This Christmas whisky cocktail includes orange liqueur, honey, fresh orange, and lemon juice steeped in cloves and cinnamon sticks to create the most elegant Holiday cocktail of the season!
I simply love Holiday cocktails! This festive, refreshing citrus cocktail is an easy signature to make in a large batch for your Holiday party that every guest will adore! The spiced orange mixer can also be used in sparkly Prosecco cocktails, frosty gin, or vodka drinks too!
I served this cocktail for my shepherd’s pie Christmas dinner party this year, and the “oos” and “ahhs” it received when I brought out the tray of cocktails… it was a show-stopper!
I love the smell of clove oranges, also known as “pomanders,” and believe they have the definitive aroma of Christmas – apart from my Christmas tree. So I serve this cocktail with a pretty orange and clove rose ice cube to really turn up the citrusy-clove elegance. They’re so easy to make, and look so beautiful!
For parties, I make the spiced orange mixer in a big batch, then when it’s time to pour the cocktails, all I have to do is add whisky and the mixer to my cocktail shaker with ice, give it a good shake, pour, and serve!
As mentioned above, the spiced orange mixer can also be used to make other delicious holiday cocktails. Perhaps you prefer a sparkling party drink, as opposed to a whisky cocktail; simply add equal parts Prosecco and equal parts spiced orange mixer!
Ingredient Notes
whisky – My favorite whisky for this cocktail is Bulleit Rye, but if you’re looking for a less expensive option, you can get away with Old Overholt if you’re making a big batch and don’t want to break the bank.
Cointreau – You can also use Grand Marnier to make it extra luxurious, but don’t substitute with a cheaper triple sec, otherwise you’ll add a fake orange flavor to the cocktail.
oranges – It’s highly recommended that you use fresh squeezed orange juice to make this cocktail extra tasty, but if you’re crunched for time, you can get away with bottled (no pulp) orange juice.
lemon – Only use fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
cinnamon – I used medium-sized cinnamon sticks in the spiced orange mixture.
cloves – You’ll be using heaping tablespoons of cloves – don’t be stingy.
How to Make This Cocktail – Step by Step
This spiced orange mixer makes 5 cocktails.
1. Make the spiced orange mixer: In a container with a lid, add 4 oz. Cointreau, 4 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice, and 2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice with 2 tsp. honey. Add 2 heaping tbsp. cloves and 4 cinnamon sticks. Give it a little stir and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. Once mixer is ready, strain cloves and cinnamon.
3. To make the cocktail, Add 2 oz. whisky to a cocktail shaker with ice.
4. Add 2 oz. spiced orange mixer and shake vigorously. Pour and serve. Optionally add an orange-clove rose ice cube to be extra fancy.
Common Questions
You can let it steep for only 12 hours, but the clove-cinnamon spice will be more of a whisper in the cocktail.
Take a look at my post on how to make clove orange rose ice cubes to find out.
You can get away with using bottled orange juice but it won’t have that fresh-squeezed magic. When it comes to bottled lemon juice though, that’s a hard “no.” Never use bottled lemon juice in cocktails, or they’ll taste far too bitter.
It will last nicely for 3 days if refrigerated and covered with a lid.
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More Christmas Cocktail Inspiration
The Pomander Cocktail
Equipment
- 1 container with a lid – that holds at least 10 ounces
- 1 strainer
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
For The Spiced Orange Mixer
- 4 oz. Cointreau – or Grand Marnier
- 4 oz. orange juice – freshly-squeezed
- 2 oz. lemon juice – freshly-squeezed
- 2 tsp. honey
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tbsp. cloves
For the Cocktail
- 2 oz. whisky
- 2 oz. spiced orange mixer
Instructions
- Make the spiced orange mixer. In a container with a lid, add 4 oz. Cointreau, 4 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice, and 2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice with 2 tsp. honey. Add 2 heaping tbsp. cloves and 4 cinnamon sticks. Give it a little stir and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Once mixer is ready, strain cloves and cinnamon.
- To make the cocktail, Add 2 oz. whisky to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add 2 oz. spiced orange mixer and shake vigorously. Pour and serve.
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