Candy Cane Martini

Celebrate Christmas with this fun, peppermint flavor cocktail!

This recipe is meant for people over 21 years old. Please drink responsibly. Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• This bubbly candy cane martini recipe is so pretty! Pink sparkly cocktail is a delicous change to the heavy creamy drinks that are served during the holidays.
• Perfect for holiday parties or a quiet evening at home.
• The vodka only needs a few hours to infuse with the peppermint candy - this doesn't take a lot of time but you'll need to plan ahead.

This candy cane martini brings all kinds of holiday flavor to your Christmas parties. Candy cane-infused vodka mixed with peppermint schnapps and cream soda give your guests a sweet, sparkly welcome!

This is one of my favorites.

🧾 Ingredients

You’ll need:

• Candy canes
• Vodka
• Peppermint schnapps
• Clear cream soda (or red if you want the darker color)
• White corn syrup (to rim the glasses)

🔪 Instructions

It’s so simple to make your own infused vodkas! Infusing isn’t an exact science – some things take longer than others. The candy only take a few minutes while other foods may take days.

1. Add about ½ cup broken candy canes to a quart jar.
2. Fill with vodka.
3. Cover tightly.
4. Shake.
5. Let sit for a couple of hours.
6. If you have time let sit on the counter for a couple of days, shaking occasionally to help the candy canes dissolve.

🍴 Equipment

• martini glasses
• cocktail shaker
• jigger for measuring
• small plate for adding the candy to the rim of your glass
• light corn syrup

🥫 Storage

You can store the candy cane and vodka mixture for an indefinite period of time. Just put in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep on the pantry shelf.

Once you add the soda to the mixture it's best to serve it immediately while it's still fizzy.

💭 Things to know

This peppermint martini is such a simple drink to make and has so much flavor! Unlike many candy cane martini cocktails this one does not contain chocolate flavor – it’s pure peppermint and vanilla.

Expert Tip: If cream soda makes it too sweet for your tastes you can use club soda.

• No time to infuse the vodka? Use a vanilla vodka and let the peppermint schnapps add all the candy cane flavor.
• Use mini candy canes, one per 2 ½ ounces of vodka.
• Crush the candy and drop it in a Mason jar with the vodka. They usually dissolve in 5 minutes or so – give the jar a good shake.
• If you like it a little sweeter add a teaspoon of simple syrup.
• Rub a thin ribbon of corn syrup on the rim of the glass and roll it in crushed candy canes.
• You can also rim the glass with colored sugar.
• Crush the ice in the blender to make it almost like snow.

To make the peppermint martini in a pitcher or punch bowl

One of the worst things about hosting a Christmas party (besides the clean up!) is being stuck mixing drinks all evening! You can make a big batch of this recipe and add the cream soda to each individual glass.

OR make it in a pitcher or punch bowl.

Here’s how-

1. A couple of days before your party make your infused vodka with 1-½ cups candy cane pieces. A quart jar holds 32 ounces – enough for about 12 cocktails.
2. Mix 12 ounces of peppermint schnapps with the infused vodka.
3. For each drink you’ll need 3 ½ ounces of the mix and 4 to 6 ounces of cream soda.

🍹Garnish

The simplest way to garnish this easy cocktail is with peppermint sticks or candy canes. Here are some other possibilities –

• Fresh mint leaves
• Rosemary sprigs
• Rim the glass with chocolate shavings
• Rim the glass with different colored sugars
• Or sprinkles…

If you’re throwing a holiday party you need this drink! The vanilla cream soda softens the spice of the peppermint and gives the drink sparkle.

📚 Related cocktail recipes

Here are more of my favorite holiday cocktails:

• Chocolate Peppermint Martini is rich and creamy - another, delicious holiday cocktail for serving with desserts.
• Red Velvet Martini has a bright red color and tastes like red velvet cake. It's amazing!
• Midnight Kiss Cocktail is a beautiful dark blue champagne cocktail that's great for the holidays.

📞 The last word

There's something magical about the holiday season. We make pretty foods and sparkly drinks and we turn the most ordinary days into a celebration.

Small appetizers to pop into our mouths? Holiday drinks with minty flavor? Yes please!

If you're like me and can't get too much Christmas try this Cranberry Whiskey Sour next!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First Published December 24, 2020. Last updated December 17, 2023, for editorial improvements.