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Top 10
Top 10 hot cocktail recipes to keep you warm this winter
Are you scrambling for a hot drink to keep you warm, but sick of the same old herbal teas and instant coffees? If so, we’ve got you sorted with 10 recipes for a hot cocktail to make at home.
January’s proving to be a cold month in the northern hemisphere, and the frost is showing no sign of letting up. From simpler boozy hot chocolates to some more unconventional savoury picks, these 10 drinks are sure to keep you toasty.
Southern Comfort Hot Toddy
This slight twist on a traditional Hot Toddy from Southern Comfort infuses the winter staple with a slightly fruity and spicy flavour. It’s also a great reliever for cold and flu symptoms, so this simple nightcap can send you to bed happy and healthy.
Ingredients
- 50ml Southern Comfort 100 whiskey
- 1 tbsp honey
- 25ml lemon juice
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 lemon wedge
- 1 cinnamon stick
Method: Boil water. Combine whiskey, honey, lemon juice, and water in a mug. Garnish with a lemon wedge and cinnamon stick.
Irish Coffee
This Irish classic was brought to the US in the mid-1900s, when transatlantic flights were directed through Country Limerick, Ireland. Joe Sheridan’s original recipe, found in Amanda Schuster’s Signature Cocktails, is arguably the best way to make this classic at home today.
Ingredients
- Hot water
- 1 or 2 sugar cubes
- 180ml freshly brewed hot coffee
- 45ml Irish whiskey
- Fresh whipped cream
Method: Add hot water to a heatproof glass mug to warm it, then discard. Quickly add the sugar cube(s), then the coffee and stir to dissolve. Add the whiskey and stir again. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with grated nutmeg, cinnamon, or cocoa powder.
Hot Buttered Rum
Ever wanted to try a butterbeer from Harry Potter? Here’s something a little stronger and warmer to make you feel merry and magical during your 20-hour film marathon.
Ingredients
- 45ml Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 25ml caramel syrup
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp demerara simple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Hot water
Method: Add syrup, honey, and spices into a mug and muddle. Add Captain Morgan and then top with hot water. Top with softened butter and stir.
Bailey’s Hot Chocolate
A cocktail of creamy, velvety indulgence: luxury has never felt so easy. It’s been popular for as long as Bailey’s has been around – and with good reason.
Ingredients
- 50ml Baileys
- 1 tsp hot chocolate powder
- 100ml milk
- Cream and chocolate shavings, to garnish
Method: Use the hot chocolate powder and milk to make a hot chocolate – in a microwave or saucepan is fine. Pour into a mug and add the Baileys. Garnish liberally.
Hackney Homebrew
Stronger and sharper than some of the other recipes on here, this Hackney Homebrew is a warm sipper. It’ll last you long and keep you light!
Ingredients
- 40ml gin
- 20ml sweet vermouth
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- Fresh nutmeg
- Orange zest, to garnish
Method: Make sugar syrup using equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer until combined and allow to cool. In a new saucepan, combine gin, vermouth and sugar syrup. Simmer on a low heat. Break the cinnamon and add to the pan. Add 20 grates of fresh nutmeg, followed by the star anise. Pour into a glass and grate over orange zest.
Hot Margarita
Margaritas are a go-to summer drink for Tequila lovers – but why not bring the joy of this sweet and sour concoction all year round, with Cointreau’s recipe for a hot one?
Ingredients
- 25ml Tequila
- 12.5ml agave syrup
- 25ml Cointreau L’Unique
- 85ml hot water
- 20ml lemon juice
Method: Combine all ingredients in a mug. Stir briefly. Garnish with a lime twist.
Bullshot
A savoury cocktail may seem strange – but this one is as flavourful as it is unconventional! From a book dedicated to vodka cocktails by Ukrainian specialist Dima’s Vodka, this rich alternative winter drink will pleasantly surprise you with a spicy kick.
Ingredients
- 50ml Dima’s Vodka
- 100ml beef broth
- 10ml lemon juice
- 6 drops of Worcestershire sauce
- Salt, pepper and tabasco to taste
Method: Pour all ingredients into a mug and stir.
Hot Gin Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned may be the name of this classy cocktail, but its popularity persists in the modern day. Swapping out the whisky for gin and serving warm creates a perfect spin on the beloved drink.
Ingredients
- 50ml Hendrick’s Gin
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- 50ml boiling water
- Orange twist, to garnish
Method: Gently heat gin, syrup and bitters in a pan. Add the boiling water. Serve in a tankard or teacup; garnish with an orange twist.
Golden Label
Hot chocolate doesn’t only work with Bailey’s – High West’s recipe is an equally swoonworthy winter warmer. Enhanced by the subtle twist from the Biscoff, the Golden Label is distinctive and delicious.
Ingredients
- 20ml High West Bourbon
- 7ml Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur
- 7ml Cynar aperitif
- 25ml Ron Zacapa
- 25ml Biscoff syrup
- Top with hot chocolate
Method: Build in mug, and top with hot chocolate. Garnish with Biscoff biscuit and, if you wish, a cinnamon stick.
Hot Apple Cider & Rum
Hot apple cider is as traditional as you can get, aside from mulled wine. But, if you want to give it a bigger boost of booze, here’s an idea to transform this crowd-pleaser into a most delightful winter cocktail.
Ingredients
- 45ml Ten To One white rum
- 12.5ml Ten To One dark rum
- 120ml apple cider
- 20ml hot honey
- 12.5ml fresh lemon juice
- Apple slice and grated cinnamon, to garnish
Method: Combine all ingredients in a mug and warm up. Top with apple slice and grated cinnamon.