9 Hot Cocktail Recipes for Cooler Weather
If you're the type of person who not only has an office sweater but an office blanket, or who dreads the 30-second morning trek from your warm bed to a hot shower, you probably appreciate a hot drink (if only to warm your ice-cold fingers). And a hot boozy beverage? Even better. Unlike other warm beverages such as tea, hot cocktails provide a double-warming effect thanks to the alcohol. That's why we've rounded up our reader-favorite, warm-you-up cocktail recipes to have on hand this fall and winter, from whiskey-spiked hot chocolate and mulled wine to classic 19th-century eggnog. Put on the kettle, and let's get started.
Hot Toddy
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
A wintertime favorite on bar menus around the country, the classic Hot Toddy is made with hot water, sweeteners like honey or sugar, whiskey (we prefer bourbon), and a stick of cinnamon or star anise.
Traditional Chinese Medicine-Inspired Mulled Wine
Charissa Fay / Food Styling by Nora Singley / Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan
This gently sweet mulled wine is balanced with fragrant clove, cinnamon, and star anise, plus a hint of brown sugar.
Inverno Arancione
"Spiced mulled cocktails are what I crave when I want to relax in the colder months," says Amy Brandwein of Centrolina in Washington, D.C. "Red wine is usually the base, but Centrolina Wine Director Alissa Diaz developed this cocktail using Pinot Grigio to focus on citrus and ginger — it almost plays off the flavors of a classic panettone, which is a winter specialty in Italian culture."
Hot Buttered Spiked Cider
This spiked cider recipe is here to warm you from the inside out. The apple cider and dark brown sugar simmer with pumpkin pie spice blend — made with spices like cinnamon and ginger — that drives home the autumnal vibes, and is also a quick and simple way to add flavor to the drink. The cider easily comes together on the stovetop.
Ginger & Bourbon
The Ginger & Bourbon is a prime example of a simple, hot cocktail that warms the drinker through its toasty temperature and comforting blend of sweet and spicy flavors.
Cinnamon & Tequila
This concoction smells incredible as it simmers on the stove, delivering a balance of sweet and spicy sensations — and it's easy to make for a crowd.
Apple-Brandy Hot Toddies
© Rob Howard
At Paley's Place in Portland, Oregon, bartender Suzanne Bozarth puts a French spin on this warming drink with a slug of apple brandy, such as Calvados.
Whiskey Chai
For this warm, boozy nightcap, Linda Aldredge uses a blend of whole spices, but home cooks can buy a Chai Spice Blend.
Gaelic Punch
For hot punches, young Irish whiskeys work best. Heat intensifies the tannic edge of older whiskeys; young ones stay smooth.
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