Christmas Spirits
With New Orleans being the party town for all occasions, venues all over town are prepared to help you make the most of the holiday season and would never expect you to get through it sober. Hence there are more Xmas-themed beverages to be had than could fit down your chimney.
For a Frank-Capraesque Christmas moment, seasonal celebrants can head to the Polo Club Lounge at the Windsor Court Hotel for The ZuZu, a pomegranate-influenced sparkling cocktail named for the little girl in the classic film It's a Wonderful Life.
There's no roaring fire at Jewel of the South, but the Winter Waltz is returning this season, a blend of rye, amaro, and allspice. It will be joined by the Pagan Painkiller—a "Candycane Colada."
The festivities get underway at the Hotel Fontenot's Peacock Room with the Deck the Halls—Hanger One vodka, amaretto, crème de cacao, cream, and sprinkles—and continues to the Glitter End, a Christmas combo of Bacardi Ocho, Tattersall Apple Pommeau, spiced cranberry, lemon, and glitter that can serve one to six people. Meanwhile, the Caribbean Holiday pictures Santa on vacation in a custom-made mug filled with Bumbu rum, apricot, yuzu curacao, spiced oolong orgeat, and lime.
From November 28, 2025, until January 9, 2026, Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans will host Blitzen's Bar, a holiday pop-up bar with cocktails crafted by mixologist and Drink Masters judge Julie Reiner. The bar will serve eight seasonal cocktails, including the Sleigh Ride and Espres-Ho Ho Ho Martini, along with a zero-proof mocktail, a Dubai hot chocolate that can be made boozy, and snacks.
At sit-down seafood place GW Fins, winter cocktails are planned months in advance, yielding merry mixed drinks such as the Partridge in a Pear Tree, made with Canton ginger liqueur, Stranahan's whiskey, St George pear liqueur, and orange bitters, as well as other popular perennials including the Pumpkin-Spiced Espresso Martini.
The Roosevelt Hotel is a favored destination for Yuletide aficionados thanks to the dazzling display of lights adorning the lobby each Christmas season. Located in the lobby, the Sazerac Bar provides unique holiday drinks including the Christmas Cookie—a blend of vanilla vodka, brown sugar, and heavy cream—and the Candy Cane, which is a well-crafted concoction of Rumple Minze, white créme de cacao, and cream, striped with raspberry to give the drink its festive appearance and taste.
The Christmas-themed pop-up bar Miracle on Magazine returns to Barrel Proof this holiday season, serving holiday cocktails in a festive setting. Begun in 2014 by Greg Boehm at his New York bar, Miracle became such an instant phenomenon that it quickly grew into an annual event with multiple locations around the world.
The pop-up's original offering, the Christmapolitan, made with vodka, elderflower, dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, lime, rosemary, and absinthe mist, will return this year, along with the Snowball Old-Fashioned with rye whiskey, gingerbread, aromatic and wormwood bitters, and orange essence.
Also back are: the Koala La La La (blanco tequila, dry vermouth, apple liqueur, tamarind, lemon, eucalyptus bitters, mint, and soda), Rudolph's Replacement (vodka with coffee liqueur, white crème de cacao, orange curaçao, chai syrup, almond milk, and aromatic bitters), the Run Run Reindeer (a mulled wine reduction, prosecco, lemon, and aromatic bitters), and the Jingle Balls Nog, which has cognac, cream sherry, almond milk, cream, egg, vanilla, and nutmeg, so it is a no-go if you have dairy or nut allergies or adhere to a plant-based diet.
They'll be joined by some new creations, as well, including: Candy Cane Lane (white rum, vanilla liqueur, dark crème de cacao, minty amaro, candy cane, and soy milk), Cheery Cherry Chocosaurus (brandy, Italian sweet vermouth, dark crème de cacao, blackberry liqueur, tart cherry and chocolate, lemon, chocolate bitters, and brandied cherries), and Miracle Mouse (a bourbon base with French sweet vermouth, pamplemousse liqueur, vanilla liqueur, strawberry, grapefruit, and orange acid).
A spin-off pop-up was launched the following year in 2015 and is a collaboration between Boehm and Tiki bar impresario Jeff Berry, the author of six books on vintage tropical cocktails, including Sippin' Safari and Intoxica! Beachbum Berry Presents Sippin' Santa is now a seasonal staple at Berry's French Quarter bar, Latitude 29, with a namesake cocktail of aged Demerara rum, amaro, lemon, orange, and gingerbread mix. With a full menu of drinks that Berry has called "North Pole meets South Seas mash-ups," the sister pop-up has also been franchised with partner vendors.
Along with returning favorites including the Jingle Bird (bourbon with pineapple rum, Campari, pineapple, lime, and jingle mix) and the Sugar Plum Mai Tai, which contains Haitian and Nicaraguan rums, lime, plum mix, and two syrups orgeat and cinnamon, Berry has added half a dozen new cocktails for the 2025 holiday season.
The Coco Ho Ho Ho has gold Jamaican rum, lime, coconut, pineapple, pandan syrup, and banana liqueur. The Pineapple Upside-Down Cask is a blend of dark and gold Jamaican rums, lemon, pineapple upside-down mix, and cherry liqueur. The Frost Bite is a tequila drink with sage, pineapple, lime, cranberry syrup, and spiced cranberry bitters. Wreck the Halls contains Caribbean overproof rum, lime, tawny port, maple and vanilla syrups, and figgy bitters. Nui Nui New Year is a drink made for two with a choice of vodka or gold Puerto Rican rum mixed with lime, orange, allspice liqueur, nui mix, and bitters. The Hot Buttered Grog is another drink that combines two rums, Jamaican and Puerto Rican, that are mixed with honey-butter batter and island spices, as well as served hot.
