We always focus on the food at holiday get-togethers but I think it’s time to give some appreciation to the beverages! Drinks are always overlooked at holiday parties, even though everyone loves a good hot chocolate or latté.
Today, I’m going to give you three drink topping ideas to take some holiday classics to the next level and impress your loved ones this holiday season.
Holiday Drink Topping Prep
For several of the drinks that we’re going to discuss, you’ll need to do a bit of prep to get them looking picture perfect. Luckily, this prep is simple and is used for all of our toppings!
You’ll need:
Whipped cream or frothed milk
Chocolate or caramel sauce
A squeeze bottle or small plastic snack bag
Many good fancy warm drinks are topped with frothed milk. If you’re going this route, whole milk works best because milk with lower fat contents don’t froth up as effectively.
You can also use whipped cream if you don’t have a frother. For your dairy-free friends, I’d recommend using a dairy-free whipped cream.
When you’re using whipped cream, spray some into a small bowl and stir it smooth before starting.
For best results, you’ll want to transfer your chocolate or caramel sauce into a squeeze bottle. If you don’t have one on hand, you can put it into a small plastic bag and cut off a corner, as if it were a piping bag.
You should refrigerate your sauce a bit before starting because this texture will make it easier to do your designs.
For Secret Santa Exchanges
Chai is the ideal beverage for your secret Santa exchange. Its warm spices are the perfect blend to get you and your friends in the holiday mood.
Chai is traditionally made from simmering milk, water, and spices on the stove then brewing black tea in that infused milk. Everyone’s spice mix is a little different, but most people make chai with a mix of cardamom, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and ginger.
To level up your chai, try topping your drink with a flower design in your froth. For your flower, spoon your froth onto your mug, draw three concentric circles with your sauce into the milk, then drag a toothpick lightly through the circles starting from the center, as if it were sun rays.
For Impressing New People
When you really need to impress, like when you’re meeting a significant other’s family for the first time, try leveling up their lattés. A vine and cinnamon design looks like you spent hours perfecting your latté art but it only takes minutes.
For your vine, draw a zigzag shape in your foam with your sauce. Then, draw a slight curve through it with your toothpick. Trust the process here, the zigzag will look like a vine when you’re done!
A real upgrade to this design is if you try covering half your mug with a sheet of paper then sprinkling some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on it. This creates a clean line between your vine and the spice and turns your latté into art.
For a Cozy Night In
Whether you’re stuck inside for a snow day or just need some time to relax from all the holiday shopping, hot chocolate is the perfect treat. But sometimes, you still want to dress up your comforting hot chocolate.
For a simple grid design that you can do without a ton of effort, draw three lines on your foam with your sauce then drag your toothpick in different directions to intersect those lines.
You can mix and match these topping design tips with any festive drink, but these suggestions are a good place to start if you don’t know how to level up your next holiday party. For more unique and festive holiday drink ideas, check out the visual below from Redbubble!
