Every year I look forward to the Countdown to Christmas portion of the Hallmark movie schedule, and as I settled in for the 2024 Christmas movie offerings, I couldn’t help but notice the trend of characters insisting people try their “sinister hot cocoa” or suggest some special life-changing ingredient to spice up their holiday beverage. I decided to keep track of all the fun drinks being consumed and have now curated that list into the 6 that sound like they're worth a try, and a few that would certainly make for some not-so-happy holidays.
In order to do this, I watched all 32 of this year’s Countdown to Christmas releases and came up with a couple of rules. First, the character had to actually name the drink and/or its ingredients to be included. I’m not in the business of guessing what’s in anybody’s glass. Secondly, there will be no mentions of plain hot chocolate, eggnog or mulled wine here. As is so wisely said in The 5-Year Christmas Party, mulled wine gives you “all of the headache without any of the buzz.” Onto the libations!
Christmas Concoctions That Sound Pretty Tasty
Swiss Dark Hot Chocolate Topped With Orange Zest And Chiles (Holiday Crashers)
In Holiday Crashers, Bri (Daniella Monet) complained that the hot chocolate at one of the parties they weren’t invited to was made with American filtered chocolate, which tends to be a little thin and bitter. She suggested using Swiss Dark chocolate to mix better with the cream. Also, with the movie being set in Vermont, Bri suggested using ingredients from a local farm like a maple syrup or caramel cream. In the end, it was her orange zest and chiles topper that won over the caterer — and even earned Bri a job!
Nick’s Jingle Juice (Trivia At St. Nick’s)
I’m a sucker for a good drink pun (also, rum, if I'm being honest), so this play on a Jungle Juice in Trivia at St. Nick’s was right up my alley. During one of the rounds of trivia, the teams were tasked with tasting one of the bar’s signature holiday cocktails and naming at least four ingredients. Our man Freddie (Ari Brand) was ever the connoisseur as he recognized Nick’s Jingle Juice after detecting rum, fruit punch, a hint of lemonade and pineapple juice. Yes, please, and keep my tab open.
Spiced Eggnog Lassi (Christmas With The Singhs)
Christmas with the Singhs was all about blending cultures and inviting new traditions, as Asha (Anuja Joshi) and Jake (Benjamin Hollingsworth) were tested when their families got stuck in their ways during the couple’s first holiday together. So I thought it was lovely that Asha’s mother prepared a drink from her culture — a Spiced Eggnog Lassi — for the couple at their engagement party.
A lassi is a yogurt-based drink with the consistency of a smoothie that’s popular in India. Recipes I saw for this included all kinds of combinations of fruits and spices, so it makes sense that it would work as an eggnog.
Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum Punch (Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story)
I’ve already established my appreciation for punny drink names, and Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story didn’t disappoint in that department (in fact, that may have been the most festive part of a movie that otherwise didn’t feel as Christmasy as it could have). When Alana and Derrick hit the bar at Arrowhead Stadium’s Christmas event, they were offered a bevy of holiday-themed cocktails, including:
- Espress-snow Martini
- Mistletoe Mule
- Santa Claus-mopolitan
- Santa’s Sippin’ Stocking
I think they kind of ran out of gas there at the end, but then there was my favorite: the Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum Punch. This wins on name alone (and the fact that rum punch is objectively awesome. Bonus points if Hallmark Hunk Wes Brown is the one pouring.
Eggnog Martini, Cinnamony (The 5-Year Christmas Party)
Of all the Countdown to Christmas movies this year, The 5-Year Engagement Party was one of the best; however, for a movie about a catering company, there was a surprising lack of discussion about drinks. It’s about quality not quantity here, though, and I don’t think you can go wrong with a good Eggnog Martini, “cinnamony,” as Max (Jordan Fisher) described it while handing it to Alice (Katie Findlay). The flirty looks exchanged between the two certainly didn’t do anything to hurt the vibes.
Black And White Milkshake (A Carol For Two)
There’s something special about a good black and white cookie, and with that sweet treat being so big in New York, it’s no surprise that a Black and White Milkshake would pop up in the NYC-based A Carol for Two. In the movie, the dessert in question is used to lure Broadway producer Marty (John B. Lowe) to hear Violette (Ginna Claire Mason) and Alex (Jordan Litz) perform their duet. According to recipes, a Black and White Milkshake is made by topping a vanilla milkshake with a fair amount of chocolate syrup or fudge sauce. Don’t forget your candy cane topper!
These Drinks Belong On The Naughty List
Fruit Cake Stuffed In A Mug And Soaked In Eggnog (Our Holiday Story)
The fruit cake is a traditional holiday dessert that often gets a bad rap, and I can’t say Our Holiday Story helped out in that department. The central couple in this Hallmark offering really loved Fredo’s fruit cake, but I can’t stomach their preferred way of eating (drinking?) it — stuffed in a mug and soaked in eggnog.
Paul’s Homemade Eggnog With Sklarb (Holiday Touchdown)
One of the funnier and more heartwarming subplots of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story involved Ed Begley Jr.’s Paul, as he honored his late wife’s memory by trying to recreate her homemade eggnog recipe. The only problem was he couldn’t read her handwriting to figure out what one ingredient — which he called “sklarb” — was. While his experimentation with different ingredients was much funnier than Holiday Touchdown’s magic hat nonsense, I don’t recommend adding sesame to your eggnog, as Paul did in one iteration.
Choux de Chapeau (Holiday Touchdown)
OK, not to rail on Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, but it’s got to be said. The first drink offered to Alana and Derrick at the Arrowhead festival was something called a Choux de Chapeau. That translates to some combination of “hat,” “pastry” and “cabbage,” though maybe the bartender meant “Coup de Chapeau,” or “hat trick,” as a nod to the Chiefs trying to win three Super Bowls in a row?
Either way the drink was described as an off-menu item of Wes Brown the Bartender’s own creation, made with housemade peppermint vodka and served in a 36-ounce souvenir mug. This is very important, so I shall shout for emphasis: NO DRINK CONTAINING PEPPERMINT VODKA SHOULD COME IN A 36-OUNCE ANYTHING. I need a Tylenol just thinking about that hangover.
This was a big year overall for peppermint, and if you must partake in the flavor, may I point out Christmas with the Singhs’ Candy Cane Martini or Believe in Christmas’ Peppermint Oat Latte with Coconut Whipped Cream?
Hopefully this inspired some ideas for your own holiday beverages, and I’m sure there will be plenty more to come on the 2025 TV schedule.
