4 Holiday Vodka Cocktails You Should Try (That Aren’t An Espresso Martini)

Vodka is a beautiful blank slate. It’s incredibly versatile, asks very little in terms of upkeep or even cost for quality, and happily takes a robust ABV backseat to any flavor profile your mixed-drinking heart desires. We tend to associate vodka with warmer months, but in winter it seems like we always stop short at espresso martinis. Now we love a good espresso martini as much as the next person, but we think it’s time we move beyond the basic. With a bottle of your favorite trustworthy brand, here are four vodka cocktails perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

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Cranberry Moscow Mule

This is actually almost as common on vodka holiday cocktail lists as the espresso martini―and there’s good reason. This is an easy tweak on the classic Moscow mule, which already has strong holiday vibes with its spicy ginger beer. Add a nice rich (concentrate would work here) cranberry juice and maybe even a botanical vodka (which you can sort of hint at to your guests with a rosemary sprig for garnish). The mule is such a simple template that it’s hard to mess up. Cranberry (and ginger) are such merry holiday flavors and the traditional Moscow mule cups are just made for a holiday party. (Bonus points: make sugared rosemary sprigs or cranberries for garnish on the tray, it’s so easy and pretty and minds will be blown.) 

Gingerbread Vodka Martini

Okay, even though, just like the Moscow mule, the martini has an equally simple and sublime template―the gingerbread martini gets complicated. But in a fun way! There are a variety of recipes online―Grey Goose even offers a pretty reliable looking one―but once you choose one (and they all look delicious), the results seem promising. The basic structure: vodka (sometimes vanilla flavored), maybe butterscotch schnapps, maybe orange bitters, maybe Kahlua, maybe ground spices. One recipe even has molasses simple syrup. Don’t worry! You don’t have to cross-compare. Each recipe takes its own route to get you to that creamy, spicy, gingerbready flavor. Also, we can 1000% guarantee: a platter of gingerbread martinis will disappear before your guests even touch the first espresso martini. No offense to the espresso, but these just sound delightful, rich, creamy, and perfect for the holidays. 

Spiced Blood Orange Screwdriver

Granted, the words in this cocktail name don’t sound quite “holly” or “jolly,” or even entirely PG-rated. But the drink itself is simple, far more sophisticated than it sounds, and the perfect thing to add to any holiday brunch. There are a bunch of recipes out there, and not all of them use blood orange juice (but more on why you should in a sec), but the basics are simple: think of it like a hot toddy, or spiced spiked cider, except―well, nobody likes hot orange juice? So instead, it’s fresh squeezed orange juice, nice baking spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of orange bitters, and a sprig of rosemary for that festive look. Blood orange, by the way, will up the festive look by about a billion percent, but it’s also in season, and, if you don’t make a habit of eating them, they’re truly delicious―rich, fragrantly orange in a distinctive way, but almost fruity red as if mixed with pomegranate (which, by the way, would make a perfect garnish, ahem). 

Vodka-Spiked Hot Cocoa

We’re giving this a lazy name―there are a ton of recipes, and most have much, much more festive names. Also, our name is bad because it sounds like you’re just pouring Ketel One into some Swiss Miss. That is not the case (though, if it’s been a bad day, do what you gotta do―or try that Swiss Miss Marshmallow Bourbon.) But no, vodka hot cocoa really is a natural, festive, creamy, warm holiday drink. It’s an easy replacement for the creamy espresso martini. Really all you need is a nice rich hot cocoa recipe you know and love, plus a robust addition of vodka (prior to heating up the cocoa, of course, unless you’re trying to burn off all that hard-earned, holiday-needed high proof). Best part (in my opinion) is how much fun you can have with stuff like holiday mugs, candy cane garnishes, giant marshmallows, whatever you like. Feel like a kid again but enjoy some grown-up sophistication. The holidays do not all have to be about stress. So cheers!