Stop Serving Bad Holiday Drinks: The 10 Cocktail Rules Every Host Should Know

The end of the year calls for a few good cocktails with good company. Holiday feasting calls for a drink to match the rich, festive flavors of the season—and no one understands that better than Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby. The James Beard–nominated chef-owners of Philadelphia’s vegan fine-dining restaurant and bar Vedge literally wrote the book on it with The Vedge Bar Book: Plant-Based Cocktails and Light Bites for Inspired Entertaining, and now they’re serving up tips for creating holiday sips worth toasting.

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1 A glass of bubbly is the best hello

Greet guests with champagne or prosecco, every time. Bubbles automatically tap into a sense of joy and celebration—when you hand someone a glass, it’s a true expression of hospitality.

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2 Always sip with the seasons

The drink has to suit the season and the mood. This time of year, we go for jazz, a fireplace, and red wine or scotch. There should always be a very clear sense of time and place when enjoying a cocktail.

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3 A well-stocked bar makes for high spirits

We like brown liquors over the holidays, so definitely keep a solid bourbon or rye for Manhattans and Old Fashioneds on hand. If you’re hosting a larger gathering, someone will want vodka for a classic martini or something fruity and fun—but no flavored vodkas. If you’re planning for long nights where you might light up a cigar by a fire pit, we recommend a nice scotch, rum, or mezcal for sipping.

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4 Friends don’t let friends drink neon

The use of botanicals, herbs, spices, and vegetables is an amazing leap forward in cocktail culture. It’s a far cry from the syrupy schnapps and neon mixers from days past, and we love that bartenders are now crafting like chefs.

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5 Shaken, stirred, and salted

Salt is really important in drinks. We’re used to olive juice for dirty martinis and a salted rim for margaritas, but a touch of saline solution in a drink can be a game changer.

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6 Cut the clutter and the clock

We’d love to see cocktails evolve out of long preparation times. If it takes 10 minutes to make a drink, everybody loses. After crafting a fancy drink or a dish, one or two things should be removed, then it’s ready for guests.

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7 Respect rum

Rum seems to be highly underrated, and that needs to change. It’s made all over the world, is very diverse, and is fantastic for both cocktails and sipping (and dessert).

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8When life gives you lemons, make sure they’re real

The worst cocktail sin is fake lemon or lime juice. Juice your own citrus—your guests will thank you.

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9 Don’t drink dessert

We steer away from any drinks being a stand-in for dessert. We want our beverages to pair well with food, so bright, fresh acidity is important.

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10 Make mocktails that bite back

Number one rule of mocktails: don’t give guests something they would gulp like a fruit juice. It has to have some kind of bite to encourage sipping. Try adding something fun like bitter black tea in place of whisky, tangy tamarind instead of rum, or vegetal cucumber as a stand-in for gin.