Festive cocktails and end-of-year celebrations go hand in hand, and adding a touch of French flair to your seasonal libations is the perfect way to up your holiday mixology game. Thanks to the many artisanal French spirits and liqueurs available on the market, crafting unique cocktails—as well creating French-inspired riffs on the classics—is easier than you may think. Not sure where to begin? Our team’s put together 10 delicious drinks to kickstart your holiday cocktail inspiration here. Grab your go-to barware and get your glasses ready!
Yellow Cocktail
Add a taste of Gatsby-inspired flair to your end-of-year celebrations with Paris-based cocktail bar Cravan’s signature Yellow Cocktail. Crafted from equal parts of three aromatic liqueurs and spirits—including the signature herbaceous punch brought by French Chartreuse—and vibrant citrus, this bitter-meets-bright cocktail is a surefire way to bring Roaring Twenties vibes to your holiday party.
Ingredients:
5 ml Chartreuse
5 ml Gin
5 ml Gentian Liqueur
5 ml Lemon juice
Lemon twist
🍸 Method: Combine the ingredients in a shaker over ice and shake for 30 seconds. Double strain in a small chilled coupe. Squeeze lemon twist.
French 75
Deemed one of the most popular sparkling cocktails for end-of-year parties, the French 75 is a crowdpleasing sipper made from gin, bubbly, and a touch of simple syrup—and this Absinthe-tinged riff from our friends at Cravan adds the perfect amount of anise-based punch. Be sure to stick to true French Champagne (over alternative bubbly) for an added touch of sophistication, as well as to keep the cocktail on the drier side of things.
Ingredients:
7.5 ml gin
3.75 ml lemon juice
3.75 ml simple syrup
Splash of Absinthe
Champagne
Lemon twist
🍸 Method: Combine all the ingredients except Champagne in a shaker over ice and shake for 10 seconds. Double strain in a small chilled coupe. Top with Champagne and gently stir. Squeeze lemon twist.
Cognac Sour
Add a French twist to your favorite whiskey sour recipe with our signature riff, the Cognac Sour. Distilled from white French grape varieties, cognac is known for its signature flavors of stone fruit, vanilla, and sweet spice, which creates a unique riff on this long-standing American favorite. When coupled with lemon juice and simple syrup, this frothy cocktail looks as good as it tastes—especially when served in equally gorgeous glassware.
Ingredients:
1.5 cl cognac
0.75 cl lemon juice
0.5 cl sugar syrup
1 fresh egg white
Lemon zest
🍸 Method: Combine cognac, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg white in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, close it, and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold. Rub lemon zest around the rim of the glass and add ice cubes to the glass. Pour the Cognac Sour into the glass, straining out the ice cubes using a cocktail strainer. Garnish with a twist of lemon zest.
Kir Royal
Like the French 75, the Kir Royal is one of France’s most popular sparkling wine-based cocktails, and its easy-to-make nature makes it perfect for serving at large, end-of-year gatherings. While French crème de cassis ensures that the drink is fruit forward and crowdpleasing, the balancing bubbles of Champagne keep the drink energetically textured. To make, simply add a splash of crème de cassis to a lineup of flutes, top with Champagne, and get the party started.
Ingredients:
15 cl Champagne
1,5 cl crème de cassis
Lemon twist
🍸 Method: Add crème de cassis to a chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with lemon twist or fresh blackberry.
The Dorchester
Cranberry is one of the most beloved flavors of the holiday season, and its signature tartness is ideal for mixing into seasonal cocktails. When combined with gin, and thyme-infused simple syrup, the signature notes of strawberry, pink grapefruit, and blood orange found in Lillet Rosé (made exclusively in the village of Podensac in Bordeaux) are immediately taken to the next level—and this cocktail is an equally great way to flex your at-home mixology muscles.
Ingredients:
6 cl Lillet Rose
4,5 cl gin
1,5 cl cranberry juice
0,7 cl lemon juice
Lemon wedge
Sprig of thyme
🍸 Method: Fill a 4-ounce coup with ice and water to chill. Pour the Lillet rose, gin, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and thyme simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until well chilled. Discard the ice water from the coup. Rub the lemon wedge around the rim to moisten. Hold the rim at an angle and dip it in the sugar to coat. Strain the cocktail into the glass and garnish with lemon wedge and thyme sprig.
Cider Sangria
Batched cocktails are an end-of-year party host’s best friend, as they’re as easy to make as they are delicious, and require an extremely small amount of prep prior to serving. For those looking to lean into all things winter apple, this refreshing sangria is just the ticket. While the French cider keeps the cocktail bubbly and refreshing, the addition of calvados adds a powerful-yet-pleasant, apple-forward punch. Be sure to stick with true cider and calvados from the appellation of Pays d’Auge, as these signature French designations ensure quality and consistency with every bottle produced!
Ingredients:
1 bottle Pays d’Auge Cider PDO
10 cl Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC
10 cl lemon juice
10 cl apple juice
1 orange
🍸 Method: The night before serving, peel the apple and orange, remove the pith, and cut into cubes. Steep the fruit in the Calvados, orange juice, and lemon juice mixture in a salad bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator with the bottle of cider. When ready to serve, pour the chilled cider over the fruit in the bowl and serve into snifter glasses with garnishes.
Boulevardier
For parties that call for something a bit stronger, look no further than the classic Boulevardier. Crafted by two American journalists celebrating the launch of their magazine—aptly titled The Boulevardier—in Paris, this 100% French twist (created by our friends at Cravan) puts three classic French spirits front and center. Best of all, the cognac adds smooth flavors of vanilla and caramel, the herbaceous, quinine-forward notes of Dubonnet keep the drink lifted and balanced.
Ingredients:
7.5 ml cognac
7.5 ml Dubonnet
7.5 ml Dolin bitter
Orange twist
🍸 Method: Stir the ingredients in a shaker tin over ice for fifteen seconds. Strain and serve in a chilled aperitif glass. Squeeze orange twist.
Rumpopopom Cocktail
Who says rum-based cocktails are exclusive to summer sipping? Thanks to our creative friends at Le Syndicat, this delicious recipe highlights just how well Martinique Rhum Agricole goes with winter-inspired apple ingredients (homemade apple syrup included! Contrary to standard bottles of rum, Martinique Rhum Agricole—which is distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice over molasses—boasts a more vibrant and briny flavor profile, which gives the drink a more lively overall flavor profile.
Ingredients:
7.5 ml Martinique Rhum Agricole
7.5 ml Apple Syrup
3.75 ml Peach cream
2.5 ml lemon juice
Lavender sprig
🍸 Method: Mix all the liquids with a mixing glass over ice and stir with a bar spoon – do not shake. Serve over ice and garnish with lavender.
Sparkling Grapefruit Mauresque
Grapefruit is one of winter’s most beloved citrus fruits, as it generally reaches its peak ripeness during colder weather months. This beautiful cocktail promises to add a pop of color to your end-of-year parties, while also keeping the refreshment level on high—and thanks to the addition of French pastis, ensures a perfectly balanced pop of licorice and anise. Pro tip: Keep some grapefruit slices on the side for easy snacking while sipping.
Ingredients:
0.75 cl pastis
0.375 cl orgeat syrup
0.25 cl fresh lemon juice
2.5 cl grapefruit tonic
1 cl sparkling water
Grapefruit slice
Fresh thyme
🍸 Method: Fill a large glass with ice cubes. Pour in the pastis, orgeat syrup, and lemon juice. Stir gently with a long spoon. Add the grapefruit tonic, then the sparkling water. Adjust the quantities to taste for intensity and freshness. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a sprig of fresh thyme. Serve immediately, well chilled.
French Sunset
While the name French Sunset may sound summery, this versatile cocktail celebrates some of winter’s best flavors—cue fig, cardamom, and a variety of herbs and spices. Centered around cognac as its base spirit, which is known for its smooth and silky flavor profile, this gorgeous drink is perfect for sending out the last sunset of the year with friends and loved ones—and the splash of Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur’s notes of citrus and honey add a warming finish to this seasonal twist.
Ingredients:
11.25 ml cognac
5 ml fig liqueur
0.25 teaspoon Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
Cardamom bitters
Champagne PDO
🍸 Method: Add the cognac, Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur, fig liqueur and two dashes of cardamom bitters to a mixing glass. Add a generous amount of ice and stir with a bar spoon. Strain into a glass and serve chilled.
From our Taste France Magazine family to yours, we wish you a joyful holiday season ahead! ✨
Contributor
Vicki Denig
Editor
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