A delicious Christmas cocktail recipe, this Peppermint Martini is super festive with it’s candy cane rim and peppermint swirl. It’s such a fun option for your Christmas Party menu.

Peppermint Martini Recipe

I think it’s pretty established by now that I love a good theme.

The thought of serving a plain cocktail or mixed drink at a Christmas party is one of the most grave party crimes I can think of. I mean, I understand that not everyone wants to theme their decor or food offerings, but what could be easier to theme than a cocktail?

Plus, when your guest opts for a cocktail, it’s usually a pretty good indication that they are having a good time – so why not take it up a notch and give them something fun and festive!

The inspiration for this candy cane cocktail is a traditional White Russian – cream and vodka, but now with a peppermint twist!

I will be offering this candy cane cocktail as an alternative to my mulled wine which will also be on hand. I think it covers two bases and the drinks are so different so they will be perfect for guests with different preferences. I’m also adding in my sugar plum whiskey smash for good measure, for those who want brown liquor or a traditional(ish) mixed drink.

The candy cane martini is sweet, creamy, and vodka-based while my mulled wine is sweet, spicy and – of course – served hot. The sugar plum cocktail is sweet but carbonated and not everyone enjoys whiskey, so this really ensures there is something for everyone.

Make serving these cocktails at your party even easier by preparing the candy cane rims in advance or at least having two bowls (one with water or corn syrup and one with crushed peppermints) ready at your drink making station.

Peppermint Martini Ingredients

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: you can also use chocolate to adhere the candy cane bits to the rim of your glass.

Tip #2: I often order my liquor from Drizly because they have a quick delivery time (sometimes within 40 minutes) and no expensive mark-ups. Purchasing from them supports local retailers, too. You can order the Peppermint Vodka needed for this recipe from them.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Cocktail shaker
Liquid Measure
Cocktail strainer
Kitchen Mallet
Martini Glass

I really loved using my gorgeous Omishome Bartending Kit to make this recipe. The pretty bamboo holder contains all of the tools you need to make perfect cocktails, and those pretty gold tools add a touch of class to your home bar set-up.

How to Make a Peppermint Martini

Crush your peppermint candies – I placed mine in a zip bag and crushed them with a kitchen mallet, but a rolling pin or mortar and pestle would work just as well.

Place the crushed candies in a shallow bowl wide enough to insert your martini glass in.

Carefully run the corn syrup along the edge of your martini glass – alternatively, you can use water.

Dip the martini glass into the crushed peppermints and rotate the glass to ensure even coverage. You want the entire edge of the martini glass to be covered with crushed peppermint.

Place the vodka and cream in a cocktail shaker full of ice.

Shake well to chill the cocktail, and then strain out into your martini glass.

You can serve as-is, or add a twist by swirling the red icing into the top of your glass.

(You can also run a toothpick or skewer through the red swirl to make it even more decorative.)

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Yield: 2 Martinis

Peppermint Martini

Name: Peppermint Martini
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Cocktail recipe
Ingredients: 2 oz peppermint vodka; 3 oz half and half cream; 2 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candies; Red gel icing (small tube); Ice; 1/2 teaspoon corn syrup or water

A fun vodka cocktail for Christmas, this Peppermint Twist vodka martini is creamy, smooth and minty

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 oz peppermint vodka
3 oz half and half cream
2 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candies
Red gel icing (small tube)
Ice
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup or water

Instructions

Crush your peppermint candies - I placed mine in a zip bag and crushed them with a kitchen mallet, but a rolling pin or mortar and pestle would work just as well.
Place the crushed candies in a shallow bowl wide enough to insert your martini glass in.
Carefully run the corn syrup along the edge of your martini glass - alternatively, you can use water.
Dip the martini glass into the crushed peppermints and rotate the glass to ensure even coverage. You want the entire edge of the martini glass to be covered with crushed peppermint.
Place the vodka and cream in a cocktail shaker full of ice.
Shake well to chill the cocktail, and then strain out into your martini glass.
You can serve as-is, or add a twist by swirling the red icing into the top of your glass.
(You can also run a toothpick or skewer through the red swirl to make it even more decorative.)

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

This Peppermint Twist Cocktail recipe is a fun Christmas take on a White Russian cocktail. It’s pleasantly pepperminty and decadently creamy.

For more delicious peppermint recipes, check out our Peppermint Bark Recipe or our Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies.

6 Comments

yahoo mail sign up says:

December 17, 2018 at 2:54 am

delicious Christmas cocktail recipe!

GoMovies says:

February 18, 2020 at 8:24 pm

Good food, I love them, it’s great.

thejacketzone says:

January 8, 2023 at 12:53 pm

Thanks for sharing your candy cane cocktail.

1. Jennifer Tammy says:
  
  December 13, 2023 at 2:05 pm
  
  Thank you for stopping by!
  
Paula Bowman says:

December 14, 2023 at 7:54 pm

My red gel sank to the bottom! What do I need to do?

1. Jennifer Tammy says:
  
  December 14, 2023 at 8:28 pm
  
  Hi Paula, I’m so sorry to hear that – my gel stayed at the top using 10% cream, but it may be a density issue if Wilton has changed their gel formula. Alternatively, you can put a drop of red food dye on the top of the martini and use a toothpick to create a swirl (won’t be as thick as mine) OR you could dye a bit of the cream red with food dye and swirl that on top.

Peppermint Martini