Poinsettia

Sparkling wine, cranberry, and Cointreau — named for Joel Poinsett (first US Minister to Mexico, 1825–1829) who introduced the Aztec red-braced plant to the US.

The Poinsettia cocktail takes its name from the poinsettia plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima), the woody shrub native to Mexico whose vivid red bracts have made it the most widely purchased flowering plant in the United States and one of the most immediately recognizable symbols of Christmas and winter holidays globally. The plant was introduced to the United States in the 1820s by Joel Roberts Poinsett, who served as the first United States Minister to Mexico from 1825 to 1829 — the diplomatic title in use before the United States adopted the rank of Ambassador for its senior diplomatic representatives. Poinsett encountered the plant, which had been cultivated in Mexico since at least the pre-Columbian period and used by the Aztecs for red dye and fever medicine, and sent specimens back to the United States where it was subsequently named in his honor. The plant's association with Christmas developed through the 20th century as commercial greenhouse cultivation made it widely available as a holiday houseplant, and its deep red color became the defining visual cue for the Poinsettia cocktail — sparkling wine with cranberry juice and orange liqueur — whose crimson hue directly references the plant's seasonal identity.