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By: Maris Callahan

Everyone knows that entertaining is a huge part of the holiday season. Instead of resorting to boring beer and wine this year, pick up the fixings for a few festive winter-themed cocktails that will tempt your guests to drink one too many. Just make sure that your guests have a designated driver before you shake up that second batch.

Passion Fruit Punch

If you’re tired of the same old flavors of the season, shake up some new spirits for a festive martini that feature passion fruit liqueur – a unique alternative to pineapple and cranberry flavors that most people know.

Ingredients:
2 Ounces Passion Fruit vodka (such as Aliz Gold)
1 Ounce Apple Schnapps
1 Ounce vodka
1/2 Ounce triple sec

Method:
- Shake well over ice, strain and serve straight up.

If you need a hot drink to warm you up, but wish someone else would make it for you, we have a solution – your coffee brewer can do the heavy lifting. If you have a traditional drip coffee pot, you can fill the filter basket with brown sugar and spices for delicious, spice-infused spiked cider that will hit the spot, no matter the weather.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/8 Teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 Teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 Cinnamon stick
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 Large orange, quartered with peel
4 Cups apple cider
1/2 Cup dark rum

Method:
- Place a coffee filter in the designated basket and fill with brown sugar, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, salt, nutmeg, and orange wedges. 
- Pour apple cider and dark rum into coffee pot where the water usually goes. 
- Brew, and serve hot. For a kid-friendly version, omit the dark rum and stir in a spoonful of caramel syrup, if desired. 

Despite the fact that their popularity peaked almost a decade ago, cosmopolitans still show up on bar and lounge menus left and right. Keep your guests guessing when you entertain; instead of the lime and cranberry juice concoction, serve pomegranate this year. While pomegranate juice itself can often be costly, PAMA Pomegranate liqueur offers the same tart flavor to your beverages while a touch of triple sec goes a long way in balancing a not-too-sweet flavor in your beverage.

Ingredients:
2 Ounces PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
1 ounce premium vodka
1/4 ounce orange flavored liqueur (such as Triple Sec)

Method:
- Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. 
- Add ice and shake vigorously. 
- Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon zest.

A traditional Kir Royale is a champagne cocktail, typically topped with crème de cassis. For a lighter version of the popular French aperitif, opt instead for cranberry juice laced with a hint of citrus and a bubbly base. You can serve it in a champagne flute; however if you don’t have enough for the crowd or you're worried about your glassware breaking at the party, use a tall glass so that the champagne bubbles can still aerate properly.

Ingredients:
2 Cups cranberry juice
4 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Bottle Champagne
Fresh cranberries, for garnish

Method:
- Combine cranberry juice, orange juice and champagne into a large pitcher.
- Divide into four long champagne flutes and garnish with fresh cranberries, to serve.

Now that it’s getting colder, what sounds better than a nice cup of hot chocolate? If you’re having friends over for cocktails, but it’s too chilly outside to imagine drinking anything on the rocks, whip up a batch of your favorite hot cocoa to make Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha Hot Cocoa. It will not only warm you up, but help put you in the holiday spirit no matter what you celebrate.

Ingredients:
2 Parts milk
1 Part drinking chocolate (use your favorite hot cocoa mix)
1 Part Kahlua Peppermint Mocha

Method:
- Bring milk to a simmer on the stovetop. 
- Whisk in drinking chocolate. 
- Simmer for 30 seconds while stirring and add Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha. 
- Garnish with peppermint stick and marshmallows.

For more holiday recipes click on iMag's Food Page. 

Maris Callahan is the author of In Good Taste, an avid self-taught home cook, and is widely knowledgeable about all things culinary. She is especially passionate about helping new cooks learn how to prepare healthy, delicious meals and snacks, even when life is busy. When she is not in the kitchen working on her next recipe, Maris works as a marketing professional in Chicago and in her spare time, contributes to several websites including SheKnows.com, Diets In Review and Craft Magazine.