The North Pole Cocktail.
The North Pole, this might just be the most festive drink ever!
When it comes to Christmas, I can’t help but to go all out. I love having fun with Christmas recipes, creating not only the cutest foods, but making them the most delicious too. This fun cocktail is no exception, this drink just screams Christmas and nothing else. It’s sweet and slightly chocolatey with just a hint of peppermint and ginger. Think gingerbread martini meets chocolate martini…basically it’s Christmas in a cup with a hit of vodka…
The key to this cocktail is the molasses and pinch of ginger. It makes the drink sweet, gingery and all things cozy! Well…the Kahlúa is pretty KEY as well, it adds a kick of coffee flavor and pairs really nicely with the creaminess of the drink. If you’re thinking this sounds like a lot for one drink, think again, everything together is truly awesome, and like I said, it’s pretty much like having Christmas in a cup! Still can’t decide if these are more of a cocktail or a dessert, but I’m going with a combo and saying it’s fair game to serve them either before or after dinner! <–I surely did both!
I actually served these up on Thanksgiving Day to my family and they where the perfect sweet drink to keep everyone decorating the tree and going until dinner. Plus, it was also my younger brother’s 21st birthday, therefore, cocktails were obviously needed. The fam has already requested these be made again over Christmas…so our entire family can try them. If you enjoy sweeter cocktails, these are totally what you NEED to be making for your next holiday party. These would be perfect for a night of Christmas tree decorating, or after a day hitting the stores hard. They’re a super fun way to celebrate the season. So relax, kick back, enjoy the tree lights, a nice roaring fire AND, if you’re like me, your favorite Christmas music. Yep, this is your holiday drink. <–DO IT.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
The North Pole.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: festive cocktail
A fun and festive cocktail!
Ingredients
The North Pole
- 4 ounces vodka
- 2 ounces Kahlúa or more to taste
- 4 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- whipped cream candy canes and gingerbread cookies, for serving (optional)
Instructions
The North Pole
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In a cocktail shaker combine the vodka, Kahlúa, chocolate syrup, vanilla, molasses, and ginger. Shake until well combined. Add ice and shake again. Strain into 4 glasses. Top off each glass with heavy cream. Dollop with whipped cream and garnish as desired. DRINK!
PS. and how fun is the name? THE NORTH POLE?!? Love it.
I love the garnishes as much as I love the sound of these ingredients coming together
So happy you like it Mariana!
Wow this sounds delicious – so creative and love the name too! The photos are beautiful as always and making me excited for Christmas!
So happy you like it girl! Thank you as always for the nice words! (:
Love this, Tieghan! The flavors sound so good and the name is perfect! I want to reach into your gorgeous photos and start celebrating 🙂
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! So happy you like everything Ramona! (:
Can I go and spend Xmas there? Drinking this cocktail all the time?? Pretty please??
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt
Haha! YES!!
The cutest name for a cocktail EVER. 🙂
Oh my gosh its my favorite!! So happy you like it too!!
This looks delicious!
Thanks Sara!!
You should make this with Buckeye Vodka!
Oh my!! What a great suggestion!! I have to try!
Omg, Tieghan! This drink looks soo amazing! I’m all ready to sit in front of a fireplace sipping on this drink now!
YES!! Thats exactly where it needs to be drank!! Thanks Andrea!
Oooooh, sold! I think I will make this with peppermint mocha kahlua, yum.
Yes that would work perfectly !! Hope you love it!
Looks fabulous! What are the glasses rimmed with?
Thank you! The rim is chocolate sauce and sparkling sugar. Thanks again!
Gosh, these sound delicious, and your photos are gorgeous. I’m dying to go to Anthropologie and get some of these glasses!
Thank you! These are actually Crate and Barrel glasses. You can get them here: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/harry-rocks-glass/s491810
Yes they’re so cute!! Thanks Mary!!
Such a beautiful presentation. I love it!!
Thank you Carlos!!
Thinking about changing out the milk/cream with eggnog. What do you think? We already do “Feliz Navidudes”……White Russians made with eggnog instead of cream.
I think eggnog would be amazing!! 🙂 Thank you!
Love this! Perfect for Christmas! <3
Thank you Lili!
Dried ginger or fresh?
I was also wondering! Let us know when you can! 🙂
Dried, sorry for the confusion. Thank you and I hope you love this! 🙂
Dried, sorry for the confusion. Thank you and I hope you love this!
I totally agree – it’s like a dessert in a cup! Yum! I especially love the little candy cane – is that a marshmallow on the end?
Thanks Kate! Yes, that is a marshmallow! 🙂
This cocktail is just so pretty! I can’t wait for Christmas omg.
Thank you Thalia!!
This looks amazing and so so delicious too! The perfect drink for this time of the year xx
http://www.wildfirecharm.com
Thank you so happy you like them!!
This sounds amazing! So festive and perfect for this time of year, can’t wait to try it out! Sophie x
sophiehmstewart.com
Thanks Sophie, hope you love it!!
Wow! This looks so amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Melanie!
This sounds amazing! Perfect for cozying up around the fire!
Def going to try this for our Christmas shindig this year! Thanks for sharing!
Cortney
A Whimsy Wonderland
http://www.awhimsywonderland.com
Thanks Cortney!! Hope you love it!!
Hi there,
I would love to make this drink in bulk rather than one glass at a time. I have a 2.15 gallon drink dispenser and I’m thinking this drink will do well in it. With my crew, it won’t last very long lol. Any insight on serving it to a large crowd along with conversions? I’m terrible at math and conversions lol
Hi! The recipe below will serve 8, if you want it to serve 16 just double the recipe below. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!
8 ounces vodka
2 ounces Kahlúa (or more to taste)
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 teaspoon vanilla
6 teaspoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
whipped cream, candy canes and gingerbread cookies, for serving (optional)
Thank you so much for your speedy response. This is such a great help
🙂
Stefanie
You’re welcome!! (:
Absolutely adore the presentation as much as the recipes, each photograph is just beautiful !
Awh thank you so much Jen!! Its where most my time is spent (:
yep, for sure making these! Beautiful!
Yes!! Hope you love them, thank yoou!!
Those sound amazing and a lot more ambitious than throwing a shot of goldschlager in hot chocolate… Our Christmas go to, we’ll have to up our game this year! Merry Christmas!
haha! Thank you hope you love them Josh!
hi, there was a “cook time”. did I miss something in the instructions?
Hey Julie! So sorry, that is a typo. I have fixed the recipe. Please let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the drink and Merry Christmas! 🙂
This sounds amazing! I was wondering how it would be without the alcohol? I know! Much less jolly haha! I just was thinking some for adults, some for kids! Would it be as simple as just omitting it, or would I need any extra liquid, like extra milk/cream? Thanks so much and can’t wait to try it!
I think it would be delicious! Like chocolate milk! 🙂 I would omit it and add a splash more milk. Hope you love this! Happy Holidays! ?
This looks great and I really want to try it; can you clarify what you mean when you say 2 tsp vanilla? Vanilla extract? Something else? Thanks!
Same question 1 year later: what do you mean by vanilla? Vanilla bean, vanilla extract, vanilla vodka, what? Thanks
HI Janet, I like to use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Any ideas on incorporating eggnog? Need to get rid of some and this sounds so good!
Can this be turned into a warm drink? It sounds amazing!
Sure that would be amazing!! I’d just warm everything together on the stove then serve. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I tried to make this and it was a disaster. Molasses and chocolate syrup get hard and stick to the side of the cocktail shaker when introduced to ice. Maybe it would work better in a blender?
So sorry for the trouble. I have never had this issue. Is your molasses extremely thick or pourable? Again, so sorry for the trouble. Also, yes, this would be great in the blender too. Please let me know if you have other questions. Thanks! 🙂
Looks like a brown color along with the sugar around the brim of the glass…. what is used??
I see the answer in the question answered previously. Thanks!
Great! I hope you love this! Thanks Nancy!
Hi Teighan 🙂 I made your cocktail, here is my version, I used brandy instead of vodka and Kahlua and I switched the molasses to maple syrup, since that flows like water here in Quebec! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe. The next time I make it, I will try to decorate it like you did because yours looks fabulous! Also, I used 2% milk…this was NOT a slow-sipper lol…it begs for more! 🙂 Have a Merry Christmas!
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oyNcA2dzsBc/WjbBil2J12I/AAAAAAABHYM/sOUzQaJJzHAIv-wiPiGyk8-v3pPxrq5zgCLcBGAs/s1600/20171217_132904.jpg
That is so great! I am really glad you enjoyed this Rain! Thank you!
Looks delicious!! Can you tell me what the drink is rimmed with and what is on the candy cane?
HI! The drink is rimmed in sparkling sugar and the tip of the pole is a mini marshmallow with sparkling sugar sprinkled on top. Link to the sugar below! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
https://rstyle.me/n/dczpsvb9wzf
Just made this and it was delicious. I did not have Kalua so I used Kentucky Straight bourbon cream instead. Next time I’m going to whip the heavy cream then top it with a dallop!
Thank you, always love your recipes!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you!
If I want to make a huge batch for a party can I just add the heavy cream/milk along with everything else or would I omit it. I want something guests can just pour as is and not have to add anything else at the end to (I’m lazy lol)
Hey Lewis! Yes, you should be able to combine everything, including the heavy cream, and make a large batch. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
AMAZING DRINK! I can’t wait to serve it at our Christmas party!
Merry Christmas!!!
I hope everyone loves this! Thank you Alexandria!
Can you make the recipe in a blender rather than a shaker?
Hi! Yes, you can make in a blender! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Hi, looking at this in 2019 and it looks amazing! Don’t know if you still answer comments but i’ll give it a shot anyways – could I replace the kahlua with Bailey’s instead? How would it be different? Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hey Sarah! You can use Bailey’s! It will be a little different, but still delicious I a sure 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
What is the garnish on top of whip cream on this gorgeous drink?!
Hi Marla, it’s a crumbled gingerbread cookie. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Merry Christmas!!! I have a couple of questions regarding this great looking drink: is it the regular ginger spice and is the chocolate sauce, chocolate syrup?
Thanks so much! I love all your recipes and enjoy receiving the recipes.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2020!
Hi Susan! yes, regular ground ginger and I use chocolate syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
This drink looks great! Haven’t tried it yet but hope to soon!
How did you do the candy cane top? Whip cream? If so, how do you get it covered with sugar and in
the glass without messing it up?!
Hi Sandy! I hope you love this when you get a chance to try it! With the candy cane, I put icing and sugar on the end and put the hook side in the cup! After I finished with whipped cream! Did this help at all? I hope so! Let me know! xTieghan
These sound delicious!!!
Do you think they would be too sweet after a big Christmas Eve dinner? If so, I’ll pick one of your other delicious looking drinks! We are usually full after dinner so I’m just worried it might be too much?
Hi Meghan! It definitely is a heavier drink, but could be a great dessert if you wanted to do that! Otherwise, I would choose a lighter one if you will be full! xTieghan
This is the cutest cocktail! I was wondering if you could also let me know where your glass cups are from?? They are perfect!
Hi Nicole! These glasses are from Crate and Barrel! I will link below! xTieghan
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/harry-rocks-glass/s491810
This looks amazing! Question, I just got a peppermint cacao cocktail syrup, if I used that in place of the chocolate syrup would I need to make any adjustments?
Hey Emily,
I have never used that before, but I would go ahead and test it out! I hope you love the recipe. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this tonight with vanilla vodka and Netflix Christmas movie. Perfect combo 🙂 thanks again
Hey Dana,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This looks delicious! And so festive! Can I make this ahead and refrigerate it, just without the Ice?
Hey Genevieve,
Yes, that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Do you use ground ginger or fresh ginger?
Hey Julie,
I use ground ginger for this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was quite tasty, I’m making this also for Christmas Day, in Australia so it’s hot on Christmas so the colder the drink the better . I used a blender instead as I didn’t have a cocktail shaker which blended the ice in and created a creamy head with the cream. Also lined the glass with chocolate fudge. I think I’d like to try this with some peppermint essence and maybe even some added dutch cocoa powder for the chocolate fiend in me
Hey Michael,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I wish the reviews were about how the drink tasted. Unfortunately, the 20 odd ones I read either loved the pictures, loved the name of the drink, or were looking forward to making it. Not a single one had actually made the cocktail so could not comment on the taste.
So, I hesitate to give this only three stars, because it IS good, but having tasted your coconut White Russian we will choose that over this one every time. It is like an explosion of delicious in your mouth. This one is good and creamy, but a little on the sweet side for us and the molasses was a little over powering.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Can you please make a cookbook with all your amazing cocktails?!
Thanks for your recommendation Jill!