7 Easy Christmas Cocktails Without a Shaker
Approx. 9 min read
Christmas cocktails without the extra work
No cocktail shaker? No problem. These drinks are built or stirred right where you serve them. Five are lively and sparkling, one is fruity and still, and one is served warm. For cold drinks, all you need is ice, a spoon and a small measuring jug; for the warm chai, add a kettle and heatproof mug.
Each recipe serves one. Most take around three to five minutes with the ingredients ready; allow a little longer to brew the tea for the hot chai cocktail. Choose the drinks your guests will actually enjoy rather than shopping for all seven.
7 easy Christmas cocktails you can make without a shaker
For cold drinks, use a roomy glass and plenty of ice. Stir the ingredients together, adding tonic, soda or other fizzy mixers last. For the hot chai, use a heatproof mug instead. Nothing needs shaking, straining or elaborate equipment.
1. Cranberry Orange Spiced Rum
Bright, ruby-red and gently spiced, this one feels like Christmas without relying on bubbles. It is a simple pour-over-ice cocktail, with sweet-tart cranberry and fresh orange to balance the rum.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) spiced rum
- 60 ml (2 oz) chilled, sweetened ready-to-drink cranberry juice drink
- 30 ml (1 oz) chilled orange juice
- 15 ml (0.5 oz) fresh lemon juice
- Ice and an orange slice or twist
How to make it
- Fill a rocks glass or roomy tumbler with ice. Add the spiced rum, cranberry drink, orange juice and lemon juice.
- Stir for about 10–15 seconds to chill and lightly dilute the drink. Add an orange slice or twist and serve.
Quick tip: This ratio assumes sweetened, ready-to-drink cranberry juice, sometimes called cranberry juice cocktail. Pure unsweetened cranberry juice is much sharper, so taste and adjust rather than swapping it measure for measure.
2. Spiced Apple Rum Fizz
Cloudy apple juice and spiced rum bring the cosy flavour; cold soda water keeps it refreshing. This is the easy fizzy choice for guests arriving while the snacks are still in the oven.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) spiced rum
- 60 ml (2 oz) chilled cloudy apple juice
- 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
- 90 ml (3 oz) chilled soda water
- Ice, an apple slice and an optional cinnamon stick
How to make it
- Add ice to a tall glass. Pour in the rum, apple juice and lemon juice.
- Top with soda water and stir gently once or twice. Add an apple slice and, if you like, a cinnamon stick.
Quick tip: Spiced rums vary in sweetness. Taste the finished drink before adding any sugar or syrup — the apple juice may be all you need.
3. Hot Maple Bourbon Chai
Something warm at last. Strongly brewed spiced tea, bourbon and a little maple syrup make a comforting Christmas drink you can stir straight in a mug. No shaking and no fizzy mixer required.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) bourbon
- 120 ml (4 oz) hot, strongly brewed unsweetened chai tea (spiced black tea, not chai latte mix)
- 5 ml (1 tsp) maple syrup, or to taste
- An optional strip of orange peel
How to make it
- Brew the chai tea according to the packet directions, making it slightly stronger than you would for everyday drinking. Remove the tea bag, then let it cool briefly so it is hot rather than boiling.
- Pour the tea into a heatproof mug, add the bourbon and maple syrup, and stir until combined. Finish with a little orange peel if you like.
Quick tip: Start with one teaspoon of maple syrup. Spiced tea can already taste naturally sweet, especially if your blend contains sweet flavourings. If using a sweetened ready-made chai, reduce or skip the maple syrup.
4. Clementine Vodka Fizz
Fresh clementines bring a little winter sunshine to the table. This is light, citrusy and lovely with salty party snacks — especially when richer festive drinks are on offer too.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) vodka
- 60 ml (2 oz) freshly squeezed clementine juice, chilled
- 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
- 90 ml (3 oz) chilled soda water
- Ice and a clementine slice
How to make it
- Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the vodka, clementine juice and lemon juice.
- Pour in the soda water, stir once or twice and add a clementine slice.
Quick tip: Clementines vary in sharpness. Taste the juice first and start with less lemon if the fruit is already tart.
5. Classic Christmas Snowball
Creamy, pale gold and wonderfully nostalgic. A Snowball gets its character from advocaat, lime and fizzy lemonade — and it can be built directly in a glass. It looks like far more effort than it takes.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) advocaat liqueur
- 15 ml (0.5 oz) fresh lime juice
- 120 ml (4 oz) chilled sparkling lemonade or lemon-lime soda, not still lemonade
- Ice and an optional maraschino cherry
How to make it
- Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the advocaat and lime juice.
- Pour the sparkling lemonade in slowly and stir gently until combined. Add a cherry if you like and serve straight away.
Quick tip: Sparkling lemonade here means a fizzy lemon soft drink. Advocaat typically contains egg, and some brands contain milk, so check the label when serving guests with allergies.
6. White Port & Tonic with Orange
Crisp, lightly bittersweet and refreshingly simple. White port and tonic only need two pours; an orange wedge brings a subtle festive note without extra syrup or fuss.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 oz) chilled white port
- 120 ml (4 oz) chilled tonic water
- Ice and an orange wedge
How to make it
- Fill a highball or large wine glass with ice and pour in the white port.
- Add tonic, stir gently once and squeeze in the orange wedge before dropping it into the glass.
Quick tip: A sweet white port gives a softer drink, while a dry white port is crisper. Start with one part port to two parts tonic, then adjust to taste.
7. Cherry & Brandy Ginger Fizz
Deep cherry, mellow brandy and a little ginger spice feel right at home on a winter evening. It is fruity without being heavy, and the garnish can be as simple as a slice of orange.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) brandy
- 45 ml (1.5 oz) ready-to-drink tart cherry juice, not syrup or concentrate
- 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
- 90 ml (3 oz) chilled non-alcoholic ginger beer
- Ice and an optional orange slice or pitted cherry
How to make it
- Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the brandy, cherry juice and lemon juice.
- Top slowly with ginger beer, stir once and garnish if you like.
Quick tip: Cherry juices range from very sharp to quite sweet. Taste before serving; a touch more lemon can help a sweet version, while a little more ginger beer can soften a sharp one.
A one-bottle Christmas party menu for six
Here is the genuinely easy hosting shortcut: make two of the cocktails above with the same bottle of spiced rum, then offer a third alcohol-free drink using ingredients you already have out. That gives you six glasses, two of each style, without buying several different spirits.
- Two Cranberry Orange Spiced Rums: Ruby-red and stirred over ice, using recipe 1.
- Two Spiced Apple Rum Fizzes: Lightly sparkling and spiced, using recipe 2.
- Two Alcohol-Free Cranberry Orange Fizzes: For each glass, add 60 ml (2 oz) cranberry juice drink, 30 ml (1 oz) orange juice and 10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice over ice; top with 90 ml (3 oz) soda water and stir gently.
Shopping list for those six glasses
- 180 ml (6 oz) spiced rum in total — so one standard bottle is plenty
- 240 ml (8 oz) sweetened ready-to-drink cranberry juice drink
- 120 ml (4 oz) orange juice
- 120 ml (4 oz) cloudy apple juice
- 70 ml (about 2.4 oz) fresh lemon juice
- 360 ml (12 oz) soda water
- Plenty of ice; orange and apple slices if you want easy garnishes
That is two alcoholic recipes and a proper alcohol-free option, all from one small drinks station. The shopping quantities cover two servings of each, before any extra pours for tasting or guests who want seconds. Chill the juices and soda, put the glasses out, and pour fresh when everyone is ready.
Prep once, pour when guests arrive
- Before the gathering: Chill the juices and fizzy mixers, wash your citrus and slice a few simple garnishes. Keep cut fruit covered in the fridge.
- For easy serving: Put glasses, a bowl of ice, your measuring jug and a spoon together. Pre-measure the still ingredients for a couple of rounds if helpful; keep them covered and refrigerated until serving.
- Keep the bubbles for last: Add tonic, soda, ginger beer and sparkling lemonade just before you hand over each glass. A gentle stir is enough.
- If you are making the hot chai: Brew the tea just before serving and use a heatproof mug. The Snowball is also best made fresh.
- For a bigger crowd: A batch drink will be easier than making individual glasses all evening. Our Christmas punch for a crowd is designed for that job.
Christmas cocktails without a shaker: FAQ
Can I really make all seven without a shaker?
Yes. The cold drinks are stirred or built directly in the glass, and the hot chai is mixed in a mug. Never shake a carbonated mixer in a closed shaker — pressure can build up.
Which Christmas cocktail is the easiest?
White Port & Tonic is the quickest if you have the ingredients: port, tonic, ice and an orange wedge. For guests who enjoy warmer drinks, Hot Maple Bourbon Chai is just as straightforward once the tea is brewed.
Can I prepare these drinks ahead of time?
You can chill juices, prepare garnishes and measure non-fizzy ingredients before guests arrive. Keep prepared mixtures covered in the fridge and add fresh ice and anything sparkling only when serving. Make the Snowball fresh for its best texture and brew the hot chai shortly before pouring.
What if someone is not drinking alcohol?
Offer a dedicated alcohol-free glass, like the cranberry-orange fizz in the one-bottle menu, rather than simply leaving out the spirit. For another festive option, our Pomegranate Rosemary Mocktail has a bright, refreshing flavour and no alcohol.
Make the Christmas drinks, not the washing-up
Start with one drink your guests will love, then keep the rest easy. Maybe it is a ruby-red cranberry rum on arrival, a spiced apple fizz with snacks, or a cosy hot bourbon chai once the evening slows down. Looks like effort. Isn't.
For simple drinks long after the decorations come down, try our seven ginger ale cocktails with no shaker next.
