It’s almost Christmas, and as we check all the lists and wrap all the gifts, it’s time for us to finally enjoy the winter wonderland warmth with a little merry mixology. Embrace the spirit of Christmas by filling your glass and hearts with these seasonal spirits.

 

Cranberry Coldfront from Desert Door

This Christmas classic from Desert Door combines the earthy, herbal notes of sotol with the sweet tartness of cranberries, delivering more cheer than a regifted white elephant present. Since 2017, the famed Driftwood distillery has been serving up the ancient tradition of sotol, earning accolades along the way for taste and sustainability, including recognition as one of USA Today’s 10 Best Craft Distillery Tours. Now available in 46 states and Washington, D.C., this truly Texas spirit offers the perfect holiday elixir you can savor well into the new year. Try Desert Door’s new Cask Strength Sotol, bottled straight from the barrel for stronger aromatics and a lingering taste.

Ingredients

•       1.5 oz Desert Door Original Texas Sotol
•       1.5 oz white cranberry juice
•       0.5 oz fresh lime juice
•       0.25 oz agave nectar
•       Ice
•       Fresh cranberries and rosemary sprig for garnish

Directions
Add Desert Door, white cranberry juice, lime juice, and agave to a shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled, then strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with cranberries and a rosemary sprig and toast to Texas.

 

Mrs. Claus from Hush & Whisper

With a lineup of gin, vodka, and whiskey, Hush & Whisper continues the Texas tradition of distilling spirits from premier, local ingredients. Coming straight out of Bryan, Texas, Hush & Whisper adds another festive cranberry cocktail to your arsenal of merriment—because ‘tis the season—this time with a Texas-based vodka and a touch of rosemary to add depth. Cocktail courtesy of Kooper Cain.

Ingredients

•       2 oz Hush and Whisper Vodka
•       1 oz Cranberry Syrup
•       1 oz Lemon
•       ½ oz simple syrup
•       Rosemary, muddled

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a shaker and do what you do best: release that holiday stress. Just be sure to have the top on. Pour into whatever you want, or a coupe glass to feel fancy, and add muddled rosemary. Breathe in and enjoy.

 

Apple Ember Mule and Candy Cane Cabin from Peg Leg Spirits

Carey Bringle, owner of Peg Leg Porker Spirits and Bringle’s Smokin’ Oasis in Nashville, TN, is giving Kringle magic with a pair of Tennessee cocktails. Famously known as the only award-winning pitmaster in the world with an award-winning spirits brand, Carey brings a unique smoky flavor to the holiday festivities using Tennessee bourbon filtered through hickory charcoal burned in Peg Leg Porker’s pits. The added smoke adds rich, smooth depth and boldness, perfectly enjoyed while staring at a fireplace. Peg Leg Porker Spirits are available in Texas, as well as Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as in the UK.

Apple Ember Mule

Ingredients

•       2 oz Peg Leg Porker Bourbon
•       1 oz fresh apple cider (or apple juice)
•       ½ oz fresh lemon juice
•       Ginger beer
•       Apple slice and cinnamon stick, for garnish

Directions

Fill a copper mug or highball glass with ice and add Peg Leg Porker Bourbon, fresh apple cider, and lemon juice. Top with ginger beer and stir lightly. Finish with an apple slice and a cinnamon stick garnish.

 

 

Candy Cane Cabin

Ingredients

•       2 oz Peg Leg Porker Vodka
•       2 oz cranberry juice
•       ½ oz peppermint syrup
•       Crushed peppermint
•       Rosemary sprig, for garnish

Directions

First, rim a glass with crushed peppermint. Combine Peg Leg Porker Vodka, cranberry juice, and peppermint syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain the mixture into the prepared glass over fresh ice, then garnish with a rosemary sprig.

 

Snow on the Beach from GRAN MAIZAL

Add a little beachfront to the cold front this Christmas with a Snow on the Beach, a cool tropical cocktail that will warm your heart more than your boss’s family Christmas card. Brought to you by the makers of GRAN MAIZAL, this whiskey wonderland of a cocktail combines the distinct notes of one of the world’s oldest corn varieties, Nal T’eel, with beachy flavors of coconut and pineapple to celebrate a little summer in the season of giving.

Ingredients

•       2 oz GRAN MAIZAL whisky
•       2 oz pineapple juice
•       1/2 oz of simple syrup
•       1 oz canned coconut milk
•       Pineapple wedge

Directions

Simply shake GRAN MAIZAL, pineapple juice, simple syrup, and coconut milk well to dilute, then strain into a tall glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and sip while reminiscing about your favorite beach.

 

The Tom & Jerry

Author Mike Wolf literally wrote the book on holiday drinking, Cheer, gifting us over 300 pages of ways to ride the yuletide. From pumpkin spice and persimmons to apples and oranges, these seasonal cocktails are brimming with so much taste and festivities, you’ll happily adorn those ugly Christmas sweaters you’re pressured to wear every year.

Among these holiday hits is Tom & Jerry, a midwestern classic from the mind of legendary bartender Jerry Thomas. Though the steps below for the drink and batter are a bit more complex than the previous examples, the time invested is worth it; it’s faster than waiting in line for a mall Santa and will warm your insides more than watching a holiday movie marathon with the kids.

Ingredients

•       9 oz. Tom and Jerry batter (see below)
•       24 to 32 oz. whole milk, hot
•       6 oz. aged rum
•       4 oz. cognac

Directions

In a heatproof punch bowl, whisk together the Tom & Jerry batter and hot milk until smooth. Slowly add the rum and cognac, whisking continuously. Ladle the mixture into pre-warmed mugs or cups, then garnish each serving with freshly grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick.

Tom & Jerry Batter Ingredients

•       12 eggs
•       1 oz. aged rum
•       4 cups organic sugar
•       ½ oz. allspice liqueur
•       2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
•       1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
•       1 teaspoon ground cloves
•       1 teaspoon Maldon Sea salt
•       ½ teaspoon ground mace

Tom & Jerry Batter Directions  

Separate the eggs and beat the yolks in a stand mixer, slowly adding the rum until the mixture lightens. Gradually incorporate the sugar, beating until it dissolves, then add the spices and mix well. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold them into the yolk mixture. If preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate—the alcohol helps preserve the batter for at least a week.

 

Cowtown Cocoa and Merry Berry Smash by Blackland Distillery

From the merry masterminds behind Fort Worth-based Blackland Distillery comes a medley of Christmas concoctions that are like carols for your taste buds, singing with whiskey cheer. Known for their exquisite flavor profiling, all in part due to owner/founder Markus Kypreos’s culinary background and the distillery’s lead bartender, Eric, who earned the title of Fort Worth Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Best Mixologist, Blackland uses this Santa-like superpower to spread more joy through mixology than mistletoe.

Then, from Dec. 26-27, stop by their Fort Worth tasting room for a limited-edition Texas Pecan Prairie ‘Nog made with bourbon whiskey, rum, and natural flavors such as pecan, brown sugar, and spiced nutmeg. Hide that elf for good and stop by the distillery to see why, for the sixth year in a row, they earned the Readers’ Choice for Best Distillery in Fort Worth Weekly’s Best of 2025 Awards.

 

Cowtown Cocoa

Ingredients

• 3 oz Blackland Texpresso Whiskey or Texas Pecan Brown Sugar Bourbon
• Hot Chocolate

Directions

Pour Blackland Texas Pecan Brown Sugar Bourbon or Blackland Texpresso Whiskey into a mug of your favorite hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles, and don’t share with the kids.

 

Merry Berry Smash

Ingredients

• 2 oz Blackland Bourbon
• 0.75 oz cranberry syrup
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake hard enough to drown out the Christmas music. Strain into a rocks glass with pebble ice and garnish with a toasted rosemary sprig. Start howling once Mariah comes on.

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Cover Photo Michael Kahn from Unsplash.

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.