Seasonal Sips: A Holiday Drink Guide for Lansing, Michigan

You can count on American Fifth to pull out all the stops for the holidays. Their full winter cocktail menu is out, including a Frosty Jack, Sugar Plum Fairy, Pinch of Grinch, and a Lake Effect Julep. Smooth, cool, and sure to warm you from the inside out.

The Poinsettia Cosmo is a pretty drink that might sneak up on you. Made with raspberry vodka, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice, with a hint of lime. They're also offering a Sugar Cookie White Russian, Mitten State Mule, and Aperol Winter Spritz, plus weekly cocktail specials. (Fridays & Saturdays: $2 off ALL Cocktails 3-7 p.m.)

𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗱 is jam-packed with blackberry, blueberry, marshmallow, and vanilla. This beautiful, semi-sweet mead is the perfect thing to bring to your holiday parties. Get it in-house, or to-go in a growler or cans. It's BAD, so you know it's going to be good.

Comfy and cozy, just like "Grandma’s Sweater." Guests start asking for this seasonal cocktail as soon as Halloween passes every year. It's been a favorite on Klavon's winter cocktail menu for the last nine years. Ingredients include Bailey’s, Buttershots, Smirnoff Kissed Caramel, and cream.

Located in the heart of charming downtown DeWitt, LGBC is offering a couple of options for the season. Maybe one for the naughty and one for the nice? First is the Sleigh Ride Christmas Ale, a traditional Scotch Ale with a pinch of natural figs to add a touch of sweetness to this tasty holiday brew. Or maybe you'd prefer Christmas Punch Mocktail, a blend of pomegranate, lemon, orange, and cranberry. Make it a cocktail by adding their 18% hard seltzer (infused with rum or tequila essence) mixed into a fizzy craft beverage. Cheers!

Pizza House's Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Martini is a gift in a glass. Made with love and Stoli Vanilla Vodka, White Chocolate Kahlua, Peppermint Schnapps, Ghirardelli white chocolate syrup, and then garnished with crushed peppermint sprinkles. Mmmmm.

Frandor Claus is back! This limited-edition Cherry Cordial Stout lends support, in collaboration with Lansing Facts and Frandor Shopping Center, to the Greater Lansing Food Bank. We see you, Big Penny! 

What we love about Hooked is that it has everything we need to survive the holidays. Books, coffee, and wine… plus holiday latte and cocktail flights! Ho, ho. Yes please.

Coffee flights or, if you prefer, full-sized individual drinks. Choose from their Cabin Fever Latte Flight (Blueberry Pancakes Matcha, Pistachio Cream Pie, Peppermint Toffee Bark) or the Midwest Winter Cocktail Flight (Michigan White Out, Apple Cider Spritz, Pumpkin Pie Chai.)

Head to Lansing Brewing Company for their Blood Orange Blonde, a great light, refreshing beer with citrus notes all the way through to the bottom of the glass. Prefer something to warm up with? Check out Santa's Spiked Hot Chocolate, which comes with your choice of LBC's own Hardnose whiskey or vodka, a house-made peppermint simple syrup, and hot chocolate mix with a whipped cream topper and peppermint dust garnish.  

Uncle John's Cider Mill may be closed for the season, but the Tap Room is still open for business. Don't sleep on their Holiday Mule. When they mix vodka, fresh lime juice, topped with their apple-cranberry hard cider and an optional splash of ginger beer, for a kick, your holidays will get just a bit merrier and brighter.

The Tap House is open Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and will close after the new year.

While there may not be a holiday sidecar drink, Sidecar Slider Bar has some tasty and festive cocktails available. Like their Cranberry Whiskey Sour (pictured) made with Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, cranberry simple syrup, house sour mix, egg white, and topped with fresh cranberries. Also on the menu is a Gingerbread Old Fashioned, the Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini, and the Cinna-Pom Marg. Open till 2 a.m., make Sidecar your late-night stop.

We love MP Social, tucked away in the lobby of the MarketPlace apartments, next to Lansing Shuffle, open to the public and up the stairs, right off the Lansing River Trail. This hidden gem of a place is offering a Frosted Cookie Martini made with chilled vodka and a kiss of sweetness swirled together with rich vanilla essence and served in a glass frosted and sprinkled like fresh holiday snow. 

The Green Door opens just in time to make our Christmas merry and bright. This festive cocktail, aptly named “Christmas on the Beach,” is made with Malibu, vodka, melon liqueur, and a grenadine bottom. Topped with Sprite, garnished with sugar, lime, cherry, and a candy cane, it looks like Christmas but gives the beach vibe all night long.

An East Lansing staple, Beggar’s offers a Holly Berry Fizz with gin, house-made rosemary simple syrup, lime juice, orange and cranberry juice, topped with Sprite, garnished with a rosemary sprig, cranberries, and a lime wheel, served in a wine glass. BUT their Sugar Cookie Martini really caught our eye. Made with Vanilla vodka, chocolate liqueur, and Bailey's, garnished with a half-rim of vanilla frosting and sprinkles, served in a martini glass. 

Don’t miss their weekday happy hour, Mondays-Fridays from 4-6, with half off all drinks and a $5 happy hour snack menu. **Monday happy Hour is 4-8 p.m. 

Holiday drinks seem to be right in Graham Vineyard and Winery's wheelhouse. Whether you like them with or without the alcohol, they certainly have something for every taste. There's the Apple Cider Slushy made with Crown Royal Apple, the Grinch Mimosa made with Curacao, orange juice, and Prosecco, the Frosted Snowman with Coconut Rum, Curacao, Peppermint Schnapps, pineapple juice, and lemon lime soda, the Gin-gle Bell Fizz made with Gin, cranberry juice, and Prosecco and the Reindeer Mule made with Vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and Ginger Beer.

Sure to make Santa and all the hard-working elves happy. Dimes Brewhouse in neighboring Dimondale is offering their Ursis Polaris, a White Stout - 5.7% ABV, with coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and lactose in a beautiful, rich golden beer. Cheers to the man in the red suit!