21 Celebrity Chefs And Their Favorite Holiday Cocktails

Being a celebrity chef is no easy task. When they aren't hosting or sitting on judging panels for TV shows,speaking at events, writing cookbooks, or doing live demonstrations for a signature dish at any number of food festivals around the world, they have to find time to cook at their own restaurants and in their homes. And while the daily or even hourly schedule of a celebrity chef is never entirely certain, one thing is: when the leaves start to change and there's a noticeable chill in the air, that means the holiday season is approaching. No matter how busy life might be, there's always some time to celebrate with friends and family over delicious food and cocktails. As both curious (and hungry) food writers who also have a love for all of the great edible indulgences taking place during the holiday season, we simply had to find out what some of our favorite celebrity chefs are sipping on during this time of year.

We got the chance to chat with 21 different celebrity chefs at the New York City Wine and Food Festival in October about their go-to holiday cocktails. Some are what you may expect during the season, while others are far more surprising for the holiday season. Despite their busy schedules throughout the weekend, we're grateful they took the time to tell us about their favorite holiday sips. Celebrity chefs, they're just like us!

For Marc Murphy, chef and restaurateur, the ideal holiday cocktail comes in the form of a Boulevardier. Made with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Campari, the deep red color happens to be the perfect festive tipple to go with the fall and winter holidays. But rather than make a big batch to dole out to his many guests, he prefers to make them one at a time, ensuring that each cocktail is balanced and the ingredient ratios are perfect.

When hosting a holiday get together, chef and restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian is serving all the classics — white wine and Champagne are a must — as well as batching out a seasonal cocktail or two. Whether he opts for a Negroni or perhaps a seasonal spritz of some kind is entirely dependent on the situation, but we're positive that whatever he's serving (always in a chilled glass, of course) is bound to be the buzz of the night.

Bourbon is without a doubt a spirit that can be enjoyed year-round, but there's something about a bourbon-based cocktail when there's a chill outside and a holiday party inside that just hits different. For Michael Symon, chef, restaurateur, and self-proclaimed bourbon and barbecue enthusiast, the old fashioned is his go-to holiday drink. A classic old fashioned recipe consists of bourbon or rye whiskey, orange bitters, Angostura bitters, and a sugar cube; there's something deeply comforting about the warmth and sweetness in this classic cocktail. Not to mention, it's the perfect cocktail to sip on before a hearty holiday meal.

Katie Lee, co-host of The Kitchen and co-founder of Kind of Wild Wines, is keeping her tipples on brand when it comes to holiday imbibing. The Kind of Wild portfolio boasts a cava with a low ABV that, according to Lee, is perfect for the inevitable heavy, marathon-style drinking done around the holidays. However, if she's out at a bar during the holiday season, she's going fully traditional with a vodka martini, slightly dirty with extra olives.

You've seen Robert Irvine, right? Chef, restaurateur, and cover model for the April 2019 edition of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Chef Irvine isn't messing around when it comes to what he eats or what he drinks. Holiday time is no exception — Irvine is either going with a straight tequila (always reposado) or a simple vodka cranberry. For something slightly more involved, Irvine opts for the gin, lime, and simple syrup-made Tom Collins.

Alex Guarnaschelli is cooking every element of her holiday feast, and that includes her cocktails, too. For the chef and restaurateur, no holiday is complete without her homemade cranberry spritz. The Iron Chef purees and strains her cranberry sauce, then adds vodka to it and finishes it with some Champagne for a bubbly twist. Festive and light, this is an ideal holiday cocktail for the person who may not have a whole lot of time to shop for cocktail ingredients, but in true holiday fashion, has a can of cranberry sauce just waiting to be used.

At Andrew Zimmern's favorite restaurant in Minnesota, Spoon and Stable, the bartender, Jessi Pollak, concocts a hot apple cider so good that Zimmern has been mixing it up for his own holiday festivities year after year. The secret? Pollack infuses the apple cider with cardamom and caraway seed as well as with the traditional sweet spices. To enjoy the same delightful experience at home during the holidays, Zimmern gussies up his hot apple cider the same way, turning the standard hot beverage into a truly unforgettable and cozy drinking experience.

Antonia Lofaso, chef and restaurateur, wanted a Campari spritz. But she wanted more than that — she wanted it to have a shot of gin, too. Utterly inspired? Absolutely. That's what the Negroni sbagliato is: a drink inspired by both a Negroni and a Campari spritz, but swapping out the gin for Prosecco. In Lofaso's version, however, the gin remains, making this festive beverage a bit more spirit forward, just the way she prefers all of her cocktails.

Italian chef Gabriele Bertaccini keeps it classic during the holidays, always opting for a Negroni or an Old Fashioned when the fall and winter chill sets in. However, he does find ways to fancy up the classic cocktails, just a little. To start, he'll add cinnamon and star anise to the Old Fashioned, smoking them slightly to get a good char before mixing them into the glass.

As a kid from Thailand growing up in the U.S., Jet Tila has always loved anything and everything American holiday. So, to keep things fully festive, the chef and author along with his wife, Allie, put together a seasonal punch that's essentially a cranberry margarita. Made with either vodka or mezcal, cranberry juice, simple syrup, and lime, this straightforward and flavor-forward cocktail is as delicious as it is nostalgic.

While chef Marcus Samuelsson almost always opts for bourbon with a big ole ice cube any time of year, during the holidays he reaches back into his Swedish roots and reaches for a warm glass of glögg. According to Samuelsson, it's essentially the antithesis of what you're supposed to be doing with red wine, except the result is absolutely ideal for the holiday season. Sugar, citrus, cardamom, cloves, and warm baking spices are added to red wine, and then everything is heated up. For him, it's not the holidays without a cup of glögg, and we couldn't agree more.

While chef Rocco DiSpirito doesn't necessarily see the Negroni as the most holiday-centric cocktail, it's his go-to during this time of year nonetheless. Perhaps it's the vibrant color, or the sweet and tart flavors from the Campari and sweet vermouth. Either way, the Negroni is a cocktail that brightens up people's spirits during the holiday season, which is why DiSpirito is such a big fan.

Chef and restaurateur Scott Conant loves a holiday tipple. He loves it so much, in fact, that he came up with his own cocktail rather than relying on the recipes of others. Conant calls it the San Ramo, and when he has people over at his house for the holidays, it's what he's batching and serving to all his thirsty guests. Made with bourbon, lime juice, Campari, and St-Germain elderflower liqueur, the cocktail is served over ice and enjoyed all holiday season long.

Chef Kardea Brown, just like Scott Conant, is mixing up her own holiday cocktail recipe during the season. Lovingly (and aesthetically) named Swamp Water, Brown's drink is made with sweet tea, ginger beer, and Virgil Kaine ginger-infused bourbon. Does it look a little murky in the glass? Perhaps. But the warm, spicy flavor of the ginger mixed with the sweet tea is the perfect concoction for the chilly holiday months.

The baked goods holding court in chef Dominique Ansel's butter and sugar-infused mind as well as in his New York City bakery and workshop are unique, inspired, and downright fanciful. His holiday cocktail choice, however, is a simple classic: the Negroni. With a mix of sweet and tart notes throughout, this is a cocktail that can easily be enjoyed with a slice of chocolate pecan pie.

Nothing says "hey, welcome to the holiday season!" quite like a cold and creamy glass of eggnog, which is why Craig Escalante of Laurel Bakery opts for it every time. Made with eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and a pinch of ground nutmeg, Escalante likes his classic eggnog spiked, which in the traditional sense means he's opting for a generous pour of rum in there. To really spice things up, we recommend adding in some vanilla vodka and a splash of amaretto liqueur to really feel the holiday spirit.

Emiko Chisholm of French restaurant Koloman, like Craig Escalante, is also a fan of the classic eggnog. However, she'll also happily opt for something equally as decadent: coquito. Sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican eggnog, coquito is made with coconut milk, coconut cream, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and dark rum. While it's quite an ingredient-heavy beverage, coquito is a luxurious holiday tipple that even the most scrooge-ist of party guests is bound to enjoy.

There are so many flavors and aromas that remind us of the fall and winter holiday season, but none quite as well as hot cider. For Taka Sakaeda of Postcard Bakery, a cider of any kind, as long as it has baking spices in it, is the perfect holiday cocktail. We love an apple cider hot toddy ourselves, steeped with brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and of course a generous serving of bourbon.

Teetotallers may not partake in the booze of the holiday season, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy a well-made seasonal mocktail all the same. For Camari Mick of The Musket Room, a homemade apple cider or a non-alcoholic sangria is just the ticket for holiday time enjoyment. Mick makes his zero-proof sangria with cherry juice and tea, as well as a splash of bitters for a tannic kick.

Just because the fall and winter holidays make us think of hot drinks and dark spirits, doesn't mean that your holiday cocktail of choice has to fall in line with that. For T.M. Walker of MumsKitchen NYC, a self-proclaimed piña colada girl, the coconut and rum-infused cocktail is what she's ordering or mixing up herself around the holidays. Topped with whipped cream, a cherry, and the mandatory paper umbrella, Walker is in her holiday happy place with this tropical drink in hand.

At Serendipity 3, an iconic New York City institution known for its frozen hot chocolate creations, nothing is off limits. And that includes creating twists on the classics. For Joe Calderone, the chef behind Serendipity 3's eccentric menu, the Black Margarita is his go-to holiday tipple. Made with black salt, edible charcoal, and a spooky skeleton arm coming out of it in true over-the-top Serendipity 3 fashion, the Black Margarita won't only give you a buzz, notes Calderone, it'll settle your stomach, too. If that means there's more room for sides and pumpkin pie, we're all for it.