Christmas twists on the classics

A twist should change one thing, maybe two, and leave the bones alone. The rules we used for every drink on this page:

• Keep the base and the modifier. A Negroni is still gin, bitter and vermouth. The twist sits on top as a splash or a syrup, not a replacement.
• Add seasonal flavor through the sweet part. Gingerbread, maple, plum jam or pear nectar can take the place of plain sugar syrup, which keeps the balance right.
• Watch the sugar. Many non-alcoholic spirits and aperitifs are already sweeter than their boozy models. When you add a festive syrup, pull back somewhere else, or add acidity.
• Use salt. A pinch of salt gives zero-proof drinks a bit of the weight alcohol normally brings. It's in almost every recipe here.
• Stir less. Non-alcoholic drinks dilute faster than spirits. Fifteen seconds on ice is usually plenty.
• Garnish with intent. Rosemary, orange peel, clove, nutmeg and pomegranate seeds all add aroma, which does a lot of the festive work before the first sip.

Cranberry Rosemary Negroni

The Negroni is the easiest classic to get right without alcohol, which makes it the best one to play with. This version keeps the equal-parts backbone of gin alternative, red bitter and rosso, pulls the rosso back slightly and adds half an ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice. Cranberry is tart and a little bitter itself, so it sharpens the drink rather than sweetening it. A bruised sprig of rosemary stirred through it adds a piney, wintry smell.

Use unsweetened cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail, or the drink turns into cough syrup. Pour it before dinner, when you want something that makes people stop and ask what's in it.

If you want a Negroni with no work at all, the St. Agrestis Phony Negroni is ready-made: pour it over a big cube and add a rosemary sprig and an orange peel.

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

An Old Fashioned is spirit, sugar, bitters and orange. Swap the sugar for gingerbread syrup (brown sugar, molasses, fresh ginger, cinnamon and clove) and you have one of the best holiday mocktail recipes we know. Spiritless Kentucky 74 is real bourbon with the alcohol taken out, so it keeps the caramel, vanilla and oak that stand up to the spice. The aromatic bitters bring cinnamon, clove and allspice of their own.

The syrup makes enough for a dozen drinks and keeps in the fridge for two weeks, so make it the first weekend of December. Start with a teaspoon; a second one takes it toward dessert.

For a spicier version, swap in Kentucky 74 Spiced, which adds cinnamon and baking spice to the same base.

Spiced Pear Spritz

The orange spritz is a summer drink, but it doesn't have to be. Here Lyre's Italian Spritz, with its bright orange and rhubarb, meets pear nectar and a pinch of cinnamon, and the whole thing is topped with NON2 Caramelised Pear & Kombu: a sparkling wine alternative of roasted pear, buttery richness and a spice finish. It's a spritz that tastes like the inside of a bakery window.

This is the one for a long afternoon: it's light, it's low in effort, and you can build it in a wine glass while talking. If you can't find NON2, any dry non-alcoholic sparkling wine works; add a little more pear nectar.

Eggnog Espresso Martini

Eggnog in an Espresso Martini sounds like a novelty drink, but it's really just cream and spice, which coffee has always liked. One ounce is enough to soften the edges and give the foam a richer, whiter look. Lyre's Coffee Originale brings roasted coffee, chocolate and caramel, and fresh espresso or cold brew concentrate does the rest. A grating of nutmeg on top makes it smell like Christmas morning.

Most supermarket eggnog is sold without alcohol, but some ready-made versions are spiked, so check the carton. And remember what's in it: this is a caffeinated drink, so it's better at 4pm than midnight.

For a shortcut, shake a pour of the bottled Spiritless Espresso Martini with a splash of eggnog.

Pomegranate French 75

The French 75 is already a party drink: gin, lemon, sugar and sparkling wine in a flute. Add pomegranate juice and top it with a sparkling rosé and it turns deep pink and a little more tart. French Bloom Le Rosé is dry rather than sweet, with sharp acidity and fine bubbles, which keeps the drink from tipping into fruit punch. Lyre's Dry London Spirit gives it the juniper line.

This is the toast drink, for Christmas Eve or the New Year's countdown. Shake the base ahead in small batches and keep it in the fridge; top each glass with the sparkling as you pour.

Candy Cane Grasshopper

We promised peppermint if it could be done tastefully, and the Grasshopper is how. The original is a creamy after-dinner drink of mint, chocolate and cream. Here, fresh mint blended into simple syrup gives it real mint and a pale green color, chocolate syrup and cream do the rest, and a rim of crushed candy cane brings the peppermint. It's dessert in a coupe, and it doesn't taste like toothpaste.

One warning: skip the peppermint extract. Most brands are made with alcohol, and the fresh mint syrup tastes better anyway. There's no catalogue bottle in this one; the pantry does the work.

Mulled Manhattan

Mulled wine has the right flavors for the season but it isn't always the drink you want in a warm, crowded room. This Manhattan takes those flavors and serves them cold. Lyre's American Malt brings vanilla, caramel and oak; Roots Divino Rosso is a properly bitter rosso with cinnamon, clove and dark herbs; seasn Dark bitters add kola nut, smoked cherrywood, star anise and cinnamon. A spoonful of cherry juice rounds it out, and an orange peel studded with cloves makes the whole glass smell like mulled wine.

It's the most serious drink on this page. Make it for the person who drank Manhattans before and misses them.

If you'd rather have the mulled wine itself, our holiday party mocktails guide has a zero-proof version.

Clementine Mule

The Moscow Mule is the easiest classic to make without alcohol, because ginger beer does most of the talking. Clementines are at their best in December, and an ounce of fresh juice turns the mule sunny and sweet-tart. Dhōs Vodka Free is deliberately neutral, with a touch of horseradish for warmth, so it lets the ginger and citrus lead. Fever-Tree Ginger Beer is properly warm and earthy rather than just sweet.

This is the batch drink of the bunch: multiply it by eight in a pitcher, keep it cold, and add the ginger beer just before serving. For a ready-made version with a festive color, Lapo's Melograno Mule pairs ginger with pomegranate.

Sugar Plum Amaretto Sour

A sour is spirit, citrus, sugar and usually egg white for foam. The amaretto sour is the soft, nutty member of the family, and Lyre's Amaretti has the almond, marzipan, vanilla and a touch of bitterness it needs. A spoonful of plum jam replaces the sugar: it adds color, a tart fruit edge and a nod to the Nutcracker's Sugar Plum Fairy. Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) gives the same white foam as egg white and keeps it vegan.

Dry-shake first, then shake with ice, and double-strain so no jam skins get through. It's a great drink for a slower evening with dessert on the table.

If you're hosting and don't want to mix anything, several ready-to-drink cocktails in the catalogue do a good Christmas job on their own. The Phony Negroni takes a rosemary sprig well. The canned Spiritless Old Fashioned has chai spice and orange zest already. Mocktail Club's Capri Spritz is built on pomegranate and a cranberry shrub, which is about as festive as a can gets. And Lapo's Melograno Mule is a mule with pomegranate, hibiscus, cardamom and rosemary behind the ginger.

You don't need to make all nine. For a party, pick three: one stirred (the Negroni or the Manhattan), one tall and easy (the mule or the spritz) and one for the toast (the French 75). Then:

• Make every syrup the day before. Gingerbread, mint and simple syrup all keep in the fridge.
• Juice on the day. Lemon, lime and clementine juice taste best within a few hours.
• Prep the garnishes. Rosemary sprigs, orange peels, clove-studded wheels and a bowl of pomegranate seeds.
• Chill the sparkling. Everything that gets topped should be cold before it goes in the glass.
• Batch where you can. The Negroni, the Manhattan and the mule base can all be mixed ahead; shake or stir individual servings as needed.

When only some people are drinking

Most Christmas parties are mixed, and that's where these twists earn their keep. Serve them in the same glasses as everything else, with the same garnish, so nobody's drink looks like the kids' option. Put a small card by each pitcher or bottle saying what's in it; people who aren't drinking shouldn't have to interrogate the host, and people who are drinking will often switch halfway through the night if the zero-proof drink looks better than theirs. It usually does.

If you're a guest rather than the host, bring the bottles for one twist and offer to make it. A bottle of Lyre's Italian Orange, a gin alternative and a bag of rosemary is a better present than another candle, and it guarantees there's something good for you to drink.

If you want punches and a full holiday bar plan, our holiday party mocktails guide has batch recipes for twelve.

Each of these starts from a classic, and each classic has its own full guide, with more bottles and more variations.

Plenty of alcohol-free bars put a Christmas list together in December. A few worth the trip: