Serve Holiday-Specific Beverages This Holiday Season

While holiday cheer used to be clustered around three major events—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s—today it has expanded to include several more as America’s population grows increasingly diverse and younger consumers embrace new experiences.

In fact, research shows that 44% of U.S. customers look forward to ordering not only Christmas LTOs, but those for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.¹

Below we offer some tips on how you can expand your beverage menus to include these new selling opportunities. As in the case of the pumpkin spice latte for Halloween, there are specific drinks and flavors that have become synonymous with these holidays. But there are also plenty of opportunities to get creative.

Halloween

Of all the holidays on our list, Halloween is probably the one that deserves its own special section of your beverage menu. It’s that popular and there are that many beverages to choose from.   

Anything pumpkin-flavored fits, of course, along with drinks featuring other autumnal flavors such as maple syrup and apple. Cocktails with a Halloween twist include a Pumpkin Spice White Russian, or a Halloween Margarita, made with a spiced apple cider syrup, lime, and tequila. A Halloween Punch can be a mocktail, made with cranberry juice, apple juice or cider and ginger ale, or spiked with rum.  

And there’s no need to get complicated. Coffee or hot cocoa drizzled with candy corns or other seasonal treats can add to that festive touch.

Diwali

Diwali is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India. This year it happens to fall around Halloween.

Predominant flavors for Diwali beverages can echo spices common to India. Among the more popular beverages is Masala Chai, a spiced tea usually served with milk and sugar.

Some cocktail ideas include a Turmeric-Cumin Margarita made with tequila, turmeric, cumin seeds, lime juice, triple sec, and agave nectar; a Spiced Chai Martini, with vodka, chai concentrate, lemon juice, and cinnamon, and a Jal-jeera Mojito made with vodka, club soda, lemon juice, Jal-jeera masala mix, and tamarind chutney.  

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the 8-day Jewish festival of lights usually celebrated around Christmas. While Jewish cuisine has been trending as of late—think matzoh ball soup and brisket—the beverage space is less defined, with plenty of opportunities to get creative.

Hanukkah drinks can be refreshing accompaniments to the traditional oil-rich foods served such as potato pancakes and doughnuts. For example, a non-alcoholic Pomegranate Iced Tea Punch combines unsweetened iced tea, pomegranate juice, orange and lime juice, and sparkling apple cider, while a Blueberry Virgin Mojito is made with blueberries, fresh mint leaves, sugar, bubbly water, and lime juice. 

Kwanzaa

This annual week-long celebration runs each year from December 26 to January 1 and is based on African harvest festival traditions. Drinks with flavors and spices reflecting Africa or the Caribbean are popular. For example, Jamaican Sorrel is a sweet and tart gingery hibiscus drink. Its seasonal popularity is due to the time of year its primary ingredient, the blossoms of the hibiscus plant, were originally harvested and cultivated in the Caribbean.² A Coquito is made with rum and coconut creating a Kwanzaa spin on eggnog. And lastly, Bourbon Hot Cocoa can include spices like cinnamon, chiles, and ginger.

Chinese or Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, can fall in either January or February.

On the alcohol side, Baijiu, China’s “national drink,” is by far the beverage of choice, but there is plenty of room for creative cocktails playing off flavors and ingredients celebrated in China. For example, a Jade Cocktail can be made with gin, vermouth, and Chartreuse, and a Lychee Martini with lychee liqueur, vodka, and lychee juice.

Finally, no Chinese festival would be complete without tea. And, since Chinese New Year involves a lot of feasting, simple refreshing drinks, such as Watermelon Lemonade also pairs nicely. 

_{Sources: 1. Datassential: Global Winter Holiday LTOs (August 2022). 2. Serious Eats: Jamaican Sorrel (Hibiscus) Drink (August 23, 2023).}  

^{The information provided is based on a general industry overview and is not specific to your business operation. Each business is unique, and decisions related to your business should be made after consultation with appropriate experts.}