Festive Holiday Drinks to Sip This Season

Skip the boring sodas this year—a holiday dinner table adorned with colorful and tasty dishes deserves fun and festive holiday drinks such as cranberry apple cider punch and Frost Bite mocktails. Whether you want to serve up a storm at a Thanksgiving dinner or sip on a warm drink at home while watching Christmas movies, we’ve got a recipe on our list that will hit the spot.

We’ve scoured the websites of our favorite California bloggers to put together a list of easy and delicious drinks you can make for every occasion this holiday season. From sweet and creamy smoothies to spicy and zesty concoctions, there’s an interesting recipe here you’re bound to love.

Festive Fall Drinks

Pumpkin Smoothie

A pumpkin drink recipe that isn’t another pumpkin spice latte? Sign us up. For the ultimate holiday treat, try out this Pumpkin Smoothie (Tastes like Pumpkin Pie) from Detoxinista. This easy festive holiday drink takes just a few minutes to make and tastes just like pumpkin pie in a glass.

Servings: 1 glass

Ingredients

⅓ cup pumpkin puree

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4–5 dates, pitted

¾ cup almond milk

5 large ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, dates, and almond milk in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice, and blend again until it reaches a slushy-like texture.

2. Serve immediately.

Still thirsty? Check out our other favorite fall drinks featuring California produce.

Delicious Christmas Drinks

Non-alcoholic Christmas Punch

This non-alcoholic Christmas punch by Entertaining with Beth is the ultimate festive fruit punch. The combination of pineapple and cinnamon packs plenty of cheer and delivers all of the fun without any of the alcohol.

Servings: 12

Ingredients

6 cups pure pineapple juice

4 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon cloves

2–3 cups frozen pineapple

3 ½ cups ginger ale

For Garnish

Pineapple wedges

Cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add pineapple juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, and simmer for 10 minutes. Once the flavors are combined, drain through a mesh strainer into a pitcher.

2. Keep the pitcher chilled in the fridge until it's time to serve.

3. Just before serving, pour into a punch bowl and add the frozen pineapple concentrate and ginger ale.

4. Serve with ice and garnishes.

Frost Bite Mocktail

Add a zesty twist to your holiday drinks menu with this fabulously refreshing mocktail featuring blueberries, mint, and lime. Trust us—this Frost Bite Mocktail recipe from The Little Kitchen is on our list of best Christmas drinks for a reason.

Servings: 1 drink

Ingredients

Ice

1 ounce lime juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

2 ounces white grape juice

Mint leaves

Blueberries

3 ounces lemon- or lime-flavored soda

Directions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add lime and pineapple juices, and stir together. Add white grape juice and mint leaves. Crush four to five blueberries and add that to the mixture. Shake well.

2. Fill a tall glass with ice. After shaking the mocktail, strain the liquid into the glass.

3. Top with the soda and add a few more blueberries for garnish.

Paleo Eggnog

Kick-start your holiday morning with a traditional Christmas drink: a glass of classic and creamy eggnog—paleo style. This Paleo Eggnog recipe from Food Between Friends has all the extra health benefits with zero compromise when it comes to taste. You'll be feelin' healthy, wealthy, and wise this holiday season.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 cups full-fat coconut milk

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 vanilla bean, scraped

1 cinnamon stick

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ cup honey

For Garnish

Grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat. Make sure the mixture doesn't come to a boil.

2. Whisk egg yolks for about three minutes, or until light yellow. Add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and honey. Whisk for another minute.

3. Temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring in half a cup of the warm milk mixture while continuously whisking. Once you’ve poured in 1 ½ cups of milk, slowly pour the tempered eggs back into the saucepan of milk.

4. While whisking, cook over medium heat for five more minutes. Again, make sure the mixture doesn't boil.

5. Remove cinnamon sticks and pour mixture into a pitcher.

6. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Festive New Year’s Drinks

Cranberry Apple Cider Punch

No New Year’s Eve is complete without a delightful cup of punch. Spoil your guests and serve the popular party favorite: Cranberry Apple Cider Punch by Say Yes. This recipe combines our favorite fall fruits while adding a pretty crimson color to the dinner table.

Servings: 20

Ingredients

4 cups apple cider

2 cups cranberry juice

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate

2 cups ginger ale

For Garnish

Apple slices

Orange slices

Cranberries

Rosemary twigs

Directions

1. Combine cider, cranberry juice, and orange juice concentrate in a 4-quart pitcher. Refrigerate until it's time to serve.

2. Just before serving, pour into a punch bowl and add the ginger ale and garnishes.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Smoothie 

The delectable Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Smoothie from Daisy's World will simply rock your world. This easy festive drink will give you the energy boost you need to celebrate the whole day without crashing. You can also satisfy your sweet tooth while getting your fair share of potassium, protein, and antioxidants. 

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate-flavored soy milk

2 frozen bananas

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1 cup ice cubes

Chocolate syrup

Directions

1. Place soy milk, bananas, almond extract, peanut butter, and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy in texture.

2. Drizzle a tall glass with chocolate syrup, pour the mixture in the glass, and serve. If you're feeling decadent, drizzle chocolate syrup on top of the mixture for pure heavenly bliss.

Healthy Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate 

Rounding out our list of festive New Year’s drinks is a classic we all know, love, and cherish: a big cup of hot chocolate. The Healthy Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate by Detoxinista only takes five minutes to make and consists of only four main ingredients—all while still being the flavorful and delicious treat you expect.

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

A pinch of sea salt

For Garnish

Whipped cream

Chocolate shavings

Marshmallows

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk to break up any clumps that form. Stir until smooth and hot.

2. Pour into a cup, add desired toppings, and serve.

Delicious Fall Drinks Sold by California Companies

Take your festive holiday drinks up a notch and check out these delicious beverages produced by California companies. These drinks are amazing when served solo—but if you feel like getting creative, add the mixture into your festive holiday day recipes as well. 

1. Drink Ghia

Hailing from Los Angeles, this Mediterranean-inspired botanical drink is fresh and satisfying. Drink Ghia tastes like summer on the rocks, sans the alcohol. When adding Ghia to your concoctions, get creative and check out the site's recipes for inspo.

2. Fre Brut 

This refreshing, non-alcoholic sparkling wine will make your NYE champagne shower dreams come true. The fruity notes in a bottle of Fre Brut by Sutter Home are all about the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

3. Bonbuz

Driven to positively influence the world's drinking culture, Bonbuz is a non-alcoholic drink with a bitter kick; it's soon to be fully available on the market. Currently, you can preorder your alcohol-free spirit, which is powered solely by plants and natural extracts.