Want to know the easiest way to make sure the entire family is merry and bright for the holidays? Keeping everyone's glasses full from morning 'til night.
Aside from the obvious stressors of holiday hosting (Ex. Figuring out where Uncle Doug is going to sleep so his snoring doesn't wake up the whole house, ensuring there's a vegan option for Cousin Lily, etc.), stocking the house with the wines and cocktail ingredients that can appeal to a crowd can be difficult. What's more, it's all got to be quick and easy to make – no one wants to be stuck doing more dishes than necessary at the end of the night.
With this handy guide, you'll have everything you need to become the GOAT of holiday hosting. From simple, festive cocktail and batch cocktail recipes to the best value wines to pair with a hearty dinner, keep reading for your one-stop-shop guide to holiday hosting.
Get the day started right with a brunch-y cocktail just for morning setup crew who's making beds, vacuuming floors and peeling potatoes.
A classic mimosa with La Bella Prosecco and Tropicana Orange Juice never misses, but consider serving up something slightly more holly jolly, like a peppermint bark mimosa. Replace the OJ with Charles Regner Peppermint Schnapps and garnish each glass with a whole candy cane. Start the day off with a delightful drink to make the morning tasks go that much faster!
Once friends and family start knocking, consider serving a welcome cocktail to make your guests feel right at home. This will give them something to enjoy while dinner is still cooking, and other folks are still arriving.
A simple, crowd-pleasing cocktail with all the warm flavors of the season is a Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour. Check out how to make it in the recipe below.
The Recipe
2 ounces Walking Stick Single Barrel Bourbon
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce maple syrup
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Cinnamon stick
Add bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of ground cinnamon to a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon twist or cinnamon stick if desired.
If your holiday crew is into something a little fruitier and easy drinking, consider serving Apple Cider Sangria. While sangria is usually associated with summer and sunshine, this recipe leans more into the spicy, cozy flavors of the dark half of the year.
We've provided the recipes for a single cocktail and a batch, but we recommend making it in batches. This way, you can make it ahead of time and just pop it out of the fridge when your guests start arriving. Trust us, making cocktails in batches is the best-kept secret to simplified holiday hosting.
Single Recipe
4 ounces Fly By Sauvignon Blanc
2 ounces crisp apple cider
2 apple slices
2 pear slices
2 ounces ginger beer
In a wine glass, add sauvignon blanc, apple cider and brandy. Add 2 apple slices and 2 pear slices. Top with ginger beer. Stir gently.
Batch Recipe (Serves 8)
1 bottle Fly By Sauvignon Blanc
2 cups crisp apple cider
4 ounces Herve Superior Reserve VSOP Brandy
2 apples, sliced
2 pears, sliced
1 bottle ginger beer
Add sauvignon blanc, apple cider, brandy, apple slices and pear slices to a large pitcher and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pour into individual glasses and top with ginger beer. Stir gently to combine.
Finally, everything is out of the oven and on your guests' plates. Now, you just need to fill their glasses with wines that can pair well with anything on the menu: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, mac 'n' cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie and more.
No pressure, right?
Well, if you grab at least a couple of the wines below, it really isn't! Check out our wine expert-recommended list of bottles that appeal to the masses, including your guests' varied palates AND the smorgasbord of flavors on your holiday table. Whichever wines you choose, you just can't go wrong.
When in doubt, sparkling wine always pairs perfectly across a wide range of flavors. This one is from Limoux, believed to be the birthplace of the Champagne method of sparkling wine production. Sparkling wines from Limoux are widely said to offer some of the best values in French sparkling wine.
With its nice acidity and low tannins, pinot noir is a classic holiday meal wine pairing. Styring is a small, organic, family-run winery from Oregon, so enjoying their wine really is a "from our family to yours" situation – a perfect choice for drinking with loved ones during the holidays.
Some might think cabernet is too heavy for a holiday meal, but this one has softer tannins and a nice acidity that make it well-suited to be paired with food. Baby Blue is a small, artisan producer whose quality can stand up to similar wines at double the price.
Dry rosé is one of those wines that sometimes gets overlooked for holiday dinners, but it shouldn’t! With its red fruit flavors and refreshing acidity, it pairs perfectly across a wide spectrum of flavors. This one offers the perfect combination of quality, low price and pretty packaging that makes for a great table centerpiece.
Finally, another holiday sipping classic: chardonnay. This bottle has just the right amount of oaky richness balanced by a wonderfully fresh acidity. If you're serving stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy, make sure this wine has a spot on your table beside it.
Stocking your bar for the holidays can be daunting, but don't forget that if you're near an ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, you've got a whole team of holiday hosting experts at your disposal. Feel free to stop by anytime to ask for bottle recommendations, hot deals, easy recipes and tips and tricks!
Having trouble calculating how much alcohol to buy? We have a guide for that, too!
