16 Cheerful Christmas Cocktails As your holiday stress begins to reach its peak, relax with one of these sweet festive cocktails. These recipes are perfect for a holiday cocktail party or late-night, gift-wrapping sessions. From chocolatey peppermint concoctions to warm spiced apple drinks, you're sure to find something that will keep your spirits merry and bright this season. Baileys Chocolate Peppermint Cream 2 ounces Baileys with a hint of Mint Chocolate 4 ounces hot chocolate Fresh whipped cream 1 candy cane Mint leaf Crush candy cane with the back of a spoon. Pour hot chocolate and Baileys into a coffee mug. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top. Garnish with mint leaf. Recipe courtesy of Baileys. Chai Spiced Egg Nog 1 1/2 ounces (45ml) *Chai Infused Louis Royer "Force 53" Cognac 1/2 ounce (15ml) "Santa Teresa 1796" Rum 1 whole egg 3/4 ounce (22.5ml) simple syrup 2 ounces (60ml) heavy cream Garnish: grated nutmeg Shake. Serve on the rocks. Chai Infusion: Measure 3 tablespoons of loose-leaf Chai tea and one 750ml bottle of Louis Royer Force 53 into a mason jar, seal lid and shake. Let infuse for two hours, then fine strain. Keep refrigerated in a labeled bottle. Prepare Cognac infusion two hours in advance of cocktail making. Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Top the glass with a shaker tin and give the ingredients a "dry shake" to pre-whip the ingredients and ensure a frothy texture. After dry shake, add ice and shake vigorously to achieve proper chill and dilution. Strain cocktail into a punch glass or mug. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and serve. Recipe courtesy of Chad Solomon and Christy Pope. La Vita e Bella 3/4 ounce Campari 5 ounces Llopart Cava Brut Rose 3/4 ounce Busnel Calvados Hors D'Age 12 Year Old 1/4 ounce Employees Only Grenadine 1 brown sugar cube 1 long grapefruit peel, for garnish Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a Champagne flute with rose cava. Add Calvados, Campari and grenadine into a mixing glass and shake briefly and hard. Pour the contents of the shaker over the sugar cube and rose cava. Twist the grapefruit peel over the drink and place into the flute as garnish. Recipe courtesy of Dushan Zaric. Cider Sidecar 2 ounces Drouin "Selection" Calvados 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1/4 ounce spiced cider reduction (Cider, Black pepper, Cinnamon, Juniper, Allspice, Clove, Anise) Build in shaker with ice, strain into glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Recipe courtesy Craftbar. Gaspare's Winter Punch 3/4 cup Campari 3/4 cup Royal Combier Grand Liqueur 2 bottles medium-bodied red wine 6 cups cranberry juice 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup sugar Zest of 1 orange 6 cinnamon sticks 10 whole cloves 10 whole allspice 6 whole star anise 1 whole nutmeg 1 teaspoon almond extract Sort cranberries discarding bruised fruit. Rinse and place in a 6-quart pan with raisins, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cranberry juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes to blend flavors. Add wine and sugar and heat until steaming (six to eight minutes). Do not bring to a boil. Add Campari, orange liqueur and almond extract. Strain out cranberries and ladle into punch cups. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and star anise. Recipe courtesy of Julie Reiner. Cafe Amaro 11/2 ounces Luxardo Amaro Abano 1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup Coffee In a hot mug add Amaro and sugar, then coffee. Orange zested whipped cream and cinnamon stick garnish. Recipe courtesy of Eastern Standard. Stocking Cap 3 ounces Hennessy Cognac 1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur 1 ounce cinnamon syrup Splash of light cream Red Hot sugar (2:1 ratio of Red Hots to sugar; blend together) Rim a martini glass with the red sugar. Combine all wet ingredients in an ice-filled shaker, shake and serve up. Recipe courtesy of Bar Manager Robert Honeycutt of GILT. Baked Apple Toddy 1.5 ounces Denizen Rum 0.5 ounce Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy 1 dash Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters 1 tablespoon sugar in the raw 3-4 whole cinnamon sticks Pinch of cloves Whole nutmeg, for garnish Pour rum, brandy and bitters into a mug. In a saucepan, steep two to three whole cinnamon sticks and a small pinch of cloves in boiling water. Strain out the solids and pour the liquid into mug. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Grate cinnamon and nutmeg over top. Recipe courtesy of Marshall Altier of JBird. Candy Cane Bamboozled Shake 3 scoops vanilla ice cream 1 ounce whole milk 1 shot peppermint schnapps Â½ shot creme de menthe, clear 1 each candy cane Whipped cream Place ice cream, half of candy cane, milk and alcohol in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and garnish with whipped cream and remaining half of candy cane crushed. Garnish with peppermint meringues and white chocolate crunch balls. Recipe courtesy of Anthony Meidenbauer of Holsteins at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Spiced Hot Chocolate 3 ounces house-made spiced hot chocolate 3/4 ounce B&B 3/4 ounce Amarula Topped with house-made Kahlua-infused whipped cream. Recipe courtesy of Fairmount Pittsburgh. Douglas Collins 2 ounces of Douglas Fir gin 10 ounces lemon juice 10 ounces of simple syrup Shake and strain into a tall Collins glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with a Douglas Fir branch. Recipe courtesy Jeff Josenhans of The US Grant's Grant Grill. Skinnygirl's Candy Cane Martini 1 part Skinnygirl Bare Naked Vodka 1 part peppermint schnapps 1 part fat-free sweetened condensed milk Mini candy cane for garnish Shake liquids with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with mini candy cane. Recipe courtesy Skinnygirl Cocktails. Cranberry Mistletini 3 oz Green Mountain vodka 1 oz cranberry-orange simple syrup Soda water Garnish with orange peel Recipe courtesy Topnotch Resort and Spa. The Hot Cubano 1 1/2 ounces dark rum 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur 1 shot strong Cuban espresso Whipped cream Powdered/shaved chocolate Cinnamon Pour the dark rum and coffee liqueur into a coffee glass or mug; fill with strong Cuban espresso. Top off with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and powered/shaved chocolate. Recipe courtesy Havana Central Restaurant and Bar. The Nogg Father dark rum Oscalis Brandy whole egg cream milk nutmeg Served up in a martini, chilled with grated nutmeg. Recipe courtesy Vincent Lee of Lucy Restaurant & Bar. Holly & Ivy 1 ounce Belvedere Grapefruit 1 ounce Grand Marnier 3/4 ounce Rosemary Syrup 1 ounce POM Wonderful Vigorously shake all ingredients in iced cocktail shaker. Strain into cocktail glass. Recipe courtesy William Ward of Marble Lane.