30 Cocktail Ideas for a Winter Wedding

December 06, 2014

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Bryan Gardner

These tipples combine timely flavors to warm up the festivities.

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Bryan Gardner

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When the temperatures drop, there's nothing better than a festive drink mixed with the season in mind. After all, if you're going to have a signature drink at your wedding, you might as well take inspiration from the season. That's why we rounded up some of our favorite winter wedding cocktail recipes. Some are hot drinks, like mulled cider or wine, spiked hot chocolate, or boozy eggnog, fit for warming up chilly guests during cold-weather celebrations. Others are served chilled, like refreshing large-batch punch recipes or sparkling spritzers. But whether hot or cold, shaken or stirred, these signature cocktail ideas for winter weddings have two things in common: They're delicious, and they're made with seasonal ingredients.

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Boozy Hot Chocolate

Bryan Gardner

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You might not expect to find tequila in hot cocoa, but the spirit is actually ideal for the dessert drink. In this winter wedding cocktail by Ian Hardie of Huckleberry Bar, tequila adds its inherently fruity and slightly salty flavor—a great complement to chocolate.

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Hot Buttered Rum

Bryan Gardner

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Warm guests up in more ways than one with this buttery wedding drink by Hardie.

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Ginger Apple Cider with Brandy

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Give friends and loved ones a warm welcome with this cider spiked with brandy, which becomes the perfect signature drink for a fall wedding when paired with ginger and allspice.

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Ginger and Bitters Cocktail

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Say a toast with this easy-to-make cocktail that is a refreshing mixture of julienned ginger, bitters, and Prosecco.

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Sparkling Pear and Cranberry Cocktail

Kirsten Strecker

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This fizzy sipper is made with Moscato d'Asti, which is sweeter than Champagne but much lighter than the rich dessert wine also made from Italian moscato grapes.

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Hot Toddy

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Seeking a cozy touch for the menu at a winter party? Mix warm brandy, lemon, and honey to create this classic beverage.

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Ginger Sparkler

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Slightly spicy ginger syrup is topped off with sparkling wine of your choice for this refreshing and festive cocktail.

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Eggnog Martini

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Spreading good cheer is easy—greet guests at a holiday wedding with brandied eggnog garnished with pumpkin-pie spice.

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Kumquat-Champagne Cocktail

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Brighten up the festivities by adding candied kumquats to this sparkling sipper.

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Citrus Cosmopolitan

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This coral-colored cocktail is romance in a glass with its delicious libation that combines vodka, blood orange juice, Cointreau, orange juice, and grapefruit juice.

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Manhattan Kir Royale

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Hosting a Paris-themed fête in New York this winter? Try this signature drink in which France's famous kir royale (black-currant liqueur and Champagne) meets the Manhattan (whiskey, vermouth, and bitters).

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Hot and Nutty Whiskey Sour

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This warm take on the whiskey sour adds Nocello, a walnut-flavored liqueur.

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Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail

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Guests will get into the spirit with this wedding-weekend brunch cocktail. The blood-orange juice turns what would ordinarily be a mimosa into a lovely ruby-tinted beverage.

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White Russian

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This decadently delicious swirl of vodka, coffee liqueur, and heavy cream is sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.

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Eggnog Cocktail

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Here's a recipe for the perfect wintry signature drink, the eggnog cocktail, a mixture of bourbon, white crème de cacao, heavy cream, and nutmeg.

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Classic Champagne Cocktail

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Easily multiplied, this recipe offers an elegant twist on serving plain bubbly with the addition of bitters and Cognac.

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Apple Cinnamon Rum

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For an end-of-the-evening nightcap, this recipe adds warming, spicy notes of cinnamon to rum and Applejack.

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Zesty Hot Buttered Rum

photostudio

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Encourage guests to get cozy with this beverage, which takes advantage of the deep flavor in a dark rum and enhances it with a spiced butter made with brown sugar, orange zest, and spices including cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

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Starlight Royale

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Let your evening glow and sparkle. This concoction of gin, lime juice, and Champagne is topped off with a splash of grenadine for a pink glow and then served in a glass dipped in lime juice and fine sanding sugar for a band of sparkle.

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Brandy Alexander

DAVID M. RUSSELL

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This version of the classic cocktail of brandy, dark Cacao, heavy cream, and nutmeg will treat attendees at a winter celebration.

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Winter Solstice Cocktail

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A citrusy vodka cocktail is a refreshing pick-me-up when the temperatures dip down. The garnish can be tailored to a wedding's color palette.

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Red Currant Champagne Cocktail

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This cocktail suits any celebration, but its red color that it gets from red currant puree mixed with Champagne is especially festive for a December wedding.

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Espresso Martini

James Ransom

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Reference the season with the classic flavors of treat comprised of espresso, Frangelico, and vanilla vodka.

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Mandarin Cocktail

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Rise to the occasion with this Champagne sipper made with a dash of mandarin liqueur.

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Bourbon and Ginger Cocktail

Easiest. Cocktail. Ever. (And delicious, to boot!) Simply combine bourbon with effervescent ginger ale and a squeeze of lime for a pairs-well-with-everything cocktail.

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Coconut Eggnog

Chris Court

This twist on the Puerto Rican Coquito cocktail packs a tropical punch thanks to the addition of coconut milk and coconut flakes to the traditional rum-based holiday drink.

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Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktail

James Merrell

The flavors of the cold-weather season come together in this large-batch drink. Light and refreshing, it'll keep all your party people going late into the night.

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Pomtini

A citrusy mix of pomegranate and vodka is sure to make a statement as the signature drink of your celebration.

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