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5 Christmas Drinks From Around the World That You'll Love

By , Digtial Marketing Elf at SparkPeople
Let me start out by saying, I love Christmas. I know some people don't, and I get it, but Christmas has always been a magical time of year for me. My family is a musical one, so in the month leading up to the holiday our house would be filled with the sounds of singing, of someone playing the guitar or piano or the dulcet tones of the Bing Crosby Christmas album.

All the music made it easy to get in the spirit of the season, but the best part of Christmas as I was growing up--bar none--is still what I consider the best part of Christmas today: the food. The Christmas Eve ham my grandma made every year, the metric ton of sugar cookies my Aunt Jan knocked out so there was never an empty cookie tin.

Now that I'm all grown up, with kids of my own, it's up to me to make the food traditions around Christmas that my daughter and son will carry for the rest of their lives. So we make Pfeffernussen and Zimtsterne (they're German Christmas cookies--I'm a sucker for anything German) in the week before Christmas, and wake up Christmas morning to colorful blinis for breakfast.

As much as I love spending time baking and eating with the kids, by evening time I'm beat. All I want to do is sit in front of a fire (or next to a heat register, in my case) and sip on something that tastes like Christmas. Something sweet and rich that I drink only once a year with people I love. Something that's bound to put a smile on my face.
 
I bet you're like me. I bet you're looking for something special to put in the punch bowl this holiday season. And I bet I can make it easier on you.
 
I went through some of my cookbooks and found my favorite holiday libations. I omitted anything that you've probably made before (so long, eggnog), and I left out a few recipes that may be an acquired taste (turns out not everyone loves my Grandma's Bourbon Slush), until I landed on five recipes that you're going to love. They come from all over the world, and they're all delicious. Enjoy in moderation, SparkPeople!
  1. Cold Duck Punch - Don't worry, this punch has zero duck in it. In fact, I'm not really sure it's named after ducks, but I do know that it's a delightfully light white-wine punch with just a hint of lemon. This one is great for people who don't like the thicker drinks that people usually associate with Christmas. 
  2. Traditional English Wassail - Perfect for a good night of wassailing. This drink was odder than I had thought, but it's much tastier, too. If you love cider, you're going to be hooked on this variation. To switch it up a bit, try making with ale!
  3. Hoppel-Poppel - Alright, I snuck in a little eggnogg, but it's a German eggnogg and isn't it more fun to offer someone a mug of Hoppel-Poppel?
  4. Feuerzangenbowle (German Mulled Wine) - This drink will win you points with anyone who likes a show with their drink. It's essentially a mulled red-wine punch, but you finish it by soaking a chunk of sugar with brandy, setting it on fire and letting the sugar melt into the punch. While the drink is so much fun to create, consider making this one outside, just to be safe.
  5. Coquito (Puerto Rican Coconut Eggnogg) - Finally, a rich Christmas drink with a Caribbean twist. Unlike many Christmas punches, this one is made in a blender and served cold. Que rico!