Are you already sick of mulled wine?
Look, we get it. Mulled wine is basically synonymous with the holiday season, but every so often, you’re in the mood for something a little different.
Thankfully, there are many delicious wine cocktails that are perfect for holiday happy hours, holiday movie nights, or holiday craft parties.
Whether you like red, white, rosé, or sparkling wine, check out the top 5 holiday wine cocktails for this season.
Holiday Wine Spritzer
White wine lovers, listen up. This low-ABV holiday wine spritzer features white wine and fresh cranberries. It tastes refreshing and looks bright and colorful on a holiday table.
Simply combine a bottle of white wine with 3 cups cranberry juice and 3 cups ginger ale. Drop fresh cranberries into each glass as a garnish.
You can use any light-bodied white wine you have on hand, like Pinot Grigio or Assyrtiko.
Holiday Manhattan
For a bolder wine cocktail, try the Holiday Manhattan. You can use bourbon, or substitute Cognac for a lower-ABV option.
Stir together two oz. of red wine with a shot of bourbon and a shot of simple syrup. Garnish with a maraschino cherry or an orange peel.
Use a full-bodied red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon – with notes of dark fruit and baking spice – or Zinfandel, with jammy fruit flavors and a hint of spice and smoke.
Blackberry Sparkler
This sparkling wine cocktail combines fresh fruit and fresh herbs. Yum.
Start by making blackberry simple syrup. Heat equal parts sugar and water with fresh blackberries and stir together. Once it’s cool, pour the simple syrup into each glass and add a sparkling wine like Cava or Prosecco.
Garnish each flute with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Who’s in the mood for red wine hot chocolate? Everybody?
To make your own mug of red wine hot cocoa, combine semisweet chocolate chips, milk, and red wine in a saucepan over low heat. Once the chips are melted, take the pan off the heat. Stir in vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt.
You can stir your hot chocolate with a candy cane to give it a minty flavor, or add marshmallows – or both.
Use a dry, fruit-forward red wine like Merlot or Shiraz.
Holiday Sparkler
There’s no doubt about it: this wine sparkler brightens up any holiday evening.
First, crush a sugar cube in orange bitters. Add elderflower liqueur and cranberry juice, and then top it off with sparkling rosé.
You can substitute in sparkling wine if you don’t have rosé on hand.
In Vino Finito
Raise your glass with these delightful holiday wine cocktails – in moderation, of course.
