Holiday Punch Recipes

Cinnamon flavors lots of holiday drinks, from eggnog to mulled wine. Here it appears in a juicy punch that’s delicious spiked with Grand Marnier or Cognac. Fresh citrus juice brightens up this pitcher drink, and it's the perfect winter cocktail for any holiday party.

Erick Castro, former bar manager at San Francisco’s Rickhouse, created this sparkling punch. It’s terrifically light, but the malted grain-based genever adds whiskey-like depth.

Eben Freeman’s foamy interpretation of eggnog—infused with the sweet, caramelly flavors of sticky toffee pudding, a British favorite—is halfway between a drink and a dessert. “It’s thick enough to eat with a spoon,” he says. “So was classic eggnog.”

For hot punches, young Irish whiskeys work best. Heat intensifies the tannic edge of older whiskeys; young ones stay smooth.

Faced with two half-empty bottles of Zinfandel, Marcia Kiesel came up with this warm mulled wine, spiced with fennel seeds and cinnamon.

Figa was Clyde Common bar manager Charlie Hodge’s first cocktail on the drink list at Clyde Common, which opened in 2007 in Portland’s retro-minimalist Ace Hotel.

Agostino Perrone, head mixologist at London’s luxurious Connaught Bar, created this simple sparkling punch. “It would be a great aperitif for a large dinner party,” says Wayne Collins; he recommends serving it in teacups.

Bartenders mix batches of cocktails like this potent Fish House Punch, transfer them into empty wine bottles, then let patrons pour drinks for themselves.

This bubbly, sweet-tart cocktail combines sparkling wine, dessert wine and deep-red pomegranate juice.

Classicist bartenders have resurrected the centuries-old ritual of the formal punch service. Here, Philip Ward of New York’s Death & Co. makes a potent concoction named after the old British slang for gin.

This strong but not overly sweet sangria is nicely spiced with cinnamon, anise and cloves and it has just enough crushed red pepper to give it a tiny kick.

Demand for the Coquito, a Latin take on eggnog, was so great that Carmen now serves the drink year-round, not just during the holidays.

In this pleasantly tart punch, David Wondrich mixes Irish whiskey with gin to mimic the taste of a richer, older style of gin.

Of course Maria Helm Sinskey and her husband, Rob (co-owner of Napa’s Robert Sinskey Vineyards), serve their wine at parties. But she also offers refreshing punches like this one, made with tart-sweet pomegranate juice and finished with Prosecco.

Red wine and kirsch (a brandy made from cherries) are the base for this delicious seasonal drink, which is laced with citrus and warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper.

The national cocktail of Chile and Peru, this drink may have evolved from the Pisco Punch, which was all the rage in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush.

This citrusy, tiki-style punch is from mixologist Joaquin Simo. It features orange-spiced Ramazzotti Amaro (a bittersweet herbal Italian digestif) and homemade orange cordial.