Ultimate Christmas Cocktails collection cover image

Ultimate Christmas Cocktails – Various Artists

Half the fun of the holiday season is throwing (and/or attending) holiday parties! Here’s a great collection to serve as a soundtrack to your shindig.

In fact, its usefulness as background music might be its best selling point. If you try to pay close attention to the music as you listen, you might grow tired of it by the time the first disc is halfway finished. The music is quite repetitive in sound, partially due to the fact that the same artists are featured and repeated several times over.

Aiming to set the mood for gin-laden cocktails and vodka mixers, it’s no surprise the music is carefully selected to have a mid-60s “ultra mod” feel. Featured artists include the soulful Lou Rawls (someone who doesn’t get the airtime he deserves on HPZ), the sultry Julie London, and famed bandleaders such as Billy May, Guy Lombardo, and Les Baxter. June Christy, Wayne Newton, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mercer, and Al Martino also come together to add to the Christmas spirit. And it would be an utter tragedy if this collection didn’t include Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby.

This is a great collection from which to build a holiday mix tape of your own. When I created mine for friends and family, I yoinked the following tracks (all available on Disc 2):

  • “Warm December” by Julie London
  • “Frosty the Snowman” by The Ventures
  • “Santa Claus’s Party” by Les Baxter
  • “Happy Holiday” by Peggy Lee

And there’s much more to choose from as you build your own holiday playlists. 57 tracks on 3 discs? That’s good bang for your buck. Bring it out at your next holiday gathering to add an extra-cool vibe to your soirée. Surely your martinis will taste even better as these tunes help the gin work its magic.

Available for purchase here.