22 Enchanting Christmas Mocktails That Make the Holidays Unforgettable

December parties deserve drinks everyone can raise a glass to, and a good mocktail is not a lesser drink, just a different kind of celebration. Sparkling, spiced, creamy or frosty, these drinks carry all the festivity of the season without a drop of alcohol.

These christmas mocktails cover every kind of gathering, from a quiet night by the tree to a full house on Christmas Eve. Each one is a complete recipe, with ingredients, quantities and steps, so nothing is left to guesswork.

Twenty-two recipes follow, from bright cranberry spritzers to slow-cooked mulled cider. Pick a few for the party, keep the rest for the long evenings between Christmas and New Year.

Cranberry Orange Sparkler

This is the drink that looks like Christmas in a glass. Tart cranberry juice meets sweet orange and a rush of sparkling water, and the colour alone earns it a place on the table. A sprig of rosemary and a few cranberries finish it with almost no effort.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 120 ml cranberry juice
• 60 ml fresh orange juice
• 15 ml maple syrup (optional)
• 120 ml sparkling water, chilled
• Ice cubes
• Orange slice, cranberries and a rosemary sprig, to garnish

How to Make It

1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in the cranberry juice and the orange juice.
3. Stir in the maple syrup, if using.
4. Top up with sparkling water and stir once, gently.
5. Garnish with the orange slice, cranberries and rosemary.

Fresh orange juice makes a real difference here, because bottled juice dulls the sparkle. Chill the glass first, add the sparkling water last, and stir once, gently, so the fizz survives to the first sip. It scales easily for a crowd by the jug.

Candy Cane Peppermint Shake

A milkshake dressed for Christmas, thick and cold with a clean peppermint bite. Vanilla ice cream keeps it creamy, peppermint extract gives it its festive edge, and a crushed candy cane rim turns an ordinary shake into something guests photograph before they drink.

Serve it the moment it is blended, because a milkshake waits for no one. A little extra milk loosens it for a straw, while less milk keeps it spoon-thick. Children love it, and adults tend to finish theirs first, before the whipped cream even melts.

What You Need (serves 2)

• 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 120 ml cold milk
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 candy canes, crushed
• Whipped cream, to top
• A few drops of red food colouring (optional)

How to Make It

1. Crush the candy canes in a sealed bag with a rolling pin.
2. Dip the rims of two glasses in a little milk, then in the crushed candy.
3. Blend the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food colouring until smooth.
4. Pour into the rimmed glasses.
5. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of candy crumbs.

Spiced Apple Cider Punch

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 litre apple cider
• 500 ml ginger ale, chilled
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 orange, sliced
• Apple slices, to serve

Warm spices and apple cider are the smell of Christmas arriving. This punch gently simmers apple cider with cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then gets a lift of ginger ale at the end. It works warm on a cold night or chilled over ice.

The Method

1. Warm the cider in a large pan with the cinnamon, cloves and star anise for 15 minutes. Do not boil.
2. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
3. Strain out the whole spices.
4. Stir in the ginger ale and the orange slices.
5. Serve over ice with apple slices in each glass.

Of all the christmas mocktails here, this is the most forgiving for a crowd, because it improves as it sits. Make the spiced base a day ahead, keep it in the fridge, and add the ginger ale just before serving so it stays lively.

White Christmas Coconut Cooler

Pale, creamy and quietly snowy, this cooler looks like a snowdrift in a glass. Coconut milk gives it body, white cranberry juice keeps it light, and a coconut rim adds a little crunch. It suits anyone who finds red drinks too tart.

Gather These (serves 1)

• 120 ml full-fat coconut milk
• 120 ml white cranberry juice
• 15 ml lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• Shredded coconut, for the rim
• Ice cubes

Use full-fat coconut milk and shake the can well first, because the cream settles at the top. The drink should be silky, not watery, and a squeeze of lime keeps the richness in check. Serve it in a clear glass so the white shows.

How to Make It

1. Dip the rim of a glass in honey, then in shredded coconut.
2. Shake the coconut milk, cranberry juice, lime juice and honey with ice.
3. Strain into the rimmed glass over fresh ice.
4. Serve at once, before the coconut rim softens.

Pomegranate Ginger Fizz

Jewel-red and quietly fiery, this fizz pairs tart pomegranate juice with the warm bite of ginger beer. The colour is deep enough for candlelight, and the ginger keeps it from ever tasting too sweet. A few pomegranate seeds at the bottom look like garnets.

Pour the ginger beer slowly down the side of the glass, because it foams fast over ice. A squeeze of lime brightens everything, and fresh mint adds a green note that suits the season. It is a good first drink of the evening.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 90 ml pomegranate juice
• 15 ml lime juice
• 120 ml ginger beer, chilled
• 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• Ice cubes
• Fresh mint, to garnish

How to Make It

1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in the pomegranate juice and the lime juice.
3. Top up slowly with ginger beer and stir once, gently.
4. Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the top.
5. Garnish with fresh mint and serve.

Emerald Lime Christmas Punch

Bright green and unapologetically fun, this punch is the one children gather around. Lime sherbet melts slowly into lemon-lime soda and pineapple juice, turning the bowl frothy and pale green. It tastes like a lime ice lolly, all grown up.

Ingredients (serves 10)

• 1 litre lemon-lime soda, chilled
• 500 ml pineapple juice, chilled
• 500 g lime sherbet
• 2 limes, sliced
• Fresh mint, to garnish
• Ice cubes (optional)

Put It Together

1. Chill the soda, the juice and the punch bowl well ahead.
2. Pour the soda and pineapple juice into the bowl.
3. Add scoops of lime sherbet just before serving.
4. Stir very gently, once, so the sherbet floats.
5. Garnish with lime slices and mint.

Add the sherbet at the last minute, in scoops, so it floats and foams instead of vanishing. The punch sweetens as the sherbet melts, so taste before adding anything extra. Lime slices and mint keep it looking fresh through the whole evening.

Frosted Pineapple Snowball Punch

Pale, frosty and just sweet enough, this punch earns its name from the scoops of vanilla ice cream floating on top like snowballs. Pineapple juice and coconut milk do the flavour work, and lemon-lime soda keeps it light. Serve it in a clear bowl so everyone can see it.

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 litre pineapple juice, chilled
• 500 ml coconut milk
• 500 ml lemon-lime soda, chilled
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 200 g pineapple chunks, frozen
• Desiccated coconut, to garnish (optional)

How to Make It

1. Freeze the pineapple chunks on a tray the night before.
2. Stir the pineapple juice and coconut milk together in a punch bowl.
3. Add the soda and the frozen pineapple chunks.
4. Float the ice cream scoops on top just before serving.
5. Scatter a little desiccated coconut over each glass, if liked.

Freeze the pineapple chunks the night before and they chill the punch without watering it down. The ice cream melts slowly into the juice, so the last glass tastes creamier than the first, which is a feature, not a flaw.

Rosemary Grapefruit Sparkler

Pink, bittersweet and quietly grown-up, this sparkler is for anyone who finds Christmas drinks too sweet. Grapefruit juice brings a clean bitterness, a little rosemary syrup adds a herbal note, and sparkling water ties it together. It is a fine drink before dinner.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 90 ml fresh grapefruit juice
• 15 ml rosemary syrup
• 120 ml sparkling water, chilled
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 grapefruit slice
• Ice cubes

How to Make It

1. Stir the grapefruit juice and rosemary syrup together.
2. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
3. Pour the juice mixture over the ice.
4. Top up with sparkling water and stir once.
5. Garnish with the rosemary sprig and grapefruit slice.

The rosemary syrup takes ten minutes and keeps for two weeks in the fridge, so make a small bottle while the tree goes up. A tall glass shows off the colour, and a torched rosemary sprig smells wonderful over the drink.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Float

Hot chocolate with a scoop of ice cream sinking into it is the best kind of contradiction. The cocoa is rich and dark, the peppermint extract keeps it bright, and the melting ice cream turns the top into a cold, creamy layer. Serve it in big mugs, with spoons.

Good chocolate matters more than anything else here. Use a dark chocolate with real cocoa solids, not a sweetened drinking-chocolate powder, and the drink tastes like a treat rather than a sugar rush. A pinch of salt sharpens the chocolate.

The Ingredients (serves 2)

• 500 ml milk
• 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream, to top
• 1 candy cane, crushed

How to Make It

1. Heat the milk in a pan until steaming, not boiling.
2. Whisk in the chocolate and cocoa powder until smooth.
3. Stir in the peppermint extract and a pinch of salt.
4. Pour into two large mugs.
5. Float a scoop of ice cream in each mug and top with whipped cream and crushed candy cane.

Set out the toppings and let everyone finish their own mug. Whipped cream, crushed candy cane and a drizzle of chocolate sauce are the classics, and a few mini marshmallows never hurt. This is a drink that doubles as dessert.

Sparkling Pear and Thyme Cooler

Delicate and a little bit elegant, this cooler pairs soft pear nectar with the quiet herbal note of thyme. It is pale gold in the glass, lightly sparkling, and gentle enough for an afternoon gathering. The thyme makes it taste far more interesting than it looks.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 90 ml pear nectar
• 15 ml lemon juice
• 15 ml thyme syrup
• 120 ml sparkling water, chilled
• 1 pear slice
• 1 thyme sprig
• Ice cubes

The Method

1. Stir the pear nectar, lemon juice and thyme syrup together.
2. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
3. Pour the pear mixture over the ice.
4. Top up with sparkling water and stir once, gently.
5. Garnish with the pear slice and thyme sprig.

Pear nectar is thicker and sweeter than pear juice, so it gives the drink its body. If only pear juice is available, add a little extra thyme syrup to make up the sweetness. A thin pear fan on the rim is the prettiest garnish here.

This is the drink to offer guests who do not want anything too sweet or too tart. It sits happily next to a cheese board, and it suits a quiet Christmas Eve as well as a full party. Make the thyme syrup the day before.

Blood Orange Christmas Sunrise

What You Need (serves 1)

• 120 ml blood orange juice
• 15 ml grenadine
• 120 ml lemon-lime soda, chilled
• 1 blood orange slice
• 1 maraschino cherry
• Ice cubes

How to Make It

1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in the blood orange juice.
3. Add the lemon-lime soda.
4. Drizzle the grenadine slowly down the inside of the glass.
5. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry. Do not stir.

A sunrise in a glass, with deep red settling under bright orange. Blood orange juice gives this drink its colour and its gentle tartness, and a slow drizzle of grenadine creates the layered effect. It looks dramatic and takes about two minutes to build.

The trick is patience: pour the grenadine down the inside of the glass, slowly, and let it sink on its own. Stirring ruins the layers, so hand it over unmixed and let the drinker do the honours. A tall, clear glass shows it best.

Gingerbread Cookie Milkshake

Everything good about a gingerbread cookie, cold and drinkable. Real gingerbread cookies go into the blender with vanilla ice cream and milk, so the shake tastes of ginger, cinnamon and molasses in every sip. A cookie on top is not optional.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 120 ml cold milk
• 2 crisp gingerbread cookies, plus 1 to serve
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Whipped cream and caramel sauce, to top

Use crisp cookies rather than soft ones, because they blend into crumbs instead of paste. A little extra ground ginger wakes it up, and a drizzle of caramel sauce down the glass makes it look like a cafe made it. Serve with a wide straw.

How to Make It

1. Blend the ice cream, milk, ginger and cinnamon until smooth.
2. Add the 2 gingerbread cookies and pulse briefly, just to break them up.
3. Pour into two tall glasses.
4. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
5. Stand a gingerbread cookie in each glass and serve at once.

Cranberry Apple Sangria, Alcohol-Free

Deep red, fruit-soaked and made for a crowd, this sangria is the easiest drink on the list to prepare ahead. Cranberry juice and apple juice do the work, sliced fruit soaks in the jug, and sparkling apple juice goes in at the last minute for lift.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 500 ml cranberry juice
• 500 ml apple juice
• 250 ml sparkling apple juice, chilled
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 100 g fresh cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks

How to Make It

1. Combine the cranberry juice, apple juice, apple, orange, cranberries and cinnamon in a large jug.
2. Cover and chill for 2 to 8 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in the sparkling apple juice.
4. Serve over ice, spooning a little fruit into each glass.

Give the fruit at least two hours in the jug, and eight is better. The apples soften, the cranberries bleed a little colour, and the whole jug tastes rounder. Serve it in a large glass jug so the fruit shows through.

Winter Berry Smash

Muddled berries, torn mint and a squeeze of lime, topped with soda: this smash is the simplest drink on the list and one of the best. Mixed berries give it a deep purple-red colour, and the mint keeps it fresh rather than jammy.

Frozen berries work just as well as fresh here, and they chill the drink as they thaw. Muddle gently, four or five presses, because torn mint turns bitter if it is shredded. A little honey syrup rounds off the sharpest berries.

Gather These (serves 1)

• 60 g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
• 8 mint leaves
• 15 ml lime juice
• 15 ml honey syrup
• 120 ml soda water, chilled
• Ice cubes

How to Make It

1. Put the berries, mint and lime juice in a sturdy glass.
2. Muddle gently, 4 to 5 presses, until the berries burst.
3. Stir in the honey syrup.
4. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
5. Top up with soda water and stir once.

Classic Alcohol-Free Eggnog

Rich, creamy and unmistakably Christmas, a proper eggnog is a custard you drink. Egg yolks and sugar thicken warm milk and cream into something silky, and fresh nutmeg on top is the finishing touch. It tastes best the day after it is made.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500 ml whole milk
• 250 ml double cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra to serve
• A pinch of salt

Make It Like This

1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale.
2. Heat the milk and cream in a pan until steaming, not boiling.
3. Pour a ladle of hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly.
4. Return everything to the pan and cook gently, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon.
5. Strain into a jug, stir in the vanilla, nutmeg and salt, and chill for at least 4 hours.
6. Serve in small glasses with extra nutmeg grated over the top.

Cook the custard gently and never let it boil, because boiled eggnog turns grainy. A thermometer helps: take it off the heat at 76C, when it coats the back of a spoon. Chill it overnight and the flavours settle beautifully.

Cherry Almond Snow Punch

Pale pink and softly sweet, this punch tastes like a cherry bakewell in a glass. Cherry juice sets the colour, a little almond milk makes it creamy, and lemon-lime soda keeps it light. It is a pretty drink for a table that already has too much red.

Almond extract is powerful stuff, so measure it rather than pouring freehand. Half a teaspoon is plenty for the whole bowl, and any more will take over. Maraschino cherries on top look like ornaments. A light hand with the extract is the difference between almond and marzipan.

This punch suits a dessert table, next to the mince pies and the Christmas cake. Make it an hour ahead and keep it in the fridge, adding the soda at the last minute so it stays bright and fizzy all evening long.

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 litre cherry juice, chilled
• 500 ml lemon-lime soda, chilled
• 250 ml almond milk
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 8 maraschino cherries
• Ice cubes

How to Make It

1. Chill the cherry juice, soda and almond milk well ahead.
2. Stir the cherry juice, almond milk and almond extract together in a punch bowl.
3. Add the lemon-lime soda just before serving.
4. Serve over ice with a maraschino cherry in each glass.

Maple Cinnamon Apple Fizz

The Ingredients (serves 1)

• 120 ml apple juice, chilled
• 15 ml pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 120 ml sparkling water, chilled
• 1 apple slice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Cinnamon sugar, for the rim (optional)
• Ice cubes

Warm maple, crisp apple and a whisper of cinnamon: this fizz tastes like the walk home from a Christmas market. Maple syrup sweetens it gently, apple juice keeps it fresh, and sparkling water gives it lift. A cinnamon sugar rim is worth the minute it takes.

Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup, because the flavour is the whole point. A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon is enough in the drink itself; the rest belongs on the rim. Serve it in a glass that shows the golden colour.

How to Make It

1. Dip the rim of a glass in a little apple juice, then in cinnamon sugar, if liked.
2. Stir the apple juice, maple syrup and cinnamon together.
3. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
4. Pour the apple mixture over the ice.
5. Top up with sparkling water and garnish with the apple slice and cinnamon stick.

This is a good drink for guests who find cranberry too tart. It sits happily beside roast dinners and cheese boards alike, and it takes about three minutes from fridge to table. Keep the apple juice properly cold and the sparkling water colder still.

Kiwi Mint Christmas Cooler

Bright green and full of life, this cooler is the freshest drink on the list. Ripe kiwi fruit muddles into a vivid green base, mint lifts it, and lime keeps it sharp. It looks like a Christmas tree in a glass, in the best way.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2 ripe kiwis, peeled
• 8 mint leaves
• 15 ml lime juice
• 15 ml honey syrup
• 120 ml soda water, chilled
• Ice cubes
• 1 kiwi slice, to garnish

How to Make It

1. Muddle the kiwis and mint leaves together in a shaker or sturdy jug.
2. Add the lime juice and honey syrup and stir.
3. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice.
4. Top up with soda water and stir once.
5. Garnish with the kiwi slice and serve.

Use kiwis that give a little when pressed, because underripe kiwi is sour and hard to muddle. Strain the drink for a smooth finish, or leave it unstrained for a rustic look with green flecks. Either way, serve it cold.

Spiced Plum and Blackberry Cooler

Deep purple and quietly spiced, this cooler tastes like Christmas pudding in a glass, without the weight. Plums and blackberries simmer briefly with star anise into a rich syrup, then get lengthened with soda water over ice. The colour is spectacular.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
• 60 g blackberries
• 15 ml honey
• 1 star anise
• 120 ml soda water, chilled
• Ice cubes
• 1 plum slice, to garnish

The Method

1. Simmer the plums, blackberries, honey and star anise with 60 ml water for 5 minutes.
2. Remove the star anise and strain the mixture, pressing the fruit gently.
3. Leave the syrup to cool completely.
4. Pour 90 ml of syrup over ice in a tall glass.
5. Top up with soda water and garnish with the plum slice.

Make the spiced syrup a day ahead and the drink itself takes a minute to build. Strain it well for a clear drink, or leave a few soft berries in for texture. A plum slice on the rim finishes it.

Toasted Marshmallow Cocoa Shake

A chocolate shake with marshmallows toasted golden on top is pure theatre. Chocolate ice cream and milk blend into something thick and cold, and the warm, crackly marshmallows on top make every sip a contrast. Children will ask for it by name.

What You Need (serves 2)

• 3 scoops chocolate ice cream
• 120 ml cold milk
• 2 tbsp chocolate sauce, plus extra to drizzle
• 6 large marshmallows
• Cocoa powder, to dust

Toast the marshmallows under a hot grill for a minute, watching them the whole time, because they go from golden to burnt in seconds. A kitchen torch gives more control and a better colour. Either way, serve the moment they are toasted.

How to Make It

1. Blend the ice cream, milk and chocolate sauce until thick and smooth.
2. Drizzle chocolate sauce down the inside of two tall glasses.
3. Pour the shake into the glasses.
4. Top each glass with 3 marshmallows.
5. Toast the marshmallows under a hot grill or with a kitchen torch until golden, then dust with cocoa and serve at once.

Drizzle chocolate sauce down the inside of each glass before pouring, and the shake looks like it came from a dessert bar. A dusting of cocoa powder over the marshmallows finishes it. Wide straws are essential here, and a long spoon helps with the toasted tops.

Lemon Rosemary Christmas Fizz

Pale, crisp and quietly elegant, this fizz is the palate cleanser of the Christmas table. Sharp lemon juice meets herbal rosemary syrup, and sparkling water stretches it into something long and refreshing. It suits the gap between dinner and dessert.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 60 ml fresh lemon juice
• 30 ml rosemary syrup
• 120 ml sparkling water, chilled
• 1 strip of lemon peel
• 1 rosemary sprig
• Ice cubes

Put It Together

1. Stir the lemon juice and rosemary syrup together.
2. Fill a stemmed glass or tall glass with ice.
3. Pour the lemon mixture over the ice.
4. Top up with sparkling water and stir once, gently.
5. Twist the lemon peel over the glass, drop it in, and garnish with rosemary.

The rosemary syrup is the same one used for the grapefruit sparkler, so make a double batch and use it twice. A strip of lemon peel, twisted over the glass, releases oils that lift the whole drink. Serve it in a stemmed glass if there is one.

This is the drink for guests who have had enough sweetness by the evening. It is light, it is clean, and it leaves the mouth ready for whatever comes next. Keep the sparkling water properly cold or the fizz falls flat.

Slow-Cooker Mulled Berry Cider

This is the drink that makes the house smell like Christmas before anyone arrives. Apple cider and mixed berries simmer slowly with cinnamon, cloves and star anise, and the slow cooker does all the work. Ladle it into mugs and let guests help themselves.

Gather These (serves 10)

• 1.5 litres apple cider
• 300 g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 orange, sliced

How to Make It

1. Put the cider, berries, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and orange slices in a slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 2 hours, with the lid on.
3. Stir in the honey until dissolved.
4. Ladle into mugs, spooning a few berries into each.
5. Keep the slow cooker on warm and serve through the evening.

Put it on two hours before the party and forget about it. The berries soften and stain the cider a deep, beautiful red, and the spices build slowly rather than shouting. Honey goes in at the end, so its flavour survives.

Of all the christmas mocktails here, this is the one for a cold night, served warm in big mugs with an orange slice. Keep the slow cooker on warm through the evening and top it up with more cider as the level drops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts: Cheers to a Sparkling Christmas

Christmas drinking is about the gathering, not the alcohol. A sparkling cranberry spritzer, a warm mug of mulled cider, a milkshake with a candy cane rim: these christmas mocktails give every guest something worth raising a glass to, whatever their age or their plans for the night.

Start with the cranberry sparkler, keep the slow cooker going, and let the eggnog wait until its night. The best festive drink is the one that is still being talked about when the glasses are empty.

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