7 Griswold Cocktails to Try on Your Christmas Vacation

“Can I refill your eggnog? Get you something to eat? Drive you into the middle of nowhere, and leave you for dead?” — Clark Griswold

Can we all just take a moment and acknowledge that Christmas time is not always the “hap-hap-happiest” time of the year? Sometimes, being in close quarters with your beloved family members, for extended periods of time, in the middle of the winter, can be less than holly jolly.

Never fear! Christmas Cocktails are here! If, like us, you are needing a little something to help keep you feeling Merry and Bright this time of year, then belly up to this Christmas Vacation themed Cocktail list that we’re sure Yule be loving!

1.Clark’s Good Old Fashioned Christmas EggNog

The classic Christmas Drink, one of Clark’s favorites in the movie, takes a dark turn in this recipe. (Dark Chocolate, that is).

Ingredients

4 c eggnog

⅓ c milk

2 oz. dark chocolate, melted with milk

2 TBSP Cocoa Powder

6-8 oz. Bourbon (to taste)

Cinnamon and nutmeg for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate, cocoa powder, and ⅓ cup milk together in a small saucepan, over medium heat.
2. Add to eggnog along with bourbon.
3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
4. When serving, rim mug with Cocoa Powder, add eggnog, and garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a sprig of Pine!

2. Ellen’s Mistletoe Merlot Slushie

Every woman can relate to Ellen around the Holidays, amirite? She is trying to keep it together, even though it seems to be falling apart, and she really just needs some time to un-wine. May we suggest a boozy slushie, Ellen? Beats sneaking cigarettes in the kitchen any day.

Ingredients

Merlot of Choice

1/4 cup sugar

Cranberries

1/4 cup honey

2-3 sprigs of Pine

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and honey. Once they start to dissolve together, add pine sprigs and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pine sprigs.
2. In a separate bowl, combine ¼ c sugar and cranberries. Muddle together so that cranberries are broken down. Add in ½ cup of syrup and combine. Add in Merlot, and mix all together.
3. Pour into Ice Trays, and freeze. Once frozen, dump ice cubes into blender and pulsate for 15-30 seconds, until slushie consistency is achieved. Pour into glass and serve with sprig of pine and sugared cranberry skewer as garnish.

3. The Crazy Cousin Eddie

Just like Cousin Eddie, this one really sneaks up on you! For a crazy twist on this classic drink, we took the traditional Salty Dog and, well, err.. Eddie-ed it up a little!

Ingredients

⅓ c Moonshine

1/2 c Grapefruit or Cranberry juice

Ice

Blue food coloring

Brown sugar and Kosher Salt, combined

Sugared cranberries

Bendy straws (Crazy straws optional)

Instructions

1. Using cranberry juice, rim the edge of a low ball or Collins glass with brown salt.
2. Add ice to glass, careful to keep rim salted.
3. In a cocktail shaker, add moonshine, grapefruit juice, and cranberry juice. Shake and pour into glass.
4. Garnish with a skewer of sugared cranberries and a bendy or crazy straw.

4. Aunt Bethany’s Jello Shots

I am sure we all have an “Aunt Bethany” moment, where we genuinely thought we were right, and we genuinely were not. These Jello shots take their inspiration from her classic mix up with jello and cat-food, only this time, they’re a lot more appealing!

Ingredients

1 package of jello, flavor of choice (we used cranberry)

½ cup vodka

½ cup cold water

1 cup water, boiling

Ice cubes

Chocolate Lucky charms, no marshmallows

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add cold water and Vodka together, and place in fridge to get a consistent temperature.
2. Bring water to boiling, and add to separate bowl with jello packet contents.
3. Stir until gelatin is dissolved, and then add ice cubes to water/vodka mixture in the fridge, bringing total measure to about 1 ¼ cups. Stir until most ice is dissolved, and remove remaining pieces.
4. Add a few pieces of the Lucky Charms to the bottom of mini disposable shot glasses, and pour the jello mixture on top.
5. Place jello in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, for a soft-set, and 1 ½ hour for a firm set. 

5. Uncle Lewis’ Old Fashioned

Uncle Lewis is one fiery old man that you can definitely relate to. He is cranky, yet endearing, classic and yet, still somehow cool. This drink takes it’s inspiration from Uncle Lewis with its cinnamon stick cigar and Christmas-y, smokey, flavors!

Ingredients

Pine simple syrup (from previous recipe)

Orange slice

Cranberries, sugared

Cinnamon Stick

2 oz bourbon

2 dashes Bitters

Ice

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add bourbon, simple pine syrup, bitters, and Ice together.
2. Light the cinnamon stick on fire on one end, and place lit end under glass. Let glass fill with smoke.
3. Blowing out the cinnamon stick, keep it for garnish.
4. In the bottom of the glass, muddle orange and sugared cranberries. 
5. Add shaken mixture in glass, including ice.
6. Add a twisted orange slice, and a skewer of sugared cranberries.
7. Garnish with burnt cinnamon stick, burnt end sticking out.

6. Lotta Sap White Russian

When the Griswold family Christmas Tree is finally unleashed, it’s a little more than what Clark had envisioned. Famously, he exclaims from within the branches, “Looks great! Little full, Lotta sap!” Hopefully the maple-y twist on this classic drink will give you that sappy, warm and fuzzy feeling!

Ingredients

2 oz vodka

1 oz kahlua

½ oz cream or milk

Maple syrup drizzle

Chocolate Syrup drizzle

Pine sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. Drizzle the inside of a glass with maple and chocolate syrups, then place in freezer for a couple minutes to keep it in place.
2. Add ice to glass, and pour vodka in, then a layer of Kahlua.
3. Add a float of cream or milk
4. Garnish with a sprig of pine and enjoy!  

7. The Fiery Fuzzball

What is the one thing you want to be in the winter time? WARM! This drink is sure to do the trick! This one is themed after the infamous cat-on-fire scene from the movie, and it’s pretty much Christmas in a cup!

Ingredients

1 oz. Fireball

1 oz Peach Schnapps

Bacardi 151 (splash)

3 oz Orange Juice

Dash of Cinnamon

Sprig of Pine

Ice

Instructions

1. Add fireball, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cinnamon into a shaker. Shake.
2. In a glass, add ice and pour shaker contents over ice.
3. Add dash of cinnamon to top, as garnish
4. Add a splash of Bacardi 151 on top using a spoon and being careful not to get it anywhere outside of the glass.
5. Using a long stem lighter, light the Bacardi on fire as a garnish.* If not lighting on fire, use pine sprig and a dash of cinnamon as garnish. *Recommend not trying this method if inexperienced, please proceed with caution. Blow fire out prior to trying to drink.

And there you have it! 7 Cocktails to get you in the Christmas Spirits (see what I did there?) We hope you’ve enjoyed this list, and Merry Christmas! Enjoy Responsibly.