For a 2 to 3 hour holiday party, plan on 2 to 3 drinks and 1 to 2 pounds of ice per person. Mix batch cocktails and a matching batch of non-alcoholic drinks ahead of time, then add ice and sparkling mixers right before serving.
Below, we group our recipes into mocktails, make-ahead batch drinks, cocktails by the glass, and warm mugs, with total times, servings, and what to pick up in our aisles for each.
Quick reference
| Drinks per guest | 2 to 3 drinks per person for a 2 to 3 hour party |
|---|---|
| Ice per guest | 1 to 2 lbs of ice per person |
| Batch prep rule | Mix everything except ice and bubbly mixers ahead and refrigerate |
| Sparkling mixers | Add ice and carbonated mixers just before serving |
| Mocktail batch size | Make the non-alcoholic batch the same size as the cocktail batch |
| Quickest single drinks | 5 to 10 minutes total for shaken or stirred cocktails |
| Warm stovetop drinks | 15 minutes total for hot chocolate, lattes, and hot buttered rum |
| Homemade eggnog prep | Cook the egg base on the stove before chilling |
Mocktails That Feel Like a Treat
If you are wondering what non-alcoholic drinks you can serve at a party that feel special, start with a chilled pitcher of our Non-Alcoholic White Wine Sangria with Pear, Lemon, Thyme & Ginger Beer (130 minutes total, 4 servings), made with alcohol-removed white wine, Asian pear, and Fever-Tree ginger beer. You can also pour Martinelli's sparkling cider straight from the bottle when guests arrive.
For a warm drink in 15 minutes total, blend medjool dates, whole milk, and cocoa powder for two mugs of our Date-Sweetened Hot Chocolate with a Hint of Cinnamon, or stir in natural peanut butter for our Date-Sweetened Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (2 servings). If a guest wants coffee, you can make 1 serving of our Pumpkin Spice Latte with Instant Coffee in 15 minutes with pumpkin purée and instant coffee crystals.
Ingredients Pasteurized Carbonated Apple Juice, Vitamin C Added to Maintain Color.
Ingredients Carbonated Spring Water, Sugar, Ginger Root, Natural Ginger Flavorings with other Natural Flavorings, Tartaric Acid, Ascorbic Acid.
Ingredients Apple Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Grape Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Grape Juice Concentrate, Cranberry Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water Cranberry Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Pear Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Pear Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Pectin.
Ingredients Pasteurized 100% Carbonated Apple Juice from U,S, Grown Fresh Apples, Filtered Water (Sufficient to Reconstitute Juice Concentrate), Concentrated Cranberry Juice.
Ingredients Filtered Water, Sugar, Cranberry Juice (Filtered Water, Cranberry Juice Concentrate), Apple Juice (Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate), Vegetable Juice for Color, Fumaric Acid, Natural Flavors, Malic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Citrate.
Ingredients Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Aspartame, Potassium Benzoate (Preservative), Acesulfame Potassium.
Batch Drinks to Make Before Guests Arrive
Let your slow cooker keep warm drinks ready for guests: our Slow Cooker Mulled Red Wine with Orange, Cinnamon, Cloves & Star Anise (24 minutes total, 6 servings) uses McCormick cinnamon sticks, while our Slow Cooker "Pumpkin Pie" Spiced Hot Apple Cider (240 minutes total, 4 servings) simmers apple juice with Gala apple. Prefer a chilled pitcher? Mix our Spiced Honey Crisp Apple & Dried Fig Red Wine Sangria (130 minutes total, 4 servings) with light-bodied red wine and brandy.
For a creamy batch that serves 6, you cook the egg and cream base on the stove before chilling in both our Homemade Whiskey-Spiked Eggnog (265 minutes total, made with blended whiskey) and our Homemade Pumpkin Eggnog (255 minutes total, made with pumpkin purée). Short on time? Pour Lucerne holiday eggnog instead.
Ingredients Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).
Ingredients Cinnamon Stick
Ingredients Whole Cloves
Ingredients Organic Cinnamon, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Allspice, Organic Clove, Organic Ginger.
Holiday Cocktails by the Glass
When you need easy cocktails for a party in 5 to 10 minutes, start with single-serving agave drinks: stir our Oaxaca Old Fashioned with Mezcal & Tequila (5 minutes) using agave and Signature SELECT maraschino cherries, or shake our 5-minute Mezcal Paloma with Fresh Grapefruit & Lime. If you have 10 minutes, shake up a single serving of our tequila-based Blood Orange Margarita with a Hint of Vanilla. To pour two glasses fast, grab Fever-Tree ginger beer to top our Dark 'n' Stormy Rum Cocktail with Ginger Beer & Lime (5 minutes) or our Vodka Apple-Cranberry Moscow Mule (7 minutes).
If you have 16 to 30 minutes to simmer a quick spiced syrup or fruit purée, these holiday mixed drinks are worth the extra step. Make two glasses at once with our Spiced Tangerine-Gin Negroni with Ginger, Cinnamon & Star Anise (16 minutes) or our Pear & Rosemary Gin Collins (25 minutes) topped with Canada Dry club soda. For a single-glass gin cocktail, try our Spiced Cranberry-Gin French 75 Cocktail (25 minutes) with prosecco or our Orange-Thyme Gin & Tonic with Winter Spices (30 minutes). Prefer vodka, rum, or bourbon? Shake up a single serving of our Cranberry-Tangerine Cosmo with Vodka & Grand Marnier (25 minutes), our Mandarin-Cinnamon Daiquiri with White Rum (20 minutes), or our Orange, Lemon & Sage Bourbon Cocktail (25 minutes).
Ingredients Carbonated Spring Water, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Quinine
Ingredients Carbonated Spring Water, Sugar, Ginger Root, Natural Ginger Flavorings with other Natural Flavorings, Tartaric Acid, Ascorbic Acid.
Ingredients Apple Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Grape Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Grape Juice Concentrate, Cranberry Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water Cranberry Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Pear Juice from Concentrate (Filtered Water, Pear Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Pectin.
Ingredients Key West Lime Juice from Concentrate, and Less Than 1/10 of 1% Sodium Benzoate as a Preservative.
Ingredients Cherries, Water, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), FD&C Red 40, and Sulfur Dioxide (Preservative).
Warm Drinks for Cold Nights
When guests come in from the cold, our Hot Buttered Rum with Warm Spices & Whipped Topping takes 15 minutes total and makes 2 servings on the stovetop. You melt unsalted butter with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, simmer with water and vanilla, and stir in dark rum off the heat.
Serve each mug topped with Lucerne extra creamy whipped topping and a cinnamon stick. For guests who prefer a warm mug without alcohol or want something ready in minutes, set out Ghirardelli hot cocoa mix and Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows beside the stove.
Ingredients Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Whey, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Less than 2% Of: Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Natural Flavor. CONTAINS: MILK.
Ingredients CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, DEXTROSE, WATER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GELATIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1.
Ingredients Heavy Cream, Water, Sugar, Nonfat Milk, Maltodextrin, Contains Less than 2% of Cellulose Gel, Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Natural Flavoring, Cellulose Gum.
Ingredients Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Whey, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Less than 2% of: Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors. CONTAINS: MILK.
Ingredients Sugar, Whey, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Corn Syrup Solids, Nonfat Milk, Coconut oil, Less than 2% of: Whey Protein Concentrate, Salt, Sodium Caseinate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Annatto Extract and Turmeric Extract for Color, Artificial Flavor.
Set Up a Self-Serve Drink Station
Set out clean glasses, an ice bucket stocked with 1 to 2 pounds of ice per person, and two clearly labeled pitchers. Expect a good share of guests to choose a drink without alcohol, so make your mocktail pitcher in the same batch size as your cocktail pitcher.
Mix both pitchers ahead of time without ice or anything bubbly and keep them chilled in the refrigerator. Right before guests arrive, add ice and sparkling mixers, set out small bowls of citrus slices, fresh herb sprigs, and cinnamon sticks for garnish, and let everyone pour their own drink.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What non-alcoholic drinks can I serve at a party that feel special?
Serve our Non-Alcoholic White Wine Sangria with Pear, Lemon, Thyme & Ginger Beer (130 minutes total, 4 servings) for a chilled pitcher drink, or our Slow Cooker "Pumpkin Pie" Spiced Hot Apple Cider (240 minutes total, 4 servings) for a warm crowd option. For a rich stovetop treat, our Date-Sweetened Hot Chocolate with a Hint of Cinnamon takes 15 minutes total for 2 servings.
How much ice do I need for a party?
For a 2 to 3 hour party, plan on 1 to 2 pounds of ice per person along with 2 to 3 drinks per person. Keep the ice in a bucket at your drink station and add it to batch pitchers right before serving.
How do I make batch cocktails ahead of time?
Mix all of your ingredients except ice and anything bubbly ahead of time and refrigerate the pitcher. Add the ice and sparkling mixers just before serving so the drinks stay crisp and cold.
What are some easy cocktails for a party?
Our fastest easy cocktails for a party take 5 to 7 minutes total. In 5 minutes, you can make a single serving of our Oaxaca Old Fashioned with Mezcal & Tequila or our Mezcal Paloma with Fresh Grapefruit & Lime, or 2 servings of our Dark 'n' Stormy Rum Cocktail with Ginger Beer & Lime. Our Vodka Apple-Cranberry Moscow Mule also makes 2 servings in just 7 minutes.
How much mocktail should I make for a party?
Plan on making your mocktail pitcher the same batch size as your cocktail pitcher so guests who skip alcohol have plenty to enjoy.
How do I make homemade holiday mixed drinks and eggnog?
For some of the best holiday mixed drinks, simmer fresh fruit, citrus juice, or whole spices like cinnamon sticks and star anise into a quick stovetop syrup. When you make a 6-serving batch of our Homemade Whiskey-Spiked Eggnog (265 minutes total) or Homemade Pumpkin Eggnog (255 minutes total), you cook the egg base on the stove before chilling.