Simple Living With Nature

Grow Forage Cook Ferment logo
  • Grow
  • Forage
  • Cook
  • Ferment
  • Herbalism
  • Homestead
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Books
    • Healing Herbal Infusions
    • Wildcrafting Weeds
    • Simple Mead Making
    • Herbal Immune Support
    • Dandelion Recipes
    • Edible Flower Recipes
    • The Backyard Forest Garden
    • Healing Kitchen Herbs
    • Botanical Holiday Cocktails
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
  • Foraging Course
  • Subscribe!
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home » Cook » Beverages » Cocktails » 10 Holiday Cocktail Recipes: Herbal Cocktails for Winter

10 Holiday Cocktail Recipes: Herbal Cocktails for Winter

May contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my privacy policy and affiliate disclosure.

Originally published on November 15, 2022. Last updated on December 14, 2022

406 shares
  • 241
Holiday Cocktails
Holiday Cocktails

Holiday cocktail recipes abound as soon as there’s a chill in the air and the leaves are falling from trees. A winter cocktail is a perfect way to share spirits, gather together, and enjoy some cheer during the darkest days of the year. Find all of the herbal cocktails you need to celebrate the winter holidays. Cheers to nature, healthy drinks, and connection!

A pomegranate martini top view in a glass with a rosemary sprig, surrounded by a glass of rosemary syrup, pomegranate seeds, and fresh leaves.

Want to save this post for later?

We'll send it to your inbox, plus get updates from us every week!

Holiday Cocktail Recipes with Foraged and Herbal Ingredients

Conifer Needles

Winter is a time of slowing down, darkening days, and looking inward to find peace. Foraging may not be at the top of your mind as the leaves fall and everything seems bare, but there is still peace to be found outside, and there is also more to forage in the late fall and winter than you might think!

Winter herbal cocktails bring cheer and spirit to a dark evening, and they can foster a feeling of togetherness in a time that can otherwise feel solitary.

Take a walk, and forage some pine needles or conifer needles to start with. Breathe in the chilly air, work up to a brisk walk, take in the sights, and now you’re ready to make a few winter cocktails!

Conifer Infused Vodka

For this refreshing conifer-infused vodka, use any edible conifer needles you find. Try pine, spruce, fir, redwood, or hemlock, and enjoy this delicious vodka that is perfect for a herbal cocktail.

Conifer infused vodka in a martini glass with a silver stem in the shape of leaves.
Conifer Infused Vodka

Conifer Hot Toddy

If you need a warm winter cocktail for a cold evening, this conifer hot toddy will hit the spot. Made with ginger and rose hips, this delicious herbal cocktail will cheer you up and benefit your health too.

A hot toddy in a clear mug with conifer needles, cinnamon sticks, rosehips, and oranges surrounding.
Conifer Hot Toddy with Rose Hips

Infused Winter Gin

Any edible conifer sprigs will work for this aromatic and refreshing homemade-infused winter gin. The best part about it is that it uses foraged ingredients, so use whatever is accessible and make a winter-spiced holiday cocktail!

a jar of spices and a conifer sprig to make winter gin
Infused Winter Gin

Rosehips & Elderberries

Rosehips are perfect for holiday cocktail recipes with their beautiful festive color, but they also add loads of health benefits too!

Add vitamin C and antioxidants to a winter cocktail with some holiday cheer and togetherness, and you have a perfect cold-weather herbal cocktail drink!

Rose Hip Whiskey Smash

Made with rose hip syrup, this holiday cocktail recipe is wonderful for sharing during a celebration. With foraged rose hips and muddled mint leaves, this rose hip whiskey smash is a favorite of mine every year. It warms the soul!

rose hip whiskey smash in a martini glass
Rose Hip Whiskey Smash

Elderberry Cocktail

This elderberry cocktail is a healthy and festive way to celebrate with a cold-weather cocktail. It incorporates elderberry syrup using either fresh or dried elderberries, so it’s a perfect winter cocktail with health benefits.

An elderberry cocktail in a clear jar glass with ice and a spoon, sitting on a wooden cutting board. Surrounded by fall leaves, cinnamon, and a jar of elderberry syrup.
Elderberry Cocktail

Rosemary & Sage

I love a good cocktail, especially if it has herbal goodness added to it! Sage and rosemary are common in herb gardens and are easy to find, plus they boast many herbal benefits and deliciousness.

Rosemary Champagne Cocktail with Blood Orange

Rosemary makes a perfect cocktail ingredient! Get healthy while you imbibe with this tasty rosemary champagne cocktail with blood orange, it has a celebratory feel and a refreshing taste.

A rosemary blood orange champagne cocktail in a stemless wineglass, with a sprig of rosemary in it and a blood orange slice on the rim.
Rosemary Champagne Cocktail w/ Blood Orange

Pomegranate Martini with Rosemary Syrup

Another wonderfully festive holiday cocktail recipe with rosemary, featuring in-season and beautiful pomegranates is this pomegranate martini with rosemary honey syrup. It has a tart, bright, rosemary-sweet taste!

A clear glass pitcher of pomegranate martini being stirred, top view, surrounded by a pomegranate, pomegranate seeds, and fresh leaves.
Pomegranate Martini w/ Rosemary Honey Syrup

Persimmon Champagne Cocktail with Cinnamon and Sage

This herbal cocktail features persimmons which are a rich-tasting winter fruit. Bubbly with champagne and with a taste you can’t find anywhere else, this persimmon champagne cocktail with cinnamon and sage is a complimentary tasting holiday cocktail to go with all of your favorite dishes.

Several champagne flutes with persimmon champagne cocktail, which is a darker orange at the bottom, a lighter orange on top, and each garnished with a fresh sage leaf.
Persimmon Champagne Cocktail w/ Cinnamon & Sage

Wine & Cider

Ok, so while technically not a winter cocktail or a holiday cocktail, this list wouldn’t be complete without wine and cider to add to your warmth and festivities.

Mulled Wine with Whole Spices

Mulled wine is a warm treat of a wintertime drink! This recipe is just lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and while simmered on low heat with whole spices it keeps most of the alcohol content while infusing it with warming flavors. One of the best parts about this mulled wine is the garnish possibilities: fresh herbs and sliced fall and winter fruits make the flavor of this perfect for the holidays!

Mulled wine in a pot with garnishes, top view.
Mulled wine with whole spices

Reishi Mushroom Infused Wine

Infused with an incredible amount of winter forage and herbal goodness, this reishi mushroom-infused wine is earthy and relaxing. This recipe incorporates ashwagandha and rose hips, and is so soothing when sipped on a relaxing evening by a fire.

Reishi infused red wine in a jar garnished with a piece of mushroom, surrounded by a ingredients, with a dark background and vibe.
Reishi Mushroom Infused Wine

Spiced Pomegranate Wine

With the beauty and deliciousness of pomegranates, they bring their lovely flavor and festive attitude to this homemade spiced pomegranate wine. This fermented brew adds a warm spice to your winter season!

A wine glass with red pomegranate wine, surrounded by an open pomegranate and pomegranate seeds.
Spiced Pomegranate Wine

Mulled Hard Cider

To really warm inside and out, this mulled hard cider (alternatively, you can try mulled red wine) is what you need to make! It will fill your home with an amazing aroma of warm spices, and will fill you with a delicious warming winter cocktail in a mug! Breathe it in, sip it slowly and enjoy the peace and slowness winter and cold weather brings.

a hand holding a mug of mulled hard cider garnished with apple slices and a cinnamon stick
Mulled Hard Cider

Bitters & Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Firstly, most of these holiday cocktail recipes listed above can easily be made into mocktails. There are a variety of reasons one would want an alcohol-free winter cocktail, a main reason would be how tasty they are along with the herbal benefits of these festive mixes.

Winter Herb Kvass

I love making this bubbly fermented winter herb kvass when I want a foraged herbal drink without alcohol. It has probiotics and tons of health benefits, and is perfect for the season!

A jar of kvass with herbs floating at the top.
Winter Herb Kvass

Dandelion Root Bitters

Another little side step is this recipe for dandelion root bitters. Bitters are a healthy digestive tonic that is a really easy infusion to make!

Bitters can be used in an aperitif cocktail to go perfectly with the season. They’re great for a pre-dinner drink to help you digest.

A clear glass jar of dandelion root bitters, the liquid is a burnt orange color and there is chopped up dandelion root at the bottom of the jar.
Dandelion Root Bitters

If you love these holiday cocktail recipes, you might also be interested in these homemade drinks:

  • Elderflower Liqueur Recipe
  • Raspberry Mint Infused Wine
  • How to Make Hard Cider
  • Maple Mead w/ Orange & Spices
  • How to Make a Gallon of Mead
  • Join My Free Foraging & Herbalism Email Course!

  • This will also subscribe you to the Grow Forage Cook Ferment newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please see my Privacy Policy.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Previous Post: « Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Pecans
Next Post: Mountain Vinegar: Foraged Infused Vinegar Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hello there! I’m Colleen.

I want to inspire you to live seasonally, become more self sufficient, and protect your health. I share information on foraging and wildcrafting, fermenting and preserving, cooking whole foods from scratch, permaculture gardening, and making herbal products. And that’s just the beginning! Learn more.

My Books

Spring Favorites

purple dead nettle uses benefits look alike

Foraging for Purple Dead Nettle: an edible backyard weed

50+ Dandelion Recipes: Drinks, Sweets, Soap, Remedies + More!

A jar filled with lilacs and honey, surrounded by fresh lilacs.

Lilac Flower Infused Honey

Dandelion Mead Recipe (Dandelion Wine Made With Honey)

Popular Posts

How to Make Soap For Beginners + Calendula Soap Recipe

10 Reasons to Grow Mint (Without Fear)

How to Make and Use Dandelion Salve

What to Forage in Spring: 20 Edible and Medicinal Plants and Fungi

how to make mead

How to Make a Gallon of Mead: A Simple Mead Recipe

How to Make Hard Cider: Homebrew it!

Fermented Honey Garlic

8 Easy to Identify Edible Mushrooms

Mountain Rose Herbs
×

Join list.

More info

Footer

Explore

  • Grow
  • Forage
  • Cook
  • Ferment
  • Herbalism
  • Homestead

Learn To Forage

The gather + root online foraging course will help you to safely identify, harvest, and use common edible and medicinal plants with confidence.

Enroll Now

As Featured On

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Amazon Affiliate

Copyright © 2025 Grow Forage Cook Ferment & Cocos Creations LLC.

406 shares
  • 241