The Holiday Cocktails Everyone’s Making Right Now: Eggnog, Martinis, and More

’Tis the season to spike basically everything.

By
Leah Colins
A studio portrait of editor Leah Colins.
Leah Colins
Senior Culinary Editor

Leah is the Senior Culinary Editor at Serious Eats, and was previously a recipe developer and editor with America's Test Kitchen for almost 9 years. She has developed recipes for and edited over 20 cookbooks ranging in topic from bread baking to plant-based eating to outdoor grilling and so much more. While there, she also developed recipes and articles for Cooks Illustrated Magazine, Cooks Country Magazine, and ATK's digital platform.Before her life as a recipe developer, she cooked in 5-star and Michelin-starred fine dining establishments from coast to coast such as The Herbfarm and Aubergine Restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel; she also treasures her time flipping burgers on flattops in her teenage years, and baking and boxing cookies and pies at a wonderful family-owned German bakery in her early professional life.

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Published December 17, 2025
Three glasses of eggnog on a green surface with red coasters

Serious Eats / Jen Causey

According to what readers are saving on MyRecipes—our free tool for keeping track of your favorite dishes—festive cocktails are having a major moment this month. Warm, cozy, and often delightfully creamy sips are topping everyone’s lists, from classic holiday beverages to sparkling party favorites. Whether you’re hosting a crowd or just looking for something seasonal to enjoy, these are the cocktails readers are turning to for a little extra cheer. Scroll on to find the most-saved festive drinks of the month.

Love these recipes? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

  • Dirty, Sopping-Wet Martini Recipe

    20160321-filthy-martinis-vicky-wasik-2-2.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    You are officially my people for saving this one in droves. If you love gin—but not too much gin—this gloriously briny, sopping-wet martini is basically your soulmate. It's the rare cocktail where the quality of the gin matters less, making it perfect for thrifty drinkers armed with leftover olive brine or pickle juice and the final glug from an off-brand bottle. Cheap, easy, salty, and complete with a built-in snack, it’s everything a low-effort holiday drink should be.

  • Classic Eggnog Recipe

    Three glasses of eggnog on a green surface with red coasters

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey

    If you’re happily chugging what is essentially melted ice cream this time of year, just know you’re in good company. Classic eggnog is at its best when it’s creamy, frothy, and unapologetically rich—basically a dessert that decided to moonlight as a cocktail. And of course, it should deliver a friendly-but-firm kick from a generous pour of booze. If holiday cheer had a flavor, it would be this.

  • Hot Toddy

    Two hot toddies served on a wooden board with lemon slices, next to a small bowl of demerara sugar

    Serious Eats / Two Bites

    A hot toddy as seasonal as it gets—warm, whiskied, and soothing in a way that feels borderline medicinal (or at least that’s what we can tell ourselves). Simple but satisfying, it's a nice break from the apple-cranberry chaos of November and the decadent holiday drinks still to come.

  • Flaming Holiday Punch

    Side view of flaming punch

    Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

    If you’re looking to impress your guests and keep your eyebrows intact, this flaming holiday punch is the move. It’s festive, spiced, and showy enough to count as both a beverage and a centerpiece—all while being surprisingly easy and budget-friendly. Every good party needs a little spectacle, and nothing says “holiday spirit” like a punch bowl that briefly behaves like a campfire. Just light it carefully, pour generously, and enjoy the collective gasp from the room.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • Everything Nice (Spiced-Rum Coffee With Butterscotch Whipped Cream)

    Spiced rum coffee with butterscotch whipped cream in a glass mug. There is a silver spoon to the right of the mug, and a small glass vessel of rum on the lefthand side of the image.

    Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

    Coffee and booze? Yes, please—holiday multitasking at its finest. Everything Nice riffs on a classic Irish coffee, swapping in spiced rum for whiskey so you get caramel warmth alongside that roasted, bitter bite. Top it with butterscotch whipped cream and suddenly your mug becomes a full dessert experience.

  • French 75

    Two classes of a French 75

    Serious Eats / Two Bites

    If you need a drink that feels like a little black dress in cocktail form, this is it. The French 75 is proof that sometimes the simplest combinations are the most celebratory. Gin, lemon juice, and Champagne team up to make a cocktail that’s bright, bubbly, and just dangerous enough to keep a holiday party interesting. It’s crisp, classy, and guaranteed to lift spirits.

  • Pomegranate Rouge Champagne Cocktail

    Pomegranate rouge cocktail garnished with a lemon twist.

    Debbie Wee

    There's no occasion this drink isn't perfect for, whether you’re having guests over for dinner, hosting a holiday party, or simply enjoying a cocktail.

  • Glögg (Nordic Mulled Wine)

    Glogg in two glass mugs on a wooden table

    This hot mulled wine—sweet, spiced, and often fortified with a little extra something—is a beloved winter staple throughout the Nordic region. Its zesty aroma drifts through Christmas markets and snow-covered homes alike, basically functioning as seasonal aromatherapy.

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  • Rompope (Mexican Eggnog)

    20111201-127677-Dulces-Rompope-PRIMARY.jpg
    María del Mar Sacasa

    Rompope is Mexico’s answer to eggnog, and according to legend, it was invented by some very forward-thinking nuns in the 17th century. It’s a holiday mix of milk, eggs, spices, and a generous splash of liquor—rich, comforting, and impossible not to love.

  • Coquito (Puerto Rican Spiced Coconut Drink)

    Side view of coquito

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Christmas in Puerto Rico isn't complete without some bottles of coquito to go around. Often referred to as "Puerto Rican eggnog," coquito combines that holiday drink's flavors of rich cream and warm spices with tropical flavors like coconut and rum (if you want to spike the drink, that is).

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