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14 Christmas cocktails to wow your guests these holidays

Read time 5 Mins

Posted 06 Nov 2025

By
Emily Reed

Various Christmas-themed cocktails together against a bright green background

Fresh, festive and fuss-free, these cocktails are made for an Aussie summer. 

Yep, it’s that time of year again. The only time you’ll hum along to Michael Bublé, although maybe still not by choice. That’s right – it’s gather-everyone-dear-to-you season. That means it’s a time to mix, stir and shake some festive cocktails to share with your favourite people. If you’re on the hunt for the best cocktails to whip up this holiday season, the following recipes are sure to convince your family and friends that you’ve got your act together. 

Whether you want to look like a fancy mixologist at a friend’s party or blitz up a tasty big-batch cocktail so you don’t spend the whole occasion stuck in the kitchen, we have a recipe for you. For Christmas Day and beyond, here are some our most summery, festive-inspired cocktails.

The Mango Colada is a fruity twist on the Pina Colada
1. Mango Colada If you like Piña Coladas, then you’ll love this mango riff. While spiced rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream do most of the talking in the original recipe, this twist sees white rum step in, along with fresh mango, mango sorbet, a dash of lime juice and Aperol. The coconut cream remains, pulling it all together to create an incredibly summery, festive cocktail that will kick off every gathering this season in the best possible way. You can even blitz up a batch without rum and Aperol for any kids and others who are going alcohol-free – just be sure to serve them in different cups to avoid any mix-ups.
2. Sour Strawberry Highball

Looking to serve up a fresh and surprising drink when everyone turns up this Christmas? We have just the thing for arrival with this sweet and sour refresher. The tequila-based Sour Strawberry Highball mixes strawberries, lemon juice, agave syrup and kombucha to deliver a long, bubbly, fruity and sweet cocktail that gets topped with a fresh strawberry. Could this be the ideal Christmas Down Under drink? Like the Mango Colada, this is another one that works a treat without the spirit – leave out the tequila and it makes a brilliant spritzy treat for everyone. 


 

The Sour Strawberry Highball is sweet, tart and refreshing
The Aussie Summer Eggnog cocktail
3. Aussie Summer EggnogWoah, what? An Aussie version of a very northern hemisphere holiday beverage? Our recipe flips the script on the traditional festive tipple and even includes, wait for it, Vegemite. The secret is to add roughly the same amount you would to your slice of toast – that way everyone who enjoys a sip will raise their eyebrows but won’t know why. Keep ‘em guessing! In addition to Vegemite, you’ve got an Aussie festive spirits trifecta – rum, brandy and muscat. Together they bring a robust kick, perfectly mellowed by milk and cream. And, of course, served cold. Convinced? We thought so. 
4. Mezcalita Trifle
The combo of mezcal and trifle here might sound a little odd because they don’t have a whole heap in common, but you know what they say – opposites attract. There’s something about the smoky and earthy complexity of the mezcal that pairs perfectly with the sweet, creamy fruitiness of this mix. Plus, it’s red and green – how much more perfect for Christmas can you get? This is by no means a spontaneous cocktail; you’ll need to plan ahead and set the jelly in your glasses the night before so that you’re good to go when guests arrive. We also recommend opting for fresh apricots and raspberries if you can – trust us when we say it’ll make all the difference. 
The Mezcalita Trifle is sweet and smoky with a jelly base
The Bourbon Cherry Cola with a sugar-dusted cherry on top
5. Bourbon Cherry Cola Given that Christmas time means cherry season in Australia, it’s kind of a no-brainer to showcase these fresh little treats in a seasonal cocktail (bonus points if you grab them from a roadside farmgate store). With only a few ingredients and steps, this simple recipe will save you time if you’re juggling a turkey in the oven and custard on the stove. You can always pit the cherries ahead of time, and you can even muddle the ingredients in each glass earlier in the day to let them sit and fully infuse until you’re ready to serve. Even better, give someone the job of filling each glass with ice and topping them with cola. Christmas is all about delegating, right? 
6. Frozen Lychee MartiniSometimes you just want to throw all your ingredients in a blender and call it a day. Don’t get us wrong, we love an involved cocktail as much as the next mixologist, but when you’re hosting, mingling or getting grilled by your Aunt Sue about why none of your Hinge matches have stuck around, sometimes you need something easy (and loud enough to drown out questions). All you need is a handful of tinned lychees (and their juice) and a cup of ice – chuck ’em into your blender, add a glug of elderflower liqueur and good gin (we like Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin or a classic Bombay Sapphire), followed by a dash of fresh lemon juice, and blitz for a fresh and fruity cocktail sans any effort. We’ll drink to that.
Holding a glass of the Frozen Lychee Martini
The Cherry Christmas Spritz cockail, with cherries as a garnish
7. Cherry Christmas Spritz Here’s another cherry-themed cocktail that will keep your guests happy (and ensure that big box of cherries doesn’t go to waste at the end of the day). This is complex, rounded and best sipped on a hot Christmas Day while the prawns are sizzling on the barbecue. The hero ingredient here is homemade cherry syrup – only a few steps ahead of time will make a big difference to the final result. Then it’s just a matter of grabbing some Lambrusco (or any sparkling red you have in the fridge), amaretto and lime. Serve it with plenty of ice and it’ll be a crowd favourite. 
8. Pavlova Punch We all love a beautifully presented pav in the middle of the table, but what about in a punch bowl? In liquid form, this ode-to-dessert cocktail mimics the visual appeal of a pavlova as well as the taste. It leans into the festive theme with its red strawberries and green kiwis and essentially doubles as a table centrepiece that will definitely get oohs and aahs from your guests. Just like the real thing, this punch has the same summery fruity flavours as its dessert counterpart, and the addition of rum is giving Mojito energy. Expect a fresh and fizzy sipper that looks as good as it tastes. 
The Frozen Aperol Spritz is an icy upgrade of the classic Aperol Spritz
9. Frozen Aperol SpritzIf the long-range forecast is out for Christmas Day and it’s looking like a scorcher, then this Frozen Aperol Spritz is just what you need. Sure, the OG Aperol Spritz is pretty perfect for sunny days, but this version takes things up a notch. It swaps the bubbles for something cooler, frostier and even more fabulous: an icy twist on the cult-favourite cocktail. You can still expect everything you love about an Aperol Spritz – think vibrant Aperol, effervescent prosecco and a big orange wedge. You’ll also add lots of ice and some orange juice before throwing everything into a blender, blitzing it up until it’s just right, and then pouring it out for your guests. 
10. SnowballA flute of bubbly to accompany your freshly peeled prawns is all well and good, but we think popping that bubbles and enjoying it in a Snowball will fast-track the festive feels. A key ingredient in the Snowball is advocaat, a creamy liqueur you don’t see much of until December rolls around. Also known as ‘Dutch eggnog’, it’s velvety and custard-like and made from eggs, sugar and a neutral spirit (traditionally brandy). It’s yum. And why is this festive tipple called a Snowball? It’s because of the white frothy cloud that sits on top of the drink, but you have to shake it really well to achieve this – otherwise, it’ll look like a melted ball of ice after a snowball fight. You’ve got this.
The Snowball is one of the best Christmas cocktails
The Christmas Whiskey Flip cocktail
11. Espresso Martini Granita This frosty, vodka-spiked caffeine hit ticks more than a few boxes for festive lunches, especially when the temperature spikes and the everyone’s food coma is kicking in. The Espresso Martini Granita is an excellent way to curb the late afternoon lull, but it does mean a little planning ahead the day before. It’s easy, we promise. Just mix all ingredients together in a container and pop that in the freezer. After 24 hours, scrape it with a fork to break it up into a slushy texture and serve – we love it with a dollop of cream on top.
12. Sparkling Strawberry Punch This next recipe is a shoo-in for Christmas. Not only does it nail the Christmas colour theme, but it’s also ideal when you’re catering for the masses (and by the masses, we mean your entire crew attending the annual Friendsmas long lunch). Although you can use just any type of sparkling in this easy mix – Champagne included – we’ve used pink moscato for its peak freshness and distinctive sweet kick. This punch tastes just as fun and vibrant as it looks – sweet, tart and fizzy. We recommend preparing an extra large ice cube a couple of days in advance by freezing sliced strawberries in water in a takeaway container. Then it's just a case of carefully chopping it into chunks that fit your jug or punch bowl. 
The bright pink Strawberry Champagne Punch in a jug with glasses next to it
Holding a Mango Daiquiri, garnished with a lime slice and cherry
13. Mango Daiquiri Technically, all these cocktails are Christmas-themed, but we think a Mango Daiquiri is best served during that strange period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve when nobody knows what day it is (and loves that they don’t). Take advantage of mango season and try to get your hands on a box of them, but don’t stress if you can’t because frozen will still do the job. Why stop at mango? It turns out pineapple, raspberries and even strawberries work well in Daiquiris, too. So, grab your blender, a bottle of light rum, some fresh fruit and get blitzing and sipping.  
14. Brandy Sour At Christmas time, there’s a good chance you’ll have a bottle of brandy lying around – perhaps a slug of it went into the dessert you made for the family lunch. There’s something about brandy that goes hand in hand with yuletide festivities. You could sip on it neat, but you could also use it to whip up an impressive Brandy Sour. This sweet, sour and fruity cocktail, with its smooth, creamy texture, is a delightful Chrissy tipple. Take note of the ‘dry shake’ step – that’s where you shake all your ingredients together first without ice – it’s common in recipes with egg white to nail that frothy finish.
The Brandy Sour is a great cocktail to use up brandy for Christmas
Looking for more easy drinks to serve a crowd? Check out these big-batch recipes that are the best cocktails to make for a group.  
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Emily ReedEmily is a Melbourne-based writer partial to a good pét nat. Her hobbies include lining up songs on Spotify at house parties and hovering near cheese platters.
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CocktailsLiqueursCreamySourSummerRumGin'Best of' listsEasyCognac & BrandyChristmasEntertainingSweetMezcalVodkaFruityWine based
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