Since the beginning of families, holidays, and especially family holidays like Christmas, alcohol has always been a key component to survival. Brighten up everyone's spirits by mixing up these delicious drinks -- and don't forget to pour one (or five) for yourself as you mix.

Evergreen Swizzle

The Evergreen Swizzle is another drink you can make ahead of time and wow the crowd with later. If you're hosting a get-together, having small bottles of this on hand will making serving easy. If the weather outside is frightful, this tasty cocktail will remind your guests of crisp summer evenings while they enjoy the taste of winter.

Ingredients: gin, yellow chartreuse, pine liqueur (like Zirbenz), water

Simply pour all ingredients in a pitcher and stir well. Divide the cocktail into small bottles and chill for several hours, until very cold. Garnish with rosemary sprigs or cranberries.


Apple Cider Bourbon Whiskey Cocktail

Crockpot apple cider is as sure a sign of winter as shorter days. And, we all learned from 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' that the holidays can't be survived without help from your good friend Jack Daniel's. Enter Apple Cider Bourbon Whiskey cocktail. To make this recipe your own, add dark rum, cloves and cinnamon sticks to taste.

Ingredients: apple cider, your favorite whiskey, dark rum, whole cloves, cinnamon

Warm the apple cider in a slow-cooker on low heat. Add spices like cloves and cinnamon to your taste. Add some dark rum to warm as well. Once the mix is warm, put whiskey in a small glass and pour cider over it. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or apple slice.


Candy Cane Cocktail

Candy canes and Christmas are nothing without each other. Everyone will be happy to wear those sweaters aunt Sylvia crocheted if you serve up this Candy Cane cocktail after the gifts are open. Pre-mix, chill and serve from a pitcher with individual canes.

Ingredients: vanilla rum, white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps

Add liquors to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass.


Eggnog Martini

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Let's be honest. Everyone is going to spike their eggnog. Make holiday miracles come true by serving it already spiked. If you want to be just a tad more fancy than Uncle Jim who just dumps in more spiced rum than is sensible, we have just the martini for you. Be the bearer of an Eggnog martini.

Ingredients: your favorite eggnog, vanilla vodka, amaretto, caramel syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon

Fill a shaker with ice and pour in your eggnog, vodka and amaretto. Shake until chilled. Rim a chilled martini glass by dipping in the caramel syrup and then in the brown sugar. Strain the mixture into a martini glass and sprinkle with cinnamon. Win Christmas.


Spiced Chocolate Stout Beer Cocktail

The holidays are definitely no time to forget the beer drinkers. There are seasonal cocktails for them too. They deserve some pomp just like the candy cane lovers. Reward them for helping you put up your blasted lights with a Spiced d Stout Beer cocktail.

Ingredients: brandy, spicy simple syrup, chocolate stout beer, ice, cinnamon stick

In a pint glass, combine the brandy and simple syrup over ice. Pour in the chocolate stout and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Or more brandy.


Spiced Cherry Martini

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Your mom needs the holidays to go well, but she's tired from doing pretty much everything to make that happen. Your mom needs a drink, but she doesn't want to guzzle high-calorie nog or look like frat boy with a mug of bourbon. The Spiced Cherry martini is your mom's martini.

Ingredients: spiced rum, naturally sweetened cherry juice, pomegranate liqueur, vanilla simple syrup, lemon juice

First, make your vanilla simple syrup by boiling one cup of water with one cup of sugar and one vanilla bean for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 more minutes. Strain the syrup to get the bean particles out and then set aside to cool. In a large tumbler, combine the rum, cherry juice, pomegranate liqueur, simple syrup and lemon juice and stir. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a mint leaf to add some green to your red cocktail. Hug your mom.


Death in the Afternoon

Absinthe is the new “it” drink, so prove to your family and friends that you're the coolest person they know by whipping up this favorite of Hemingway himself. And it's green, which is festive and seasonal. You might as well be drinking Death in the Afternoon if you're going to be wishing for it after a day of holiday-ing.

Ingredients: absinthe, champagne

Pour the absinthe into a champagne flute. Top with the champagne. If you want to be a show off, pour the champagne first. The absinthe will sit on top of the bubbly for a while and you'll seem like some sort of wizard.

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