fall fodder: Snuggle Up with These 10 Irresistible Fall Cocktails

8. Pumpkin Martini

Our Pumpkin Martini is filled with pumpkin spice and all things nice, and it’s up there with the best holiday martinis to enjoy this season! You’ll like it so much, you’ll find yourself ordering a little more pumpkin purée to get you through the festive season, all the way into summer! No judgement here! With an indulgent combination of vanilla vodka, Irish cream pumpkin purée and spice, this might just become your favorite dessert cocktail this season. All the comfort in one sip!

Pumpkin love: An Indulgent Hot Pumpkin Pie Cocktail for Thanksgiving

9. Cherry Christmas Martini

If you are looking for quick and easy holiday martini ideas, stop right here! A Cherry Christmas Martini is what you’re dreaming of. With just three ingredients and a quick ice shake, your holiday martini wishes will come true! All you need is 1½ ounces of top-shelf vodka, 1½ ounces of fresh cherry juice and ½ ounce of elderflower liqueur. Give it all a vigorous shake and pour into a chilled martini glass.

For the love of martini: 14 Types of Martinis You Should Know

10. Holiday Espresso Martini

When the festive social calendar gets overwhelming, reach for a coffee cocktail for a kick of caffeine. Coffee lovers will fall in love with this Espresso Martini. It’s a rich, sweet cocktail made with fresh espresso and coffee liqueur that’s best served as after dinner. Sip the delicious, foam-topped cocktail instead of dessert. Offer to make it with decaf for those who love their sleep as much as their sweet.

Caffeinated cocktails: 11 Effortlessly Elegant Summer Gin Cocktails

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When we think about Christmas and the cold weather, sipping a comforting eggnog around a crackling fire is a popular scene. Other festive faves have to be the Tom and Jerry cocktail, Brandy Alexander or Hot Buttered Rum.

Holiday martini recipes should absolutely include one with Christmas cake vodka! Take a peek at our article on edible gifts to make a batch. Just follow our classic martini recipe and pour it with a good, crisp white vermouth to offer balance to the sweetness and perhaps a squeeze of fresh lemon. Genius!