38% Say This Is Their Favorite Holiday-Themed Drink

With the holiday season fully upon us, many are starting to seriously get into the festive spirit: not only through some indulgent, relaxing days off from work or the joy of reconnecting with friends and family at parties, but also by comsuming celebratory holiday-themed food and drinks.

Much like the dishes traditionally eaten on these special occasions, holiday drinks tend to be richer and more extravagant than their everyday counterparts — whether we're talking about festive Christmas punch, whipped cream-crowned hot chocolate, sweet mulled wine, fruit filled sangria, hot buttered rum, a classic wassail, or creamy eggnog. So which holiday tipples are people most happy to be partaking in alongside their Christmas ham, sugar cookies, and prime rib? Mashed asked 608 people in the United States what their favorite holiday-themed drink is, and the results were not exactly surprising. Here is the festive drink 38% of respondents are looking forward to the most.

Whether it's cold or temperate where you live, there's just something about the holiday season that makes many of us inclined to switch up our go-to refreshments, deviating from basics like coffee, wine, and beer and reaching for something a bit more festive. So which holiday-themed drink did respondents say is their favorite? 38% of the people Mashed surveyed said they enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate most. (While you can never go wrong with the classic topped with whipped cream, for extra holiday cheer we recommend trying a spiced version or one with a dash of peppermint extract.)

And how did the other holiday drinks on our list fare? Almost as many folks — 30% of survey respondents — love the truly iconic Christmas drink, eggnog. This rich concoction is spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, and many choose to add a slip of brandy, rum, or Scotch. Next up, the choice of 9% of respondents, is Christmas punch, a kitchen-sink type recipe which can be made with a variety of juices, sodas, fruits, and herbs, and which can be enjoyed as-is or spiked with rum, gin, or other spirits. Nearly 9% of those surveyed named hot buttered rum as their favorite holiday drink, followed by sangria (7%) and mulled wine (4%). Wassail was the least popular chocie on the holiday drink list, with only 3% choosing it as their favorite.

Whatever your chosen thirst quencher is this holiday season — bottom's up!