Mistletoe Matcha, Gingerbread Negroni?! Cozy Up with these Holiday-Happy Cocktails

Mistletoe Matcha, Gingerbread Negroni?! Cozy Up with these Holiday-Happy Cocktails

Gingerbread Dream at Moxies

DON’T BE LEFT out in the cold! Jingle all the way to these bars and restaurants for festive, IG-worthy drinks. Grab a cocktail and cozy up!


8th Wonder Distillery

Peppermint Vodka Hot Chocolate and Hot Apple Cider at 8th Wonder

Nothing says holiday cheer like a pint of hot apple cider — find this, along with peppermint hot chocolate with vodka and seasonal draft beer, at 8th Wonder!

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse

Fig Is Up at Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse

With locations on Washington Ave. and Montrose Blvd., Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse has 10 fun holiday cocktails for everyone in town. The Fig Is Up ($13) features fig-infused bourbon, fig syrup and candied fig or the ultra-boozy George Washington's Aged Christmas Eggnog ($13) made with cognac, rye whiskey, sherry, Jamaican pot still rum, milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, nutmeg and is whipped by hand.

Citizen’s of Montrose 

The still-new Montrose haunt is offering Peppermint Espresso Martinis at a price that would make Frosty melt with envy. Try the cocktail for just 99 cents from 3-6pm on weekdays. Or try the Instagram-worthy red-and-green colored Mistletoe Matcha.

Doris Metropolitan

French Velvet at Doris Metropolitan

Add extra pep to any holiday shopping excursion at Doris with the French Velvet ($18) made with cold brew liqueur, espresso and… absinthe! Or, the Milk Punch ($19) made with Heaven’s Door Double Barrel and an oh-so-festive cereal infusion.

FM Kitchen

Holiday Cocktails at FM Kitchen

FM Kitchen is stocked with seasonal draft beers, in addition to their holiday take on the old fashioned, Rebel Without A Clause, and a festive twist on a Moscow Mule: Cran Spice & Everything Nice.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

Hey, it may be December, but it’s still Texas! Fuzzy’s is celebrating the season with a frozen lime margarita with a strawberry swirl and a dunked black-cherry White Claw.

Hamsa

Apple Pie Tom & Jerry at Hamsa

Get out of the cold at Hamsa with their boozy hot chocolate or Chai Hot Buttered Rum: butter batter topped with rum and housemade chai. For a creative (and served cold) cocktail try the Apple Pie Tom & Jerry, made of rum egg batter topped with cognac and milk.

Heights & Co.

Peanut Butter Old Fashioned

Snuggle up at this heights hangout as the bar plays Christmas movies all month — with a side of tableside s’mores. Get extra jolly with the Peanut Butter Old Fashioned made with house-infused peanut butter bourbon, angostura & orange bitters or the Gingerbread Negroni with house-spiced gin, cardamom, red vermouth, bitters.

Julep

Spiked Hot Cocoa at Julep

The Washington Ave. hotspot — which won the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program — is decked out in picture-perfect decor for the holidays. Julep is offering Spiked Hot Cocoa ($16) made with vodka and topped with a marshmallow and the Apple Snap Julep ($16) with applebutter washed Bourbon and gingerbread syrup.

Moxies

Peppermint Mocha Martini at Moxies

Is a dessert-worthy cocktail on your Christmas list? The Gingerbread Dream at Moxies is topped with fresh whipped cream and a ginger snap. Also on the menu, the Old Fashioned Christmas with bourbon, orange bitters and cranberry simple syrup and the Peppermint Mocha Martini with Caffè Borghetti, vodka and white crème de cacao.

The Original Ninfa’s

The Ponche Navideño ($12) at Ninfa’s is a tequila-based fruit punch made with a traditional blend offresh and dried fruits like tamarind, prunes, and hibiscus and sweetened with the rich flavors of Piloncillo.

Private Client

Mistletoe Margarita at Private Client

No reservations required for this hidden new cocktail lounge in EaDo. Check out their festive menu of six holiday cocktails including the Gingerbread Whiskey Sour with bourbon, lemon, honey, cinnamon and vanilla and the Reindeerita made with tequila, Grand Marnier, lime, apple cider and maple syrup.

The Warwick

The Mistletoe Martini (photo by Raydon Creative)

The Warwick has you covered for the cooler days this year with Sweater Weather ($12), its house made hot cider and whiskey concoction. Plus, don’t miss the Mistletoe Martini ($18) — a vodka martini with raspberry lemonchello and cranberry.

PLUS! Christmas Pop-Ups Galore

The Big Casino

Get your camera ready for one of the many spots in H-Town hosting over-the-top Christmas cheer this season. Johnny’s Gold Brick, Winnie’s, Galveston’s Daiquiri Time Out and The Big Casino are offering 90-minute reservations in their nostalgic Christmas wonderlands.

Food
Leadership in Action: Entrepreneur Saba Syed of Moroccan Bath Determined to Build ‘Lasting Legacy’

Saba Syed, Founder of Oasis Moroccan Bath

How did you get to where you are today? My journey began with a need to be financially independent and an even a deeper drive to create a lasting legacy. The centuries-old Hammam tradition has always fascinated me—not just for its relaxation benefits, but for its holistic approach to cleansing the body, mind, and soul. So, combining my passion with a vision to bring an authentic yet luxurious Hammam spa experience to Houston, I took the leap less than two years ago to open my own spa.

Keep Reading Show less

The Cottages at the Boat Basin

THERE'S A REASON that many Houstonians glorify a quaintly picturesque life on Nantucket. Actually, there are several: a storied history, charming shops, cobblestone streets, impossibly fresh oysters (and need we even mention the weather?).

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment