12 Christmas Bourbon Cocktails to Make Your Spirits Bright

Gather your cozy or ugly sweaters, extract the tinsel from your hair, and ignore the one bulb that's out on the decorative string of lights. You'll soon forget its presence, or lack thereof, with a Christmas bourbon cocktail in hand. From classic to something a bit more modern, not unlike the Christmas songs playing through the house, there's a holiday bourbon drink for Scrooge and elves alike.

Christmas Kentucky Buck

Step up the classic cocktail game during the holidays with bourbon and eye-catching garnishes that take it from every day to holiday.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• ¾ ounce cranberry juice
• ½ ounce freshly-squeezed lime juice
• Ice
• Ginger beer to top off
• Rosemary sprig, lime wedge, and fresh cranberries for garnish

Instructions

1. In a copper mug or rocks glass, add ice, bourbon, cranberry juice, and lime juice.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Top off with ginger beer.
4. Garnish with a rosemary sprig, lime wedge, and fresh cranberries.

Claus's Cranberry Bourbon

You have enough going on around the holidays. Don't make the relaxing part of your day when you kick back on the couch with a drink in hand just another line on your to-do list.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• ¾ ounce cinnamon simple syrup
• ¼ ounce orange liqueur
• Ice
• Cranberry juice to top off
• Thyme sprig, orange slice, and fresh cranberries for garnish

Instructions

1. In a rocks glass, add bourbon, cinnamon simple syrup, and orange liqueur.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Top off with cranberry juice.
4. Garnish with a thyme sprig, orange slice, and fresh cranberries.

Bourbon Holiday Hot Chocolate

You may not be able to sink yourself into a bubble bath right this instant, but you can continue to mingle with friends and family or spend some time decking the halls with a warm drink in hand. Call it multitasking.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces bourbon
• ¾ ounce hazelnut liqueur
• ½ ounce chocolate syrup
• Prepared hot chocolate to top off
• Whipped cream and grated chocolate for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, add bourbon, hazelnut liqueur, and chocolate syrup.
4. Top off with hot chocolate.
5. Stir to mix.
6. Garnish with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

A Christmas Claret Snap

Also known as the New York sour, this cocktail will dazzle your eyes just like the Christmas lights you admired on your drive home.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 2-3 dashes cinnamon bitters
• Egg white
• Ice
• ¾ ounce red wine

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, cinnamon bitters, and egg white.
2. Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
3. Add ice to shaker.
4. Shake to chill.
5. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
6. Slowly pour red wine down the back of a spoon, creating a red wine float.

Cinnamon Maple Bourbon Sour

Indulge yourself. No, really indulge yourself with a cocktail that's rich and the right amount of tart with the perfect bite from bourbon. This sour also makes an excellent stand-in for dessert if you've already spent your day noshing on sweets.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce maple syrup
• ¾ ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ½ ounce cinnamon liqueur
• 2-3 dashes cinnamon bitters
• Egg white
• Ice
• Cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon liqueur, cinnamon bitters, and egg white.
2. Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
3. Add ice to shaker.
4. Shake to chill.
5. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
6. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Prancer's Pomegranate Bourbon Cocktail

Lean into the colors of the holiday season with a festive bourbon drink that'll go so well with a green sweater, white sweater, red sweater, any sweater - really, it's the only part of your outfit you won't need to stress about.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 4 ounces pomegranate juice
• ½ ounce allspice dram
• 2-3 dashes aromatic bitters
• Ice
• Orange peel for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, bourbon, pomegranate juice, allspice dram, and bitters.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with an orange peel, if desired.

Bring Us the Figgy Bourbon

Not only does this drink pair well with holiday parties or quiet nights alone, but it goes exceptionally well with a shower concert as you carol along to We Wish You a Merry Christmas, emphatically demanding that they bring out the figgy pudding.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces fig-infused bourbon
• 2 ounces apple cider
• ¾ ounce amaretto liqueur
• ¾ ounce freshly-squeezed orange juice
• Ice
• Thyme sprig and fig wedge for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, fig bourbon, apple cider, amaretto liqueur, and orange juice.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a thyme sprig and fig wedge.

Yuletide Toddy

Dash your way through the house with a yuletide bourbon hot toddy. Just take care not to splash any; this is warmer than it looks.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ ounce honey
• ¾ ounce butterscotch liqueur
• Hot water to top off
• Lemon slice for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, add bourbon, lemon juice, honey, and butterscotch liqueur.
4. Stir to mix.
5. Top off with hot water.
6. Stir.
7. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Vixen's Vanilla Old-Fashioned

If reindeer had a signature cocktail, and you know they would, then a smooth and slightly sweetened vanilla old-fashioned would be Vixen's go-to drink.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces bourbon
• ¾ ounce vanilla liqueur
• ¼ ounce amaretto liqueur
• 3-4 dashes orange bitters
• 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Ice
• Orange peel for garnish

Instructions

1. In a mixing glass, add ice, bourbon, vanilla liqueur, amaretto liqueur, and bitters.
2. Stir rapidly to chill.
3. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with the orange peel.

Jack Frost's Bourbon Milk Punch

Skip the eggnog and all the cloying flavors for something a little easier to sip and less filling. This riff on the classic bourbon milk punch will do just the trick.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces vanilla-infused bourbon
• ¾ ounce cinnamon simple syrup
• 4 ounces whole milk or coconut milk
• Ice
• Grated nutmeg and cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vanilla bourbon, cinnamon simple syrup, and milk.
2. Shake vigorously to thoroughly chill.
3. Strain into a rocks glass.
4. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick.

Gingerbread Old-Fashioned

You can put the gingerbread house-making kit back on the shelf when you go grocery shopping this year. There's no need to make something you can't eat. Better idea: whipping up a gingerbread old-fashioned that'll make you more jolly than a night of playing architect with baked goods.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• ½ ounce gingerbread syrup
• 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Ice
• Orange peel and cocktail cherry pierced on a cocktail skewer for garnish

Instructions

1. In a mixing glass, add ice, bourbon, gingerbread syrup, and bitters.
2. Stir rapidly to chill.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with the pierced orange peel and cocktail cherry.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

As memorable, if not more so, than the classic Rockefeller Christmas tree, this bourbon-based Manhattan will sweep you off your feet and tuck you into bed with visions of sugar plums.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon
• ½ ounce sweet vermouth
• ½ ounce cherry liqueur
• 2-3 dashes cinnamon bitters
• Ice
• Cocktail cherries pierced on a cocktail skewer for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a coupe glass.
2. In a mixing glass, add ice, bourbon, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur, and cinnamon bitters.
3. Stir rapidly to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garnish with pierced cocktail cherries.

Pack More Jolly Into the Holidays With Bourbon Cocktails

Don't skimp on the holly, jolly, or belly-laughing ho-ho-hos during Christmas this year. Warm up with bourbon or tuck yourself in with a sweet holiday bourbon nightcap. Whatever way you jingle through the season, bring bourbon for the ride.