For many, the holidays are synonymous with a cup of liquid cheer, whether that’s in the form of a spiced, simmered mulled wine or a creamy coupe of eggnog. Much like the foods associated with the festive season, the best holiday tipples are often indulgent—heavy on the cream, generous with the spirits, and possibly aflame because, why not.
The following historical cocktails have all found a place in our own holiday traditions. They run the gamut from fuss-free—Moose Milk, created by Canadian military officers looking for creative ways to get tipsy—to the labors of love, like the two-day effort that is the Clarified Milk Cocktail (which is really worth it, we promise).
There’s a Christmas Tree Sour that makes sure your decorative spruce doesn’t go to waste, plus the punch that Charles Dickens served to his own guests. We hope you love them as much as we do.
The Ice Cream Cocktail Born in a Spectacular Victorian Food Hall
By Amanda Schuster
According to some, Queen Victoria herself may have enjoyed a Soyer Au Champagne, which consists of cognac, orange curaçao, maraschino liqueur, and Champagne topped with ice cream. As cocktail historian Amanda Schuster writes, this “adult-beverage version of an ice cream float” first appeared at the 1851 Soyer’s Universal Symposium of All Nations on the site of what is now London’s Royal Albert Hall. This wild—and ultimately doomed—extravaganza was the production of a man modern food historians consider the U.K.’s first celebrity chef. While the Symposium didn’t last, this cocktail withstood the test of time.
A Brief History of Germany’s Favorite Flaming Punch
By Sam O’Brien
Every holiday season, Germans risk first-degree burns for what has to be the most theatrical holiday cocktail. Senior Editor Sam O’Brien writes of feuerzangenbowle, a “pyrotechnic punch [that] could be considered mulled wine’s metal cousin.” Cauldrons of this fragrant spiced punch can be found at Christmas markets all over the country, inevitably crowned with a flaming cube or cone of sugar. Recipes for feuerzangenbowle go back as early as 1905, but it didn’t take off until 1944, when the drink starred in a comedic film called Die Feuerzangenbowle.
Meet ‘Moose Milk,’ the Wintry Cocktail of the Canadian Military
By Rachel Rummel
If you like eggnog, take a cue from the Canadian military and give this “high-propulsion” cocktail a try. As Senior Audience Development Manager Rachel Rummel writes, with Moose Milk, “the goal remains simple: Exhibit resourcefulness, warm up, and enjoy.” Recipes vary quite a lot, in keeping with the improvisational spirit of the thing, but may include ice cream, condensed milk, cinnamon, raw egg yolks, Kahlua, coffee, and whatever strong stuff you’ve got lying around (rum, whiskey, or vodka are all common choices). It’s a guaranteed moral-booster for veterans and civilians alike
Tea Punch Was the First Cocktail
By Andrew Coletti
Nineteenth-century Americans also appreciated the drama of a fiery bowl of punch. “Tea punch spread to Britain’s American colonies, where it continued to be imbibed well after the Revolution,” Editorial Fellow Andrew Coletti writes. “American punch was distinguished from British versions of the beverage by the use of green tea, the tea of choice in America up until the 1920s.” Countless variations of tea-based punches from the period exist, but we’re especially drawn to this five-ingredient classic from the legendary Jerry Thomas.
How to Turn Your Christmas Tree Into Cocktails
By Julia Georgallis
In an effort to make her holiday tradition feel less wasteful, Julia Georgallis, the author of How to Eat Your Christmas Tree, transforms her conifer into all sorts of delicious things. “Soon enough, I was serving dishes such as zesty Christmas tree-cured fish, spruce and ginger ice cream, tart Christmas tree pickles, and sweet apple and fir membrillo,” she writes. We’re particularly fond of this simple Christmas tree cordial, which can be used to whip up a bunch of cocktails that will make your home smell like an evergreen grove.
Drink Like Dickens With the Author’s Punch Recipe
By Sam O’Brien
If you prefer your flaming holiday cocktails with a Victorian twist, perhaps you’d like to try Charles Dickens’ libation of choice, which Senior Editor Sam O’Brien writes “has all the elements of solid party fare: warmth, fire, and plenty of booze.” In this case, the fire serves a practical function—unless you burn off some of the alcohol, this stuff is potent enough to knock your guests flat. “To Dickens, punch was more than simple party fare,” writes O’Brien. “It was a ritual that blended the author’s love for theater, storytelling, and the warm conviviality of a bygone era.”
Make the Crystal-Clear Milk Cocktail Loved by a Spy and a Founding Father
By Diana Hubbell
As if it wasn’t enough being a poet, playwright, and royal spy, 17th-century bon vivant Aphra Behn made a really terrific punch. As I wrote a few years back, “when entertaining her fellow London literati, Behn didn’t serve just any kind of punch. Rather, she opted for a concoction of brandy, lemon juice, and dairy that would be miraculously transformed into a glass-clear cocktail.” To this day, there are few better party tricks than this richly flavorful elixir.
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