December is the highest-consumption month of the year and the hardest to book, so lock your date by early October. Build the menu around two batched cocktails, one hot drink from a dispenser rather than from the bartender, and two real zero-proof options. Skip eggnog, skip anything requiring a blender, and close the bar an hour before the party ends.
December is a strange month for a bar. Consumption runs roughly fifteen percent above the annual average, the events are shorter and denser than weddings, and half of them are corporate, which means the hosting company carries a liability the guests never think about. It is also the hardest month of the year to staff: the first three Saturdays of December are the most contested dates in Southern California bar service, and they are usually gone before Halloween.
So a holiday menu has to do two things at once — feel seasonal and generous, and hold up under the highest-volume, highest-risk conditions of the year. Here is how we build it.
The structure: two cold, one hot, two zero-proof
That is the whole framework, and it works for a corporate party of 200 and a house party of 40.
- Two batched cocktails from the bar. One spirit-forward, one lighter and sparkling. Both fully batched so service is a pour and a garnish.
- One hot drink from an insulated dispenser on a separate table, self-serve. Never from the bartender.
- Two real zero-proof options on the same sign, in the same glassware.
- Plus wine, two beers, and sparkling for a toast.
The hot drink placement is the single most important logistical decision on this list, and we will come back to it.
Ten holiday cocktails that work at volume
1. Maple Rye Old Fashioned
2 oz rye, 0.25 oz Grade A dark maple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura, 1 dash black walnut bitters, orange peel. Batched with 20% water two days ahead. Our default December spirit-forward pour — the full batching spec applies exactly.
2. Cranberry Rosemary Sparkler
1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz cranberry-rosemary syrup, 0.5 oz lime, topped with 1 oz sparkling wine, rosemary sprig. Deep red, festive without being novelty, and it is reliably the highest-volume drink on a December menu.
3. Spiced Pear Bourbon Smash
2 oz bourbon, 0.5 oz spiced pear syrup, 0.5 oz lemon, 2 dashes Angostura. Batches completely. Reads warm and seasonal without any of the sugar of a dessert drink.
4. The Winter French 75
1 oz gin, 0.5 oz lemon, 0.5 oz honey-thyme syrup, topped with 3 oz brut sparkling, lemon twist. Low ABV, elegant, and the drink that photographs best under warm lighting.
5. Mulled Wine (Vino Caliente)
Red wine, orange, cinnamon, clove, star anise, a little brandy, held at about 160°F in an insulated dispenser. Self-serve, on its own table. Batch it in the morning; it improves over a few hours.
6. Hot Spiced Cider (with and without)
Apple cider, cinnamon, allspice, orange peel, held hot in a second dispenser. Set out a bottle of dark rum or bourbon next to it for adults to add themselves. This gets you the hot alcoholic drink and the hot zero-proof drink from one batch, which is efficient in exactly the right way.
7. The Black Tie Martini
Gin or vodka with dry vermouth at 4:1, batched and stored in the freezer, served ice-cold straight from the bottle with a lemon twist. Nothing on a bar looks more expensive, and it takes four seconds to pour. Must be served genuinely cold, so keep the bottle in ice.
8. Amaro Nights
1 oz rye, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz amaro, expressed lemon. Batched with 20% water — it actually improves overnight. The drink for the people at the party who order Negronis.
9. Espresso Tonic / Carajillo
Late-night. Either an espresso tonic built in the glass, or a proper carajillo (1.5 oz Licor 43 shaken with espresso, over ice). Open this in the last hour and it changes how the end of the night goes.
10. Pomegranate Ginger Zero-Proof
2 oz pomegranate juice, 0.5 oz lime, 0.5 oz ginger syrup, topped with soda, rosemary sprig. Tart, sharp and adult. Sits next to the cranberry sparkler on the sign and looks like it belongs there. Nine more in the mocktail guide.
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Hot drinks: the logistics that make or break the night
Hot drinks are the best part of a December bar and the fastest way to destroy your service times. A bartender ladling mulled wine into a mug takes about 20 seconds per serving, and unlike a cold cocktail there is no way to batch that motion away. At 150 guests that is a line that never clears.
The fix, every time:
- Insulated dispensers or slow cookers on a separate table, well away from the bar. Two lines that never merge.
- Self-serve, with a ladle or a spigot, mugs stacked next to it, a small sign, and the spirits to fortify it sitting beside the cider rather than in it.
- Hold at about 160°F, not boiling. Above roughly 175°F you start cooking off alcohol and the spices go bitter.
- Batch in the morning. Mulled wine is better after three hours than after twenty minutes.
- Check the power. Two slow cookers is a real electrical draw, and plenty of venues and backyards in Pasadena or the Valley do not have a spare circuit. This is a walkthrough conversation.
What to leave off a December menu
| Avoid | Why | Serve instead |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional eggnog | Food-safety concern sitting out; very heavy; polarizing | Hot buttered rum or spiced cider |
| Peppermint schnapps anything | Reads as candy; abandoned half-finished | Espresso tonic or carajillo |
| Anything blended | Blender noise and power draw indoors | Batched cold cocktail |
| Novelty garnish drinks | Slow to build, look worse after 20 minutes | Rosemary sprig, expressed citrus |
| Shots (at a corporate party) | Escalates consumption; HR exposure | Do not offer them at all |
| Mulled wine from the bartender | 20 seconds per serving, endless line | Self-serve dispenser, separate table |
| Six-cocktail menu | Slows service at the year's busiest events | Two cold, one hot, two zero-proof |
Quantities for 100 guests, four hours
December consumption runs roughly 15% above average. For a four-hour party with 100 guests, plan 450 to 500 drinks rather than the 400 a four-hour event would otherwise suggest.
| Item | Quantity for 100 guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whiskey (rye and/or bourbon) | 4–5 handles (1.75L) | Old Fashioneds and smashes |
| Vodka or gin | 3–4 handles (1.75L) | Sparklers and martinis |
| Sweet vermouth + amaro | 2–3 × 750ml | Refrigerate vermouth after opening |
| Sparkling wine | 12–16 bottles | Toast plus topping cocktails |
| Red wine (drinking + mulling) | 14–18 bottles | Mull with inexpensive fruity red |
| White wine | 8–10 bottles | Lower share than summer |
| Beer | 4–5 cases | One domestic, one local craft |
| Coffee liqueur (carajillo) | 2 × 750ml | Last hour only |
| Apple cider | 4–5 gallons | Included — we bring it |
| Syrups (maple, cranberry-rosemary, spiced pear) | 1.5 qt each | Included — made 2–3 days ahead |
| Ice | 200–250 lbs | Included |
| Non-alcoholic base | 5–6 gallons | Included — higher share in December |
You buy the spirits, wine and beer; we bring the bar, RBS-certified bartenders, ice, all mixers, garnishes, glassware and tools, with no automatic gratuity and no service charge. The full quantity guide has the scaling tables for other guest counts.
Corporate December: the structure that prevents Monday
A company holiday party is the highest-consumption event most organizations host all year, and the company is the host. That combination is why structure matters more in December than at any other time.
- Food before the bar opens, and food throughout. The single most effective intervention available.
- A bar window that closes 45 to 60 minutes before the party does. Coffee, carajillos and dessert in that last stretch.
- Drink tickets, if the culture supports it. Two per person, hosted bar afterward. Reads generous, not restrictive.
- No shots. No bottles left on tables. Both remove the bartender from the loop, which defeats the purpose of having one.
- A genuinely good zero-proof menu. Attendance is effectively part of someone's job; abstaining should require no explanation.
- Rideshare code in the calendar invite. Costs almost nothing, changes behavior measurably.
- COI and RBS documentation two weeks out. Office buildings and hotels in Downtown LA and Century City will not let you load in without it, and venue approval takes its own week.
Our corporate menu guide goes deeper on all of this.
Book earlier than feels necessary
The honest scheduling note: the first three Saturdays in December are the most requested dates of the year and are typically committed by mid-October. Weeknight corporate events the second and third weeks of December are nearly as contested. If your date is in that window, booking in August or September is not early — it is on time.
The booking timeline guide covers lead times in more detail. We serve Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Palm Springs and the Inland Empire. Send your date and headcount and the founder will text you back a real number, usually within the hour.
Frequently asked questions
What cocktails should you serve at a holiday party?
Two batched cocktails, one hot drink and two zero-proof options. A maple rye Old Fashioned or a spiced bourbon drink as the spirit-forward choice, a cranberry-rosemary or French 75 style sparkling drink as the lighter one, and mulled wine or hot spiced cider from an insulated dispenser rather than made by the bartender. That structure covers a room without slowing service.
When should I book a bartender for a December holiday party?
By early October at the latest, and August is better. The first three Saturdays of December are the most contested dates of the entire year for bar service in Southern California, and they are usually gone before Halloween. Weeknight corporate events in December book out nearly as fast as weekends.
How do you serve hot drinks at a party bar?
From an insulated dispenser or a slow cooker on a separate table, self-serve, never from the bartender. A bartender ladling mulled wine one cup at a time is a bottleneck that never clears. Batch it in the morning, hold it at about 160 degrees, and keep it well away from the main bar so the two lines do not merge.
Should I serve eggnog at a holiday party?
Generally no. Traditional eggnog needs refrigeration, carries a real food-safety consideration when it sits out at an event, is extremely heavy after one cup, and is polarizing enough that a substantial share of any room will not touch it. A spiced cream alternative or a hot buttered rum style drink covers the same nostalgic territory without the problems.
How much alcohol do I need for a 100-person holiday party?
December consumption runs about 15 percent above the annual average, so for a four-hour party with 100 guests plan roughly 450 to 500 drinks: 8 to 9 handles of spirits, 20 to 24 bottles of wine, 4 to 5 cases of beer, 12 to 16 bottles of sparkling, and 5 to 6 gallons of non-alcoholic base. Buy one extra of every spirit.
How do you keep a company holiday party from getting out of hand?
Structure rather than policing. Food available before the bar opens and throughout, a bar window that closes 45 to 60 minutes before the event ends, drink tickets if appropriate, no shots on the menu, a strong zero-proof list so abstaining is invisible, and a rideshare code communicated in the invite. RBS-certified bartenders handle the rest quietly.