Pick your poison: wine, beer, or liquor.

Wine

The best cheap red wine is Oak Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($2.99), and the best cheap white is Oak Creek Pinot Grigio ($2.99). I get them at Harris Teeter and keep a bottle of each in the house whenever we need some for cooking or drinking on a weeknight, and I’m a wine snob. This would be a great choice for a party, and HT gives discounts on cases.

Beer

The guys at Brew News Podcast recently released their holiday beer recs, and I have a few of my own:

• Troeg’s Mad Elf — A boozy, strong Belgian dark ale, it’s really unlike any of the others on this list.
• Natty Greene’s Red Nose — An easy drinking ale with winter spices.
• Foothills’ Dead and Berried — A boozy, dark stout that’s better than Sexual Chocolate, in my opinion.
• Prairie’s Christmas Bomb — This one has coffee in it, so be warned, but be ready for an orchestra hit of flavor. It really is da bomb.
• Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale — I have to agree with Andrew on this one. It’s an annual staple that satisfies the hopheads at the holidays.

Keep in mind that I don’t buy into the KBS/CBS hype that goes around this time of year. If it’s not craft, it’s not on the list.

Liquor

The friendly family at Fainting Goat Spirits shared these two recipes with me recently, and the apple cider whiskey cocktail is particularly to die for. It’s been a crowd pleaser at two separate occasions.

Finally, let’s not forget the nog. You might think you hate eggnog, but you haven’t tried my family’s recipe. It’s been an annual tradition for decades — way before my drinking years. It’s boozy (add less liquor if you’re concerned) and creamy and holy crap, Christmas is not the same without it.

Drink up this holiday season, and let me know what you like. Cheers!