For the past couple years, my friends and I have gathered together at some point during the holiday season for a holiday cocktail-making get-together. During it, we each take turns making and presenting a holiday cocktail for all of us, playing games and just enjoying each other’s company. This year was a little different because one of our friends is pregnant, so we had to make sure whatever drink we chose could be made into a mocktail.

I kicked off the celebration with a drink I called Christmastime Punch. The base of my drink included ginger beer, cranberry juice and apple cider. Then I added some cut-up oranges and apples to the mix. To keep it mocktail-friendly, I kept it at that in the pitcher. After I poured each drink, I topped it off with Prosecco. The recipe also called for vodka, but I let everyone decide if they wanted to add that in themselves. I was pleasantly surprised with my drink; it was light and refreshing — luckily everyone else enjoyed it, as well.

After my drink, we took a small intermission so we could get some food before spending the night drinking a bunch of different cocktails. We filled up on delicious cheesesteak pizza and loaded fries from one of our favorite local pizza shops, Gianni’s.

Once we were all done, the next cocktail was a spiced rum drink that had apple cider, Captain Morgan, apple slices and a cinnamon stick. I’m not typically a big fan of rum, but that was delicious.

Next, my friend who is pregnant went, so she made a mocktail sangria. She had a base of cranberry juice and lime juice, which she let marinate with fruits like limes, oranges, pears, apples and more. Everyone who could drink decided to add vodka to theirs to make it a cocktail. I really liked this one as it reminded me of a Cosmopolitan.

The next drink was like a mimosa with a twist. The ingredients included orange juice, cranberry juice, Sprite, vodka, Prosecco, Maraschino cherry juice and the actual cherry itself. As a big fan of mimosas, I really enjoyed this drink.

Lastly, we ended the night with a dessert martini. The drink basically included RumChata and Bailey’s. My favorite part was the snowman garnish made out of marshmallows and pretzel sticks. Although this drink was strong, I really liked it, and it was the perfect end to the creations.

The rest of the night we played games while sipping on the leftovers of our favorite cocktails. Can’t wait for next year!

— Mary Melnick, social media & editorial coordinator