5 Best Holiday Party Drinks to Buy at the Grocery Store

Good drinks can make or break a holiday party. An all-wine evening feels stuffy and fussy, while a beer bash is more suited to a frat rager. A good holiday party requires an eclectic mix of beverages. There needs to be options for everybody that shows up, from someone who’s stone cold sober all the way to the oenophile. The wrong drinks will give your holiday party the wrong vibes. Guests will show up, see what’s in the fridge, and then discreetly slip out the door when no one’s watching. You won’t even notice until you realize that you’re the only person at your party and all your friends are at your next door neighbor’s place with the beer fridge. So, go to the store and throw some alcohol, mixers, sodas, and water into your cart. You don’t even need to think about which ones, we decided for you. These are the best holiday party drinks.

Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry: Martinelli’s sparkling cider is an s-tier holiday party drink. Martinelli’s sparkling cider is non-alcoholic but it comes in a cool wine bottle. So kids can have fun by carrying these suckers around the party and chugging them all night then looking at their parents and screaming, “I learned it from you!” The basic, no-frills sparkling cider is plain old apple. Now, I love plain sparkling apple cider. But you want something with a little more pizazz for your holiday party. So go with this sparkling apple-cranberry. The tart cranberry cuts through the sweetness of the apple without upstaging it. This is a balanced sparkling cider with a pop.
Spindrift Spiced Apple Cider: Not too long ago, LaCroix was the go-to, fancy sparkling water drink. But competitors sprang up and left them in the dust. The fancy sparkling water drink these days has about nine percent real juice and comes from Spindrift. Anyone at your holiday party looking for some sparkling water will be delighted by the festive tart apple and warm cinnamon flavors in these cans. This is the coziest sparkling water you can find. It’s refreshing while also being a bit of a winter treat.
Underwood The Bubbles Canned Wine: Canned wine is a great invention. It’s perfect for the times when you want to serve wine at your party, but you really don’t trust your guests to handle your stemware. No wine glasses are necessary when there’s canned wine around. The Bubbles from Underwood is great for anyone who likes to kick back with some Prosecco or Cava. There’s a balance of lemony tang and a little toastiness that will make this go down easy. This wine will go great with whatever food you have at your holiday party, whether it’s fancy little hors devours, or a couple of Hot And Readys from Little Caesars. Sparkling drinks dominate holiday celebrations for good reason: They’re light and they’re fun. And this is a great sparkling wine even compared to the stuff that doesn’t come in cans.
Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour: They said that it was impossible to make a good Whiskey Sour in a can. Well, I don’t know who “they” are, but it turns out they’re wrong! Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour absolutely nails it! One of the keys to a good Whiskey Sour is fresh citrus juice and that’s where this canned cocktail shines. It uses fresh apple cider, rather than some sugary apple juice, and a zesty splash of real meyer lemon. These cocktails-in-a-can are a great way to have mixed drinks at your holiday shindig without someone having to play bartender all night. Plus, if there’s a bottle of whiskey just sitting out there, you know that the dude who showed up in a Santa hat is going to try and make everyone take shots with him. Avoid all that mess by stocking your cooler with some of these.
Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale: This flavored ginger-ale feels like a little kid’s cocktail. Ginger ale is one of those drinks that a kid can drink and feel just a little more adult. It’s a mature soda. Canada Dry is the tops in the ginger ale game and they have a litany of interesting flavors. This cranberry ginger ale is slightly sweet with a tart and tangy fruit flavor. You need to have some of these at your party for any kids that want to seem classy or to use as a mixer. Ginger, cranberry, and sparkling are all classic holiday flavors, making this a must have holiday party beverage. Okay, so sparkling may not exactly be a flavor, but you know what I mean.