Holiday Mocktails

Holiday mocktails are the drinks that make the table complete. They're the ones that look like they belong at a celebration — deep cranberry reds, sparkling golds, warm spiced ambers — and they taste like the season they're made for. These aren't afterthoughts for the non-drinkers at the table. They're the drinks that get photographed, requested, and talked about long after the party ends.

The holiday season is actually the perfect time for mocktails, and not just for the obvious reasons. Holiday flavors — cranberry, pomegranate, cinnamon, clove, ginger, apple, pear — are inherently complex and interesting. They don't need alcohol to be sophisticated. A spiced cranberry mocktail with a cinnamon-sugar rim and a rosemary sprig garnish is as festive and elegant as anything on a holiday bar cart.

Warm holiday mocktails are a category unto themselves. Spiced apple cider, warm cranberry punch, and ginger-spiced hot drinks are the kind of thing people wrap their hands around and sigh contentedly. They're perfect for cold-weather gatherings, and they fill the house with the kind of smell that makes everyone feel welcome.

For New Year's Eve, sparkling mocktails are the move. A pomegranate spritz in a champagne flute, topped with a few pomegranate arils and a gold-dusted rim, is indistinguishable from a cocktail at first glance — and it tastes incredible. The key is using high-quality sparkling water or a dry ginger beer rather than sweet soda, which keeps the drink sophisticated rather than cloying.

One thing I always emphasize for holiday entertaining: make a big batch. The holidays are not the time to be shaking individual drinks. Make a large pitcher or punch bowl of the base (without sparkling water), keep it in the fridge, and let guests pour their own over ice and top with sparkling water. It's more relaxed, more festive, and means you actually get to enjoy your own party.