What is the Christmas alcohol in your country?

42 comments

1. It’s pretty much the same up here in Finland. Glögi is traditional and at least we drink wine with my family.

   But do you know how to [make your Glögi properly](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/comments/a8ow2d/how_to_make_traditional_glögi_drink)?

2. Bucks Fizz – Like orange juice mixed with sparkling wine

   Mulled Wine – What we call Gluewein

   Winter Ales can be purchased around Christmas

   Egg Nog

   Not sure if this is a British thing or my families thing, but we put baileys in our cereal in the morning

3. Champagne / Cava (they are very similar, champagne is French, Cava is Spanish) is the alcoholic drink that everyone associates with Christmas in Spain.

   Others are drunk too like wine or beer.

4. Bucks Fizz wouldn’t be uncommon, especially around breakfast

   Mulled wine (similar to Glögg and glühwein) is also very traditional to have across the Christmas time. You also see Mulled Cider (less than wine version). Typically Mulled apple juice is the none alcoholic option offered if you are out and about (say at a market, or carols)

   Port and Sherry wouldn’t be uncommon at night after food, obviously people drink them year around but many will see it as a winter or Christmas treat

   Baileys is drunk a lot around Christmas, neat or in hot chocolate

5. Glögg, and christmas beers which are always dark brewed.

6. In Germany it’s *Glühwein,* which is the same as glögg.

7. [Advocaat](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocaat), a brandy based eggnog, and [boerenjongens](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerenjongens), fruit preserves in brandy or rum. Both are often served over ice cream or pudding, although advocaat can be served as a small glass with whipped cream on top, eaten with a spoon.

8. Cosy drinks like hot whiskeys, hot port, mulled wine are more common this time of year as well Baileys Irish cream.

   We have some champagne in our house on Christmas day

9. [Hot whiskey](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_toddy) is popular in Ireland around Christmas time. It almost always contains some lemon, cloves and cinnamon, and people swear by it when you have a cold or sore throat

10. [Zabaione](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabaione) and liquor at Christmas; on New Year’s eve, sparkling wine.

11. Champagne is the drink to toast on big holidays.

    Remember being in Manhattan with my family at 19 and my parents sneaking a few bottles to their room so we could have our toasts.

    ​

    Wine is the drink the rest of the day.

12. In poland traditional alcohol for Christmas is [nalewka ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalewka) the best nalewkas are from grandma’s

13. Gløgg and jule ale (dark beer). The beer has been tradition since viking times and it was even law that every landowner *must* brew and share with the community. Now we buy it at the supermarket.

14. Here it would be Punsch I would say. But we also have Glühwein. We drink that a lot at christmas markets. On the day itself it’s probably similar, but wine, beer or champagne is always an option as well. There is no social gathering without beer and wine.

15. I’d like to bring back zopie. Most Dutch people only know the term from the koek & zopie stands at places you can ice skate.

    It used to be a popular type of mulled beer, made from warm dubbelbock beer, citrus fruits, winter spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove), rum or brandy, sugar and a whipped cream and egg mixture. It went out of fashion in the 20th century, but I prefer it over mulled wine.

16. Gluhwein and medovina. it’s a fermented alcoholic beverage made of wine and honey, plus champagne on New Year.

17. I think it’s wine, but maybe that’s because my family drinks it, could be champagne but who knows

18. don’t quote me on this but I think I’ve heard that some people here drink absynthe on Christmas or new year

19. We celebrate the New Year, and champagne is the traditional drink.

20. Here in Sicily I don’t think there is a particular Christmas drink.

    Most people will have red wine,as is normal.. maybe just a more expensive bottle!

21. Mulled wine (usually home made) and [Crabbies Green Ginger](https://crabbiesgingerwine.co.uk/). Some people make [sloe gin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloe_gin) in the autumn so that it will be ready for Xmas. In fact there has been quite a trend to making your own gins and flavoured vodkas – and places have opened up where you can do that as an activity.

22. At home it would be wine or liquor (like Kirsch). On Christmas markets it would definetly be Glühwein (mulled wine) or less ofter beer.
    What I never heard of is beer at a family party at home, that would seem kinda odd.

23. I don’t know if other Italians have mentioned it so far or it’s only a sort of northern/high northern Italian tradition but in winter (especially in mountain zones) we drink [mulled wine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_wine) (in Italy is called with the french name: *vin brulè*)

24. Here its basically the same as glögg , it’s called греяно вино ( greyano vino ) ” heated wine ” it’s made with adding honey and black peppercorns in wine that’s heating on the stove. There is another drink , wich is not as popular : греяна ракия ( greyana rakia) it’s made the same , but instead of wine you use [rakia ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia) .

25. My Romanian comrades, do you agree that at Christmas, the *pălinca* is the best?

26. For my dad: Kerstpater Lieven c:

    Glühwein has taken off in Belgium, I’ve drank a variety with amaretto which I liked, but I’m a big fan of Glühwein in general.

27. I only associate mulled wine with Christmas. Beer seems more like summer solstice and summer drink, but I don’t drink since I’m not into bitter tastes, so perhaps I’m missing something.

28. Vodka but some people (including me) prefer to not drink at Christmas

29. Glögg, Christmas beers, Otherwise shots of like akvavit or other herb based liquor.

30. Instead of the traditional red glühwein/glögg/mulled wine I like to drink the white version from Valio (see: Valio Vaalea Glögi online). Its a bit more spicier, but doesnt taste so much like the tradtional wine-ish one.

31. The New Year’s drink is Soviet Champagne. Christmas is not a particularly noticeable holiday, and traditions have disappeared as a result of the Soviet occupation.

32. Glögg, dark ale brewed specially for christmas and akvavit or brännvin. Akvavit is spiced vodka, sometimes aged but usually young. Brännvin is also usually spiced vodka, the difference is the type of seasoning. All akvavit is brännvin but not all brännvin is akvavit 🙂

33. Jenever in various tastes ranging from lemon to chocolate.

34. Traditionally christmas would be the period that a family would unseal their wine barrel(s). Nowadays I’m not sure that there is a particular type of Christmas alcohol.

35. I’m from Champagne so the question is quick to answer.

    You will also probably drink a good and aged red wine as Champagne is the wine you drink all the year anyway.

    Christmas beer is also popular to drink but not while eating a meal.

36. Mostly “Karstvīns” aka Gluhwein, though some people prefer locally produced herbal schnapps varieties, “degalus (fire-brewed beer) or [Riga Black Balsam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga_Black_Balsam) with blackberry juice.

37. In Lithuania I believe it’s Champagne/Sparkling wine, even tho Christmas is considered mostly a religious Catholic holiday when we just have like a quiet family dinner, but we heavily celebrate New Year’s Eve with food preparation, gifts and fireworks all night. My family is Russian, so they just start with Champagne, and afterwards it’s just any alcohol you have at home lol

38. I’m 13 so i don’t really know but people drink everything here

39. Some good winter drinks in Ireland to warm you from the inside are a hot whiskey; a shot of whiskey, equal shot or more of boiling water, a spoon of brown sugar and a half slice of lemon with a clove in each segment, and a hot port, substitute the whiskey for port. A hot port is one of my favourite drinks to order when you need to warm up. Perfect for drinking by a fire. Best made in a latte glass so you can hold it like a tea cup.

40. Glühwein, although I suppose that’s something that kinda came over from Germany.

    We have something similar to eggnog called advocaat, but that’s an easter thing rather than christmas.

41. In the UK many people like to drink as much alcohol as possible at Christmas. As long as they get hammered they don’t care what they drink.

    Then again, they also like to do the same all year around. Of course they think that Christmas gives them the legitimate excuse to do it.

    They must live in Roy Woods Wizard’s world where they wish it could be Christmas every day.

    Guess what? In their world, their wish has come true.

42. Champagne is very related to Christmas, New Year, or any significant event (mariage,birthday, etc), and obviously wine.