When the snow piles up and the temperature drops, it’s the perfect time to add a little warmth—and a lot of cheer—to your holidays. These festive sips will brighten your season, tickle your taste buds, and turn any chilly Minnesota evening into a celebration.
If you want to spice up your holiday season this year, we’ve found the three most festive drinks you need to try here in the Land of 10,000 Ice-And-Snow Covered Lakes, so you can sip right into full holiday mode. From cranberry-kissed creations to peppermint-laced libations, these three holiday drinks are guaranteed to make your Christmas season merry and bright this year.
Warm Up Your Minnesota Holidays with Festive Drinks1. The Tom & Jerry
When it comes to holiday drinks, a tradition in my family is to have a piping hot Tom and Jerry on Christmas Eve. It’s an egg-nog-like drink with a little rum and brandy, along with a thick, cinnamon-infused batter or mix.
Start by procuring some genuine Tom and Jerry mix, which you can find at your favorite liquor store. (The best mixes I’ve found are usually homemade and can be found at many grocery stores back in my home state of Wisconsin.)
You then put two heaping tablespoons of the batter in a mug, add the rum and brandy (or, if you’d prefer, you can leave the alcohol out– though I, of course, never do), and fill the mug up with piping hot water. Stir it up and top it with some nutmeg, and it’ll warm you up during a cold Minnesota night. You can check the full Tom and Jerry recipe HERE.
CSJ/TSM-Rochester, MN
A Tom & Jerry (using some store-bought batter) Curt St. John/Townsquare MediaPeppermint, Cranberry, and Holiday Cheer in Every Sip2. The Candy Cane Martini
Next up is a drink my wife found several years ago and has now become a holiday tradition in our house: the Candy Cane Martini. If you like peppermint-flavored drinks, you’ll LOVE this one.
The recipe is pretty simple– it only uses three ingredients: Vanilla vodka, creme de cocoa, and peppermint schnapps. You’ll need a classic cocktail shaker and some martini glasses in which to serve them. We even garnish the rim with some crushed candy canes to make sure our glasses are even more festive. (Get the full Candy Cane Martini HERE.)
A Candy Cane Martini (CSJ/TSM-Rochester, MN)
A Candy Cane Martini (Curt St. John/Townsquare Media)The Classic Cosmo: A Festive Twist for Your Holiday Parties3. The Cosmopolitan
And here’s a NEW holiday drink we’re going to have this Christmas again, and it’s one we first tried during the early days of the pandemic. It’s the classic Cosmo, popularized back then by a video from celebrity chef Ina Garten– the Barefoot Contessa, who made a version in a HUGE glass.)
The secret to this drink is to use Citron lemon-flavored vodka instead of regular vodka, plus lots of lime juice. It also contains just enough cranberry juice to count as a ‘holiday’ drink, along with an orange liquor, like Cointreau. It’s really good– and the cranberry helps it fit right in with pretty much any holiday get-together. (Get the best Cosmo recipe HERE.)
Check out the festive color on these Cosmos! (CSJ/TSM-Rochester)
Check out the festive color on these Cosmos! (Curt St. John/Townsquare Media)
Cheers! Maybe one of these three drinks can become a beloved part of your holiday traditions as they are at our house. The holidays are ALL about tradition and remembering our past, aren’t they? So keep scrolling to relive some memories from Christmases past and see what the holidays were like the year you were born!
LOOK: See what Christmas was like the year you were born
Dining and Cooking