Gingerbread Cocktail Recipes (and a Mocktail, Too)

December 3, 2023

Here are recipes for three very different gingerbread drinks for the holidays: A coffee gingerbread cocktail, a non-alcoholic cranberry-gingerbread mocktail, and a tequila and wine gingerbread cocktail.

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1 – A Coffee Carajillo Gingerbread Cocktail

If you like espresso martinis, and you haven’t had a carajillo yet, this is a must-try.

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Ingredients:

2 ounces espresso
1 ounce Licor 43
1 ounce rum (something with molasses notes – like a black and/or aged rum)
1/2 ounce of ginger liqueur
Ice for shaking and serving
Gingerbread cookie, for garnish (you could also use a Gingerbread Peep)

Instructions:

Pour espresso, Licor 43, rum, and ginger liqueur into a cocktail shaker 3/4 full of ice. Shake well, then double strain using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer over fresh ice. Garnish.

2 – A Non-Alcoholic Cranberry Gingerbread Spritz

This is no Shirley Temple. It’s got brightness from the cranberry, spice from the ginger beer, and richness from the molasses.

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Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened pure cranberry juice
1 teaspoon molasses
Cubed ice, for serving
Ginger beer
Spices (I used star anise and cinnamon sticks) and cranberries, for garnish

Instructions:

Add the cranberry juice and molasses to a goblet and stir well to combine. Fill the goblet with ice, then top with ginger beer and stir again to integrate. Garnish, and serve.

3 – A Red Wine and Tequila Gingerbread Cocktail

This elegant cocktail gets its gingerbread flavor from an easy-to-make gingerbread syrup. This syrup not only pairs beautifully with the aged tequila and red wine in this gingerbread cocktail recipe, but it is also delicious in old fashioneds and whiskey sours.

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Ingredients:

2 ounces tequila añejo
1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce gingerbread tea syrup (see below)
Red wine
Gingerbread cookie, for garnish

Instructions:

Add tequila and fresh squeezed lemon juice to a cocktail shaker (I use this lemon squeezer). Next, add gingerbread tea syrup. Shake with plenty of ice, then strain over a large rock. Then give it a red wine float by pouring red wine on the back of a cocktail mixing spoon, while hovering it closely over the surface of the drink. Garnish and serve.

Gingerbread Tea Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 gingerbread tea teabags

Instructions:

Simmer the water, and stir in sugar until it dissolves. Add the tea bags and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow it to cool, then remove the tea bags. Store in a mason jar or glass container in the refrigerator and use within 5-7 days.