5 Tasty Christmas Drinks for Kids, Hot and Cold

The grown-ups have been hogging the good holiday drinks for way too long.

Mulled wine, spiked eggnog, that fancy cranberry thing Aunt Linda brings every year in the crystal pitcher nobody’s allowed to touch. Meanwhile, the kids get… a juice box? A sad little cup of milk next to the cookie plate meant for Santa? Not in my house.

Christmas is magic when you’re a kid. The lights are brighter, the snow is fluffier, and the days before December 25th last approximately four hundred years. Their drinks should feel just as special. I’m talking whipped cream mountains, candy cane stir sticks, sprinkles in places sprinkles probably shouldn’t go, and mugs so festive they practically jingle.

Over the years (and through more spilled hot chocolate than I care to admit), I’ve tested, tweaked, and taste-tested my way to a lineup of kid-approved holiday drinks that never fail. They’re easy enough to whip up on a chaotic school-night evening, fun enough to make on Christmas morning in your pajamas, and delicious enough that you’ll “accidentally” make an extra cup for yourself.

So grab your coziest mug, cue up the Christmas playlist, and maybe put a towel down. Things are about to get sweet.

Here are my 5 all-time favorite Christmas drinks for kids!

The Drinks I Make for Kids Every December

None of these drinks has alcohol in it, and kids can help make most of them. Each one comes with the full ingredient list and the video to make it from. Pick by what you need tonight: a crowd, a cheap refill, a jar for the season, a fancy glass or a cold treat.

Grinch Punch With Lime Sherbet

Grinch Punch With Lime Sherbet is the bright green party punch that foams up the second the soda hits the sherbet. I first tried it because it needs three store-bought things and one big bowl: lime sherbet, Sprite and green fruit punch.

Nothing gets cooked, so this punch is a good one to make when kids are already in the kitchen. It takes about ten minutes and makes a party batch, roughly 25 to 30 cups, so you are not refilling every five minutes. The red sanding sugar rim is what makes it look like the Grinch. I rub the rim with corn syrup now, because the sugar sticks better to corn syrup than to lemon juice. I skip the whipped cream unless someone asks for it. Vanilla ice cream works in place of the lime sherbet.

Grown-ups who want a splash of something stronger add it to their own glass, never to the bowl, so the bowl stays safe for kids to pour.

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon lime sherbet
• 1 (2-liter) bottle Sprite
• 1 gallon green Hawaiian fruit punch
• lemon juice
• red sanding sugar (optional)
• whipped cream (optional)

Old-School Kool-Aid Holiday Punch

Old-School Kool-Aid Holiday Punch is the red pitcher punch a lot of people grew up on, sweet, fruity and full of little bites of fruit cocktail. I keep making it because it comes from the pantry and mixes cold in one big pitcher, with no cooking.

This punch takes about five minutes and makes 16 cups or more, enough for a crowd of kids without much shopping. It uses one cup of sugar for two packets of Tropical Punch Kool-Aid, about half what the packets call for. Less sugar makes it less sweet than Kool-Aid made by the packet, but it is still very much a party punch. The fruit cocktail means every cup gets a little fruit, and the orange and lemon slices on top make it look like December. The punch is cheap enough to mix a second pitcher if the first one runs out early.

Ingredients

• 1 (6 oz) can pineapple juice
• 3 cups orange juice
• 1 can fruit cocktail
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 10 to 12 cups water
• 2 packets Tropical Punch Kool-Aid
• sliced oranges and lemons, for garnish

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix is the dry jar mix I keep on the counter all winter. It is four pantry ingredients whisked together in a big bowl, about five minutes of work and no cooking. A few spoonfuls go into a mug of hot water whenever someone wants cocoa.

I started keeping a jar because kids can serve themselves. Even the younger ones can scoop and stir their own mug without help, which is what you want on a busy night. One batch lasts a big family a good while.

For a smooth mug, I stir the scoop into a splash of hot water first to make a paste, then fill the mug. The paste keeps the cocoa from clumping on top.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt

Spiced Cranberry Pomegranate Mocktail

Spiced Cranberry Pomegranate Mocktail is the fancy glass that looks like it came from the grown-ups’ table, but it is all juice, fruit and warm whole spices. Cranberry and pomegranate juice sit with the fruit and spices, and sparkling water goes on top.

There is no cooking. The pitcher chills at least four hours or overnight so the spices can flavor the juice, and it makes four glasses. I add the sparkling water right before I pour, because it goes flat if it sits. Don’t expect soft cranberries at the end. They can stay firm.

For small kids I pour each glass through a small strainer so the whole spices stay in the pitcher. Nothing sweet goes in besides the juices.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup sparkling water
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, sliced
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole star anise
• 8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• ice

Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the cold one, a thick chocolate slush under peppermint whipped cream, crushed candy cane and mini marshmallows. I make it when a kid wants a milkshake in December.

You make it by the glass in a blender in about ten minutes, so making one glass or a few is easy, with no big batch. The full recipe is written out under the video, so it is easy to follow along. My swap: I use my jar of homemade cocoa mix in place of the store-bought mix the recipe calls for, so I don’t open a new box for one drink.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup heavy cream (whipped cream)
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar (whipped cream)
• a couple drops peppermint extract (whipped cream)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (whipped cream)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 tbsp hot cocoa mix
• 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups ice
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• crushed candy canes, for topping
• mini marshmallows, for topping

Christmas Drinks for Kids FAQ

Here is what I tell parents who ask about these drinks before the cups go out.

Is there caffeine in hot cocoa for kids?

Cocoa powder has a little caffeine. Unsweetened cocoa has about 230 mg of caffeine per 100 grams. A mug made with about 3 tablespoons of a homemade jar mix holds about half a tablespoon of cocoa, so it has only a few milligrams of caffeine, about 6 mg. Store-bought cocoa mixes and chocolate syrup vary by brand, so their caffeine varies too.

How do I make punch ahead and keep it fizzy?

Mix the juices ahead and keep them cold. Add the soda, sherbet and ice right before you serve. Cold liquid holds its bubbles longer than warm liquid, so a cold Grinch punch stays fizzy longer. The Kool-Aid punch has no soda, so you can mix it ahead and chill it, then add the ice at the end.

How much sugar is too much for kids?

The American Heart Association says kids 2 to 18 should keep added sugar under 25 grams, about 6 teaspoons, a day, and kids under 2 should have none. Sweet party punch is a treat, so I pour small cups and put water out next to the punch. Swapping some of the soda for sparkling water is an easy way to lighten a soda punch and keep the fizz.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep the dry cocoa mix in an airtight jar in a cool, dry spot, so the powdered milk does not pick up moisture or smells. Leftover punch keeps covered in the fridge. It loses its fizz, but the flavor holds. Give it a stir and add fresh ice or a splash of cold soda when you serve it again.

Can I make these dairy-free?

Some of these drinks already are. The cranberry pomegranate mocktail and the Kool-Aid holiday punch have no dairy as written. Sherbet is made with milk, so the Grinch punch is not dairy-free, and the jar cocoa mix has powdered milk in it. For a dairy-free mug, stir cocoa powder and sugar into your usual unsweetened plant milk and heat it like regular cocoa.

For a party I still start with the Grinch punch, because it is fast and kids like to help pour it. On the quiet nights after, the cocoa jar stays out on the counter. Make the drink that fits your night and save the others for next time.