The 8 Best Spots for Holiday Drinks in Los Angeles plus a Popular Pop-Up
December can be a stressful time of year, but these specialty sips will have you fa-la-la-la-la-ing in love with the season all over again. The best holiday drinks in Los Angeles aren’t just for adults either, and you’ll find two that are perfect for on-the-go outings.
*This piece contains one affiliate link that helps keep the holiday cups full at EatDrinkLA. Thank you for considering the click.
Birdie G’s (Santa Monica)
If holidays for you are cloves and spice and everything nice, then make Birdie G’s one of your musts for holiday drinks. Bar Manager Stephanie Reading is stirring up her annual Don’t Knock The Nog, which includes four types of rum spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla bean. Also on the menu are drinks like Sweater Weather, which is an apple-spiced hot toddy with bourbon, and The Mazeltini, made with sage-infused Lo-Fi Dry Vermouth, olive-oil-washed vodka, and a lit Jewish star.
Visit “The Bird’s Nest” (Bar and Lounge) at Birdie G’s every night from 5 to 6 p.m. and take advantage of their Happy Hour to pair that specialty cocktail with a $7 Fries & Aioli or $5 Lavender Almonds.
Casita del Campo (Silverlake)
Casita del Campo is celebrating 61 years in Los Angeles this year with a brand new list of cocktails and menu creations. The restaurant is also decked out in holiday lights for los navidades so no matter what drink you choose – it will be spirited.
Light a fire in your mouth and your soul when you sip on a Mezcalita. It’s a Classic Margarita made with mezcal instead of tequila for that extra bit of smokiness.
I|O Rooftop at The Godfrey Hotel (Hollywood)
Visit the Gingerbread House bar on the largest rooftop in Hollywood for drinks like a Cinnamon Old Fashioned or a Sugar Plum with Roku gin and Plum sake. Visit The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood for more information. Festivities go until the end of the month. Private Igloos are also available.
Patrick Molloys (Hermosa Beach)
Irish restaurant Patrick Molloys, is holding a special Miracle at Molloys daily from Noon to 10 p.m. from now until January 7th, 2024. Guests will treated to craft cocktails like The Christmapolitan, made with vodka, spiced cranberry sauce, and absinthe, as well as The Krampus, made with tequila, mezcal, and some hellfire bitters to boot. An expansive food menu with Irish pub favorites will also be available.
Make your reservations on Resy for this plum on Pier Plaza.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Various)
There’s nothing better than a taste of the season for less than $6. Holiday flavors from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf include the Peppermint Mocha Latte, the Winter Dream Tea®Latte, and a Cookie Butter Iced Latte.
Also new for this season is the World of Tea program, which combines decades of tea history with modern sensibilities. Think drinks like Matcha Cream Strawberry Latte and Chai with a Salted Caramel Cream Cap. You’ll also find Boba on the menu for the first time. A lot more goes into these drinks than meets the eye, including hand-picking tea buds in the early morning hours and thoughtfully sourcing with small-batch purveyors.
These drinks are only available as part of a pilot program at this time with six locations in the greater Los Angeles area – including the flagship in Los Feliz. Sip them while you can and cross your fingers that your favorite might make it onto the permanent menu.
Moonlark’s Dinette (DTLA)
Moonlark’s Dinette, a brand-new retro-inspired diner, will be transformed into a special Snow in Southtown Pop-Up experience featuring winter cocktails and a winterized environment. Inspired by the town from the film The Year Without a Santa Claus, it will feel like you’re in a snow globe on the outdoor patio, complete with a roaring fire and cozy blankets.
Cocktail-wise you’ve got Spiked Eggnog, Frozen Espresso Martinis, and Grasshoppers among other bevvies.
Expect Snow in Southtown to last until mid January. Reservations are available through Resy and walk-ins are available.
The Culver Hotel (Culver City)
It’s Elf on the Top Shelf at The Culver Hotel with cocktails like Ponche A la Dickens, Red Slipper Champagne, and Punch A La Taylor.
You’ll find the drinks in the Lillie’s Restaurant space, where they also serve a delectable afternoon tea on Saturday’s from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You’ll feel like you’ve walked right back into 1924 – the year the hotel was founded.
Santuari (Toluca Lake)
The Cocktail Program at Santuari by Mixologist Michael Garcia is always stirring up something new – and the holiday season is no different. Stop in for an I Gochu Babe which blends gochujang-infused tequila, with mandarin liquor, lime, and chili bitters. Also not to be missed is the Chai There with chai-infused rum, lemon, honey, butterscotch, amaretto, and tiki bitters.
Happy Hour takes place in the Bar from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday to Friday during which you can get a Seasonal Cocktail for $14, but you can visit anytime from Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. on, and 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Frosty’s Christmas Bar (Hollywood)
Advertised as a “Christmas-Holiday-Pop-Up-Bar,” this is a timed-ticketed event where you can drink those festive sips in an equally enchanting environment from now until December 31st, 2023. Tickets begin at $35 for entry, but you’ll want to bump it up to “I’m on the Nice List” for $49 if you want a Cocktail, too.
Visit on December 17th, and with a $50 Donation to Smile with a Child, you can enter for FREE.
Honorable Mention
Wendy’s (Various)
If you’re out holiday shopping with the kiddos and and find you’re all aching for a “cold one”, be grateful it’s Peppermint Frosty season. It’s the classic thick and creamy Frosty you’re used to, mixed with swirls of peppermint. Check out the rewards app before you order in case you could be enjoying that treat for free.
