Festive Drinks Menu: What to Serve for Every Occasion
Be the hostess with the mostest this Christmas, with our run down of the perfect festive drinks menu, including the best glassware for every serve. From party-starting mocktails to fine English wines, we’ve chosen the best tried and tested artisan drinks that you and your guests will love. You’ll have a perfect pairing when served in Emma’s pretty and practical decorative glassware designs too!
Your Perfect Festive Drinks Menu
For Seasonal Soirées
Pretty etched cocktail glasses are made for celebrations! Ideal for party tipples such as spicy Drinks Kitchen 0% aperitifs, Espresso Martinis (try this recipe [link to recipe on other post]), and retro style fizz. Set out Carafes filled with water and ready-mixed serves as a drinks station too, so guests can help themselves.
For Christmas Morning
Stackable tumblers for breakfast juice, your best china tea cups and decorative flutes for mimosas are all musts to start the big day off properly. Keep it classic with an orange Bucks Fizz, or for a festive twist try with cranberry juice and frozen berries, topped off with pro- or no-secco. Special occasions are a great excuse to get all your best tableware out, like heirloom tea sets for Christmas morning brews. Make Emma’s an Earl Grey!
Take a look at our Breakfast Martini Recipe too.
For The Main Event
Pick a special wine that pairs perfectly with your menu. An English Pinot Gris goes great with turkey, but do check out these other Christmas wine pairings shared with us by Denbies Wine Estate too. Decant into carafes to serve in matching stemware that’s elegant yet practical for festive cheers. Do you have an Emma Britton carafe yet? Lots of you agree these are a definite staple for entertaining. Plus they make a wonderful hostess gift if you’ve the pleasure of being a guest!
Evening Enjoyment
There’s a reason the Espresso Martini has remained a cocktail favourite for decades made with strong bold coffe, smooth spirit and sweetness. Our friends at Rise Coffee tell us that gin can take it to a whole new level, but vodka is the classic spirit to add.
If you’re looking for a fast fix try the Conker Cold Brew Coffee Liquor that does all the hard work for you. Styled below in Floral Twist Crystal Cocktail Glasses. Subscribe to Rise Coffee and you can get 20% off Conker until 31 December 2025.
Or here’s Rise Coffee’s failsafe technique to make it yourself:
Gin or Vodka Espresso Martini
ft: Floral Twist Cocktail Glass, Espresso Martini made from fresh RISE coffee for the best crema on top!
RISE coffee box helps coffee lovers discover a world of high quality, independent specialty coffee roasters through their coffee subscription club supporting the sustainable livelihood of smallholder coffee farmers and their community. www.risecoffeebox.co.uk
For Boxing Day Brunch
Kick the post-christmas tiredness with this energising recipe, full of fiery ginger and rhubarb. The vibrant colour of this festive mocktail looks amazing in Emma’s Exotic Floral glass tumblers. Which are also a perfect size and weight for enjoying a nightcap later on (try White Peak Distillery for Derbyshire distilled spirits). A set of these versatile tumblers will have you covered for whatever anyone fancies!
For New Years Toasting
Emma Britton decorative crystal coupes ooze celebration and fun for champagne occasions. So round of your festive drinks menu by splashing out on some quality sparkles to see in the New Year luxuriously. Our favourites are the Italian Frizzantés from San Martino Wines, or Eins-Zwei-Zero 0% sparkling. Dress up your fizz even more with sugared rims, herbal garnishes or little bows tied onto the glass stems. It’s these little hosting hacks that will definitely wow your guests.
Stock up on Festive Glassware
Emma’s decorative wine glass sets and table sets are perfect for sophisticated Christmas entertaining (and indeed gifting too!). Pick up all you need through the online glassware shop – with FREE UK delivery on all orders of £60+. Prefer to shop in person? Then do visit our pop-up shop at Haddon Hall Mercatum, 12 Nov – 14 Dec 2025, details here.
