From cocktails to mocktails, martini glasses to mugs, the holidays are a perfect time to experiment with new ideas or ingredients and indulge in liquid luxuries.

Even casual gatherings can be made more memorable with attention to details such as glassware and garnishes. But festive doesn’t have to mean expensive when you take the DIY route and create your own infused spirits, drinking vinegars and simple syrups. Whether hot or cold, simple or complex, the abundance of seasonal ingredients means that every kind of drink can be fancy.

Winter is toddy time. For inspiration, slip into the cozy Stihl Whiskey Bar. Owner Jason Gartz has created a warm and intimate spot to relax, forget about gift-giving and enjoy one of his many whiskey-driven drinks. But let’s talk toddies: Whether whiskey, bourbon or brandy floats your boat, adding hot water, a little honey and a squeeze of lemon can cure even the worst case of holiday blues. Play around with molasses or maple syrup as a sweetener and up the fancy factor by garnishing with clove-studded mandarin halves or an orange twist and star anise. My new favorite: Stihl’s Irish Toddy with Jameson, cloves muddled with lemon and agave.

For unique ingredient ideas, stop into The Dogwood Cocktail Cabin. You will notice immediately the new-to-Bend flavors such as mole bitters, aloe, salted plum and tobacco. But even the most intriguing concoctions created by owner Phoebe Pedersen are approachable and uncomplicated — most including only three main ingredients. Winter-worthy martinis of note include the Portuguese with rum, port and fig and the Rikki Tikki Tavi with tequila, cardamom and orange.

Finally, head to 900 Wall Restaurant for examples of how to harness both trend and tradition. Classics such as an Old Fashioned and Manhattan may have updated ingredients, but remain true to form. And the addition of trendy drinking vinegars to their arsenal has inspired drinks such as the Hoser with Crown Royal, tamarind drinking vinegar and ginger beer.

Called shrubs or switchels when mixed, sweet and tangy drinking vinegars have been used for centuries and have enjoyed quite a resurgence in recent years both in cocktails and non-alcoholic spritzers.

Copy the The Dogwood’s Native Shrub with Aviation gin and marionberry drinking vinegar, or DIY and make your own shrub syrup for a signature drink. Just simmer fruit puree with sugar, add apple cider vinegar, cool and strain. Try currants, cherries, pomegranates or blackberries for bold color and flavor.

Creating your own infused spirit or simple syrup is another way to bring holiday flavors to the festivities. Both are incredibly easy to make and give a sense of pride well beyond the effort level. For simple syrup, just heat equal parts sugar and water over low heat, add citrus zest, herbs or flavorings, then cool and strain. Try Meyer lemon peels, cinnamon bark or hibiscus. For infusions, start with a neutral spirit such as vodka. Drop in a few habaneros, a handful of dried cranberries, a peeled apple, or ginger.

The options are endless and most flavors need just a few days to a week to develop before straining and bottling. Tasting and testing is the only way to know. As you experiment with mixing different spirit and syrup combinations, just remember that sweet, spicy, tangy or tart — balance is the most important ingredient in any cocktail.

Whether entertaining a couple or a crowd, even if you stick with what you know, step it up a notch! Try white instead of dark hot chocolate. Keep mulled wine or cider on the stove for self-service and a holiday scent. Sticking with whiskey? Try a rye. A gin and tonic type? Buy a pair of contrasting gins and seek out a new boutique tonic water. Create a lineup of complementary liquors, mixers and garnishes and set up a DIY cocktail station — also a clever way of getting out of playing bartender.

When it comes time for dessert, don’t forget that you can drink it. A cache of cordials is always fun to play with, but don’t forget about ice wine and port. Both pair well with cheese or sweets. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the wine is sweeter than the dessert. For hot drinks, go the extra mile and make your own marshmallows. The pillowy blocks melt slowly into a sweet frothiness that sneaks in with each sip. As easy as rice crispy treats — but with much more enviable results — DIY recipes are numerous and varied but most include unflavored gelatin, sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar. And like whipped cream, marshmallows are a blank slate begging for flavor. Try adding Kahlua or green Creme de Menthe, lavender and lemon zest or crushed cardamom. And don’t forget about freshly grated nutmeg. The dried and dusty powder is not a suitable substitute!

Freezing a little fun into your drinks is another great way to garnish. Copy The Stihl and freeze ginger beer into giant cubes for bourbon or make “smoke” cubes like The Dogwood does. Coffee cubes add a double dose of cool to white Russians. Or fill ice cube trays with ribbons of basil, long lemon twists, whole mint leaves or cherries before topping with water. Just be sure to use distilled water for clear cubes that don’t cloud or shatter.

After you’ve mixed up a masterpiece, frame it! Glassware is as important as what goes in it. After all, a dry martini without a martini glass is just … well, vodka. Think of a salted rim and how it hints at citrus, the scent of cognac or hot buttered rum from the mouth of a snifter or the sight of bubbles dancing up the sides of a champagne flute. Glassware — above all else — should engage your senses.

So go ahead, cuddle up with a cocktail or quench your thirst with a mocktail. Get bromantic with bourbon or touchy-feely with tequila. The holidays are the perfect time to indulge the senses and celebrate the season by drinking outside the box.