A Mixologist Shares How To Build The Best Holiday Cocktail Board

If you're throwing a holiday party this year — especially if it features a variety of dessert and charcuterie boards — you may want to consider setting up a cocktail board. Similar to your perfect cheese charcuterie board, a cocktail board consists of a board (or table) of ingredients set up for your guests to build and customize their own cocktails. It's a fun and unique way to serve drinks that takes some of the duties off of the host while giving the guests some interactivity.

To find out everything you need to know about building the perfect cocktail board, Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Molly Horn, chief mixologist and spirits educator at Total Wine & More. Horn says, "If you want your guests to be able to build their own cocktails, the best approach is to have a foundational recipe that can be easily adapted," adding, "I love a French 75 for that, especially around the holidays as it is fun and celebratory."

For anyone unfamiliar, a French 75 typically consists of sparkling wine, gin, lemon or lime juice, and simple syrup. To create your cocktail board, you'll need each ingredient on the table — Horn suggests either fresh lemons and limes or prepared juices, and plenty of garnish options like citrus twists, raspberries, blackberries, or cranberries. She opts for the fan-favorite Mermaid Zest for the gin, "especially since the bottle feels appropriate for the holidays," she said. (The intricate bottles are green and look like, you guessed it, a mermaid tail.)

Horn also suggests supplying extra cordials (sweet distilled spirits) or liqueurs for guests to customize their drink. This addition will genuinely take your cocktail board to the next level. She says, "I recommend Elderflower, Baron de Casterac (black raspberry liqueur), Limoncello, and any other fun fruit liqueurs you and your guests may enjoy." There are 14 liqueurs to keep stocked in your home bar that can provide inspiration.

There's also the option to offer guests two cocktail choices, with some overlap in ingredients. Horn suggests offering an old fashioned alongside the French 75 — both call for a cordial and a garnish. You would add the bourbon and the bitters to complete the old fashioned. Or, for your second drink, you could offer another champagne-based cocktail to keep with the festive trend of the night. A classic champagne cocktail includes champagne, a sugar cube, bitters, and a lemon twist garnish. With all the overlapping ingredients, you could even offer all three cocktails to make a truly customizable cocktail board.