At this Oceanside tasting room you’ll find Pacific Coast Spirits’ small batch, “grain-to-glass” liquors bended into classic, draft, and canned cocktails for dine in and take out. This December, enjoy Santa’s Little Helper with PCS Brandy, mint liquor, pomegranate, lime and a splash of ginger. 50 percent of the proceeds from this cocktail will go towards the Chantiik School in Chiapas, Mexico. 

The Plot’s front-of-house manager Marisa Johnson has created a new craft cocktail menu that celebrates all things botanical including the Neon Prayers with Lillet Blanc, basil, lemon, and sweet vermouth and the Baby Michael with champagne, orgeat, lemon, and bitters.

Beverage director, sommelier, and mezcal expert Jeremy Simpson has revamped Campfire’s cocktail menu for the holidays. The Sprezzatura is a fast favorite with Irish whiskey, Dolin Rouge sweet vermouth ,and Pierre Ferrand curacao -nfused with biscotti tea, whole cranberries, and cinnamon. Or try the fragrant Over/Under, a blend of mezcal, concord grape, juniper, rose hip, and lemon.

Sink into holidays with the new cocktails by beverage ambassador Laura Price. Explore their new seasonal spirit in the Candy Cane Forest cocktail, made with Cutwater Bali Hai Tiki Holiday Spirit, Opah herbal liqueur, creme de menthe, and creme de cacaoor. Or find some sparkle with a Tinseltini, also made with the Bali Hai Tiki Holiday Spirit along with Cutwater white rum, banana, macadamia, and coconut. Looking for a gift? Pick up a 12 canned cocktail Holiday Pack.

Keep true to the spirit of San Diego and celebrate the holidays with margaritas. This season, Puesto has introduced their first high-end margarita, That Good Good Cadillac made with Siete Leguas Añejo tequila, Grand Marnier and fresh lime. Or find seasonal flavors in the Passion Fruit Margarita with El Tesoro Blanco Tequila, passion fruit, ginger and lime designed by bar and spirits creative director Beau du Bois.

While classics like Mai Tais and Painkillers are available year round, winter marks the return of the Sipping Santa pop-up at Pacific Beach’s tiki hideaway. Through the end of the year, enjoy holiday specials like the Yule Log Grog with gin, falernum, cranberry syrup, ginger liqueur, and lime or the Mistletoe-to-Toe with bourbon, walnut liqueur, Jamaican and Puerto Rican rums, citrus, and maple syrup.

Enjoy cocktails with hints of anise and fennel at Wormwood, San Diego’s new absinthe bar. Start off with a Spritz Provence, a refreshing glass of Lo Gentian Amaro, Yellow Chartreuse, and prosecco with an absinthe rinse, rosemary, and olive or sip on the Le Frappe anchored by absinthe with anisette, elderflower, creme de menthe, lime, and a splash of soda.

Grab a seat on Madison on Park’s heated patio and keep warm with a Paru Tea Bar Hot Toddy made with Okinawa Sugar tea plus Suntory Japanese Whiskey, local honey, lemon, and star anise. New classics by lead bartender Danny Kuehner include the Heavy Metal Drummer which combines Laird’s Bonded apple brandy, St. George spiced pear brandy, lemon, Angostura, and a splash of port.

Barrel & Board’s cocktail menu pays homage to the power woman of pop. Enjoy a Donna Summer-inspired Last Dance with Ilegal Joven Mezcal, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, Green Chartreuse, and fresh lime juice or honor Lizzo with a Bombay Bramble with gin, muddled blackberries, lemon, and demerara syrup. Their mocktail menu is as equally thoughtful and fun.

Common Stock beverage director Eric Wickham recently introduced a new lineup of winter cocktails. Enjoy a revitalization of the 90’s classic, the Espresso Martini, with espresso vodka, James Coffee cold brew, and Jackie’s Pumpkin Butter or try classic December flavors in the Pistachio Pear Sour with You & Yours Provisional Sunday Gin, pistachio cello, pear puree, and lemon.

Cocina De Barrio delights with their colorful cocktails. Linger over the La Tia Chata, a tumbler of rumchata with lime and coconut popsicle topper or keep things light with a El Fresco de Granada made with mezcal, pomegranate juice, fresh lime juice, and mint.

Little Italy’s former El Camino has come back to life as Camino Riviera. The interior envelopes you with moody indirect lights, bouncing pink and purple off rattan pendants and palm fronds, that make you forget you are directly under the airport’s flight path. Sip on cocktails by bar managers Eric Johnson and Leigh Russ like the Sacred Leaf with Tito’s vodka, hoja santa, fennel seed, lemon, and a splash of cava or their house Michelada with Mexican lager. lime, and tajin.

This remarkable new Little Italy bar has a 24-seat circular cocktail carousel bar that slowly spins at its center; it’s where curious guests sip on popular signature cocktails like the Fleur de France with vodka, grapefruit, and crème de violette, or the namesake Wolfie’s Connection with cognac, amaretto, raspberry, and a sprig of rosemary.

The bar within the Guild Hotel has relaunched a classical cocktail menu that pulls from nostalgia but also has a modern eye. Reimagined by lead bartender Robert Chacon in collaboration with bar consultant Lee Zaremba, the bar offers refreshing takes like the Dew Drop with bourbon, ginger, lime, sugar, allspice dram, and pomegranate.

The East Village’s You & Yours continues to impress with its vodkas and gins. Enjoy the house spirits in holiday cocktails like Merry & Bright with London Dry Gin, hibiscus and peppermint tea, blood orange, and mint or an Old Fashioned Christmas with Whiskey Barrel-Aged London Dry Gin, Old Tom Gin, cranberry, honey, and orange with a cinnamon sugar and salt rim.

Slip away from the holiday parties and into the plush and intimate hideaway of Young Blood. Here guests with reservations can embark on a customized, multi-course cocktail experience in a private space hidden behind Neighborhood restaurant and the Noble Experiment bar.